Has anyone checked to see if WVU AD Oliver Luck is really just some guy who hangs out on message boards and blogs? I mean, for a guy who has a law degree and claims to have positive business experience, he just really likes to spout off. The Big East seems to be his primary target.

In case you missed it there are all sorts of possible reconfigurations to the BCS being tossed about. Getting rid of automatic qualifiers. Letting the big BCS bowls go back to their old system of tying in with conferences directly. Having the BCS only handle the #1 vs. #2 game. All of which is not good for the Big East.

It puts the Big East in the precarious position of not having a big selling point of having a direct path to the big money bowls. It hurts the overall appeal of the Big East’s bowl line-up. And it further weakens the Big East in dealings with Notre Dame. ND is the only thing that keeps the bowl line-up as high as it is, without impeding a Big East BCS Bowl bid.

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Call it talking a flyer. Finding a possible diamond in the rough. Whatever you want, but Pitt picked up a commit from one Jahmahl Pardner today. Pardner is a 0 to 2 star recruit out of Rochester, NY. Rivals.com has him unrated, while both Scout.com and ESPN.com (Insider subs.) say he’s a 2-star recruit.

Pardner had interest from BC, Rutgers and Penn State. However, they did not offer him. His best  offers aside from Pitt came from MAC schools.

Pardner is 6-0 to 6-1, 170 to 179 pounds. He plays cornerback for now, but is likely to be moved to safety. There is some potential, per the ESPN.com scouting report.

Pardner is a two-way stand out at the high school level with very good athleticism and ball skills. Has more than adequate height and some length on his frame to assist his very good extension and high-point skills. Shows above average football speed but is not a burner and his lack of great explosiveness and overall speed is a concern when projecting for the next level. Will likely get recruited at safety where he shows well-rounded skills-set and his speed fits best. Instinctive with good physicality. … Could have difficulty breaking down sharply and defending in space. Gets downhill on run support and takes good angles. Productive in the first level as a tackler but will need added bulk and strength to continue producing as a box safety in college. Overall, Pardner is a very productive football player at the high school level with solid athleticism and ball skills that could be falling under the radar on the recruiting trail, but he is likely a mid-major type of prospect.

So, likely to redshirt and get bigger and stronger. Apparently the Pitt coaches see some potential in him.

Welcome to the Panthers.

Maybe it’s the overall “meh” situation of the Big East this year. Maybe it’s the fact that both Pitt and WVU fanbases already have headed for the Big East exits. Maybe it’s just the disappointment both fanbases have had from the expectations heading into the season. But it’s a little bit of a slow start. I expect by Friday, the hate and vitriol will be free-flowing.

Right now, however, it seems the biggest issue is will the Backyard Brawl take place once Pitt and WVU are out of the Big East? So the media bent is starting with some resignation, demands to continue and questions.

Joe Starkey pleads for the Backyard Brawl not to end.

Athletic directors Steve Pederson (Pitt) and Oliver Luck (WVU) owe it to the fans to play every year. I just wonder if the will is there. I’ve spoken with both men. Neither sounded as if he were ready to move the Blue Ridge Mountains to make this happen.

Not that either nixed the idea. They could have gone Kansas-crazy, but did not. Kansas officials tweeted the following after Missouri announced it was bolting the Big 12:

“Missouri forfeits a century-old rivalry. We win.”

That’s the spirit!

No. Both sides are hedging at the moment.

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This will get annoying, I’m sure over the next few months but the voting is now open for Volvo’s Biggest Fan in the Big East. Please help me on this by voting often.

Thanks everyone for all the feedback from the first draft of my All-Big East dream team. It’s been fun trying to put this together. And a real pain trying to finish with a complete and finished product. More than a little bit of rationalizing went into this, but then again, it is a “dream team” not a pure stats driven or pro/potential based collection.

The good folks at Volvo did not stick any preconditions on how this team can be composed other than: a total of 12 players and why.

I, however, made my own limitations. I wanted a real team with subs. Not just all the great guards to come through the Big East plus Patrick Ewing and Derrick Coleman.

The other limitation was that the players had to be playing college ball in the Big East for three years or more. One-and-done and two-year players tended to be just passing through because they had to spend a year or two somewhere. I wanted players that truly were part of the Big East and that is a big part of their legacy. Players that you think of when you speak of the Big East or their respective teams. Not that they were (are) fantastic pro players or had great natural potential. That restriction eliminated some great basketball players such as Walter Berry (who made no secret he was just passing through), Caron Butler, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and DeJuan Blair.

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All peaceful on the football front this week. I like to think that it is a purposeful calm. Devote all healing energies to Lucas Nix. Put Tino Sunseri in a zen (or semi-hypnotic) state where he can breathe and re-establish that mind-body connection so he doesn’t forget all the things he is supposed to do — set the feet; get rid of the ball before the count of 3; and never, ever attempt a pass longer than 15 yards. Meanwhile, Greg Gaskins is looking in a mirror repeating the following over and over, “I’m a good offensive lineman. I’m good enough for the Big East. I really can pass block. And goshdarnit, Tino likes seeing me on the line.”

Aaron Donald gets a puff piece as he has emerged as a force on the D-line. Now leading the team in tackles for loss, sacks and QB hurries.

Randolph, like Graham, said Donald still needs to work on his technique and fundamentals but, along with his natural ability, his work ethic and his intensity almost ensure that he is going to be successful against any offensive line.

“Aaron has done about everything I’ve asked him to do,” Randolph said. “We wanted him to work on his fundamentals and as you can see now with his production. His fundamentals have gotten better and it shows up on game day. His work ethic and his mindset and his natural ability — he just makes plays.

“When I look for guys to recruit in the future, I’m looking for guys like Aaron Donald with that first step, that explosiveness and, on top of that, the violence in him is what I really like,” Randolph said.

“He enjoys playing the game and, to me, he is kind of a throwback. He is an old-school guy, but his first step, his attitude and temperament — those things are what make him such an explosive player.”

Donald was humble/media savvy enough to deflect a lot of credit to his teammates on the D-line.

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I think the theme of the rest of Pitt’s week is set. If you want to get an idea of just some of the defensive breakdowns well they are easily viewed. Really good stuff worth the time to review.

Lot’s for Coach Dixon to fix with the defense. This digital chalkboard breakdown starts with perimeter defender not in good defensive position and the help defense not there.

Pitt’s defense is a major concern for them three games into the season. They don’t have a lock down defender on the perimeter right now, so they need to be solid in help defense and their rotations. They have struggled with their rotations so far and it has led to them giving up many easy baskets at the rim. If they can shore up their defense, they can contend for a Final Four. Right now, it is a major work in progress.

This breakdown, looks at the problems with the transition defense and the halfcourt D.

The common theme would appear to be a real breakdown by the players in where they should be. Whether it is not being in the right place to defend in the halfcourt, or not communicating with other teammates in transition. It’s a lot of confusion out there right now. That was obvious to most of us, but these pieces really drive it home.

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Where to start, where to start, where to start.

How about with Coach Dixon.

“We knew when we scheduled Long Beach State that they were very good and we wanted to play an experienced team.  We knew how good they were.  I anticipated us being a much better team at this time and obviously we are not where I would like us to be.  I want to give them credit for how well they played because they played very well.  They played like seniors and like an experienced team.  They played hard, they played aggressive and they moved the ball very well.  On our part, we have a lot of work to do.  I think we knew that, we have been talking about that, and we have to get better.  This was disappointing, but we recognized going in that we have to be a better team and we’ve got to get better defensively.  We usually get better as the year goes on (defensively) and we have to do that here and now moving forward.“

[Emphasis added.]

Obvious disappointment and a bit of frustration from Coach Dixon. As much as the outside expectations are high on Pitt, the expectations from within aren’t being met as well. The team has five days before their next game against LaSalle. LaSalle, by the way, took Villanova to OT before losing this past week.

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Ohzz nos. Pitt lost to Long Beach State. A non-con loss at home for the first time in years. Losing to a team whose very name screams low mid-major.

The bigs are lost on the floor. The defense is shoddy. The team is overrated. There is no way the players, the chemistry will improve. The season is already lost.

Yeah, do me a favor. Go back a couple years after Pitt lost in MSG to a less than good Indiana squad. Take a look at the comments after that game. That was a bad loss. To a team that ended the season 10-21. Before that Pitt needed double-OT to beat Duquesne. Struggled to score against New Hampshire. All of that had followed a game effort against Texas (who looked awesome at that point, but imploded by mid-January), but still saw Pitt end up losing to the Longhorns by 16.

Last night’s loss was to a very good mid-major team. A team with 4 senior starters and a really dangerous player in Casper Ware. They got after Pitt, and many of the players were simply unprepared to respond.

I’m not trying to minimize the loss. It sucked. It royally sucked. Right now, Pitt has a lot of problems and definitely isn’t deserving of it’s top-10 ranking. I will get into the problems and the game review in a later post. And, yes, the problems look legion.

But to declare the team has no heart. To announce that players are a complete bust 3 games into a season where they are starting for the first time. Basically, to go Chicken Little is ridiculous. You don’t have to be a blind Pollyanna and pretend that all will be well. You do, however, have to have a little more patience and sanity.

Semi-late night game. At least, as I get older it feels later. Especially for mid-week. May have to stick with some session beers tonight rather than the stronger stuff.

It’s the first basketball liveblog of the new season. I’m sure everyone will be rational, well-reasoned and not at all reactionary during the game. Zen-like, even.

Definite plus for this game. Bill Raftery with the color commentary. That is the way to kick off the first liveblog.

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A week off from football before Thanksgiving and the Backyard Brawl. The win definitely helps with a sense of overall calm. It’s been a rough season to date. The transition on the offense has been painful at times. The injuries have also been, well, painful. I’m reasonably certain almost the entire Pitt fanbase has watched Sunseri drop back this year and uttered, “1… 2… 3… Throw the damn ball!”

Yet, a good win on the road helps. Even if it was aided by a video game or what not.

“I said on Tuesday we have guys that miss class because they want to stay (up) all night and play that video game, whatever it was,” Strong said Monday at his weekly news conference. “I didn’t even know what it was, but it’s such a big deal.”

Gamers can participate online and play at the same time or on teams. “Modern Warfare 3” has a storyline that makes the player part of a special forces operation in search of a terrorist.

Strong said he knew it had engulfed the team by hearing players talk about the video game, most simply refer to as “MW3,” and seeing their posts about it on Twitter.

Sophomore strong safety Hakeem Smith was so excited he posted this tweet the night it was released: “Call of Duty at midnight!!!! #Gamerwithapassion.”

Receiver Damian Copeland tweeted at Smith: “Boi You Know U A Gamer When U have To Tape Your Fingers Up Before You Play The Game” — that was in reference to “Modern Warfare 3,” not actually taking the field to play football.

Kicker Chris Philpott posted “On that dutayyy with @G_Scruggs (defensive end Greg Scruggs) scruggy,” that prompted a retweet from quarterback Will Stein that he was “jealous.”

While he was at it, Strong also blamed the midnight release of the final Harry Potter movie on DVD on Friday as playing a role. What happens if the Cards lose to UConn this weekend? Will the opening of the final Twilight movie be cited?

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First, there will be a liveblog of the Long Beach State-Pitt game tonight. The game is at 9pm, on ESPNU

Second, there is no shortage of concern that Long Beach State is capable of the upset. They have a dangerous, slashing, scoring point guard in Casper Ware, Jr. The LBSU squad is a veteran mid-major group. The kind of team that always causes problems for major programs — whether in the non-con or the NCAA Tournament.

LBSU has scheduled to be battle-tested, high RPI and Pitt is the first stop on a non-con torture fest. UNC, Louisville, Xavier and Kansas are also on the list of teams they will play on the road. Their head coach Don Monson, is the college basketball version of Dan Hawkins — only less weird.

Hawkins was the guy to help get Boise State national attention before eventually being lured by the money to Colorado where he had to clean up after a program in shambles ethically and on-the-field. Succeeding only in the off-the-field clean-up Hawkins was fired after last year. Meanwhile, Boise rose to greater heights under the assistant who took over and has stayed. Now Chris Petersen is widely considered the true genius behind the Boise success.

Monson coached Gonzaga to the NCAA Tournament. Got the program noticed, but eventually was lured to Minnesota where a scandal had wrecked their program. Monson cleaned up the off-the-court issues, but didn’t win. Eventually losing his job. Meanwhile, his assistant Mark Few took over and has succeeded and stayed in Spokane, Washington.

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As I have mentioned, I’m taking part in the Volvo’s Biggest Fan in the Big East challenge. Things are starting to get underway, including the intro video to very briefly hear from some of the participants.

The voting isn’t active yet, but there are other challenges.

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My primary focus is on the Albany game, since I paid attention to that one. The Rider game, I have watched a little of online. PittScript has a better write-up of just the Rider game. Opening games are hard enough to judge. Wildly different performances from one to the next make it that much harder. Pitt is still 2-0 after the start of the season, and there is plenty of reason for optimism — and some things to be concerned. Really, the best thing to say about the first couple games: no injuries. Just ask Louisville.

From the Albany game, Lamar Patterson played a great game offensively. More importantly, he seems to have embraced the idea of being Brad Wanamaker. Still his own player. Different strengths — better rebounder, better ball control — and weaknesses — free throw shooting, ability to attack the basket. But Patterson is as much the natural facilitator as Wanamaker. He may eventually turn into this team’s de facto point guard. He sees the floor and judges angles where the ball is going on rebounds. He is slimmer and stronger this season. I would say he understood during the offseason that if he wants to get the playing time over J.J. Moore and hold off some of the up-and-coming talent, he has to completely understand the system and become a very well-rounded player. In the first two games he has 15 rebounds and 11 assists.

Travon Woodall will not keep up the hot 3-point shooting. Especially when Pitt plays teams with better defenses and bigger guards to defend him. But his confidence is high and he really wants to be the point guard for this team. The issue for Woodall — and really all the guards — will be getting the ball inside. There’s a lot of talent there, but the experience and knowledge by that talent to get free for a pass is still a work in progress.

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The Backyard Brawl is set for 7pm on Friday, November 25 on ESPN.

I’m sure it will be a sedate and relaxed crowd for the game.

I didn’t get to watch the Pitt-Louisville game until late Saturday. Since I was DVRing the game, and was late getting to it, I sat and watched the Nebraska-PSU game with my dad. That wasn’t at all uncomfortable. He had a pained look cross his face anytime they showed a crowd shot with any signs in support of Paterno.

We had talked a bit about the scandal before, and he was so disgusted by all of it. He’s not a delusional Penn State grad. His feeling is that the whole administration. The whole staff has to go. There is no way that this wasn’t some dirty secret that they knew and were trying to hush for at least the last 9 years. Probably longer. Still to see a man he had respected. Believed had integrity. Falling like this is a blow. Yet he still wanted to watch the game, and so we did. It was a very quiet room, though.

Now, about that Pitt win over Louisville. Were it not for three aspects of the offense, you could be forgiven if you thought this was a rerun of a Pitt game from last year. Pitt ran the ball almost 2-1 over passing. Pitt controlled time of possession (for only the second time this season, USF being the other). The total passing yardage was sub-200, but the completion percentage was over 70%. The yards on the ground were more than yards in the air. The offense didn’t try to go too fast and very clearly was trying to stay on the field.

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