It really does feel that way at times. In the moments of self-pity and “woe is me”

2011: Pitt goes down to UConn after a double-bye in the Big East Tournament when Kemba Walker hits a final shot. The Huskies. After struggling all season with inconsistent play storm through the Big East Tournament and then the NCAA Tournament to win it all. Pitt loses in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Butler who goes all the way to the NCAA Championship game before losing to UConn.

2013: Syracuse beats Pitt in the Big East Tournament. En route to falling in the Big East Tournament Championship game. Syracuse is now in the Final Four. Wichita State pulls the mild — sorry, I have to do it — shocker by beating Pitt in the 8/9 game. Well, beating up and and down the court is probably a better description. The Shockers are also in the Final Four.

Oklahoma State beat Pitt in a Sweet Sixteen meeting and made the Final Four. UCLA and Villanova. Frickin’ Marquette. All within the last ten years.

The flip side to the optimism of being so close and knocking on the door. That pessimism that Pitt is always going to fall just short and some other team will be the one to go through that door.

If Michigan and Louisville win their games today, Pitt will have faced — and lost to every Final Four team this year. Just keep twisting that knife.

Stay safe everybody on Zulema St.

Down in Houston to see family. Wonder if this might be a topic of discussion with my sister and brother-in-law (both Rice alum)?

Oregon’s Arsalan Kazemi? has been a key player in the Ducks’ run to the Sweet 16, but while at Rice from 2009-12 he alleged that Owls athletic director Rick Greenspan repeatedly made insulting and discriminating remarks to him, two fellow Middle Eastern players and an assistant coach, and that led to his request for a hardship waiver from the NCAA to be eligible to play this season.

According to a document obtained by SI.com, Kazemi, the first Iranian-born player in NCAA Division I men’s college basketball, alleged in his hardship waiver that Greenspan made derogatory comments referencing Al-Qaeda and the Axis of Evil when talking about Kazemi and two of his teammates.

The NCAA only grants hardship waivers under special circumstances, but in this case it gave waivers to Kazemi and his teammate, center Omar Oraby, an Egyptian who transferred to USC in September.

The Egyptian born assistant coach who helped recruit these players also filed an EEOC complaint after he was let go. At the most generous, kind reading of the comments the Rice AD made, he was making very, very tasteless jokes.

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Okay, so it seems Rushel Shell’s transfer is a little more up in the air than it seemed yesterday. Coach Paul Chryst has issued the “back off” statement.

“Like many college freshmen, Rushel is working through some challenges right now. As it is for all members of our team, my most important concern is his personal well-being. Rushel and his family have our full support. We are giving him time away from football to work through this situation but he very much remains a part of our family on a daily basis. We want to be sensitive and respectful of Rushel, and I would ask others to do the same.”

This really says nothing, but that’s the point. Chryst can’t comment, but has to comment.

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Second of five pieces from the Blog Chant Rant on FSU’s Spring Practices.

This isn’t really a question of who will play, as the limited depth will require one of a select few to get the job. It’s more a question of who is going to step up and make the leap to a high caliber player able to provide the Seminole defense with a consistent pass rush. Florida State has the task of replacing three NFL caliber defensive ends in Bjoern Werner, Tank Carradine, and Brandon Jenkins, though Jenkins missed almost all of last season with injury.

While they will be lacking in experience, however, they will not be lacking in talent. In the mix are former 4-star recruit Georgio Newberry (RS Soph.), and 5-star recruits in Mario Edwards Jr. (Soph.) and Chris Casher (RS Fresh.). Edwards slimmed down as the year went on in 2012 and saw his contributions increase earning two starts after Carradine was lost for the season. Casher will be interesting to watch because, though he is talented, he has missed the last two football seasons. I expect Casher to be close to 260 lbs by the time the season rolls around and his size and athleticism should allow him to jump right back in at a high level

The depth for the defensive end position got a much needed boost when FSU landed top 5 DE DeMarcus Walker this recruiting cycle and had him enroll for the spring. He has the size to come in and contribute right away, and going through a spring practice is huge for him and his ability to provide depth in the 2013 season. If he can establish himself as an option this spring, than FSU should feel much more comfortable heading into the fall with 4 capable ends. (Update: Walker hasn’t seen the field yet this spring because the NCAA Clearinghouse is checking into one of his high school classes.)

After moving to TE last season, but missing the entire year with an injury, Dan Hicks (RS Sr.) is moving back to his defensive end position this spring. This will also help to provide additional depth and experience at the position. Hicks will be another one o keep an eye on during spring practice to see how he makes the adjustment back to the defensive side of the ball.

by Lilburn Nole for ChantRant.com

Edit: You have to love the name Tank Carradine for a kid at DE.  Its like Tank McNamara and David Carradine (“Grasshopper”) were married and adopted a kid who turned out to be a stud football player.  They have DEs with the first names “Tank”,” Bjoern”, and “Georgio”.  You have to give their staff credit for that.

You know, a day ago when I said this: “One thing to watch after the spring practices — and the semester ends. Some more attrition. In Chryst’s first year there were some transfers slowly trickling out. But, it should not be a huge surprise to see a few more after the spring…”

I didn’t think that it would start immediately.

Defensive tackle Terrell Jackson of Columbus, Ohio, who was redshirted last year during his freshman season, intends to transfer and has been granted his release by the university.

Ugh.

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Note:  Due to breaking developments my “PITT’s Five Things for Spring” list we are sharing with FSU’s Chant Rant blog may have to be modified as, obviously, RB may soon be a reason for concern.

Number five on my list of concerns, five being the least worrisome  and one being the most,  is our depth at Wide Receiver.  PITT went into spring drills with one true wide out returning as a starter.  That would be Devin Street and he’s been a productive player for us for over the last three years.  Last season he had his best year yet with 73 receptions for 975 yards (13.4 ypc) and five TDs.  That is a lot of production returning.  Street has also been our best deep threat which, ironically, due to a QB who couldn’t throw a deep ball to save his life, led him to be wasted in that role up until this season.

However, transfer Tom Savage (yes, he hasn’t played for two year which is another thing to be concerned about) will most probably be our QB this season and his deep passes are the strength of his game; big arm and very accurate.  His yards per completion average is a very good 14.3 so we PITT fans expect big things from that combo in 2013.

After Street however there are a lot of question marks.  Rounding out the remaining prospects we have only one WR who saw any meaningful PT in Ed Tinker, a local Pittsburgh City League player,  who played in all the 2012 games but mostly on special teams.  Tinker only had five receptions for 68 yards and a single TD but showed some flash with those receptions coming at the end of the season.  He’s talented but largely unproven.

In addition we are very high on Manasseh Gardner, another City Leaguer (it is unusually for PITT to have two on roster) who transferred back home to play for Paul Chryst.  Chryst had recruited him to Wisconsin when Chryst was the OC there.  This guy is the talk of spring practices so far and showing both good speed and great hands.  He has that feel that he could explode given the chance to play regularly.  He’s just a playmaker.  Chances are he’ll jump Tinker and be the second WR on the field.  However, PITT is going to see a lot of three and even four WR sets so all three will get ample playing time.

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Okay. So it looks like there is just a little bit of turmoil at the moment.

Rushel Shell, who would be Pitt’s marquee running back in its inaugural season in the ACC, is considering transferring to another school and is meeting Wednesday with coach Paul Chryst, a source close to the team told the Tribune-Review.

Another source said Shell, a rising sophomore who was one of Pitt’s most prized recruits in many years, has not asked for his transfer papers. Shell and his mother Toni Zuccaro did not return telephone calls to the Tribune-Review. A university spokesman declined comment.

Yeah. It looks like that is going to happen. Not sure what happened to all the desire to be close to his daughters and all that stuff. Maybe it still is a factor. Maybe he changed his mind about that.

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Wwhhhhyyyyy???????!!!!!!!! Wwwhhhhhyyyyy??????????!!!!!!!!!! Why can’t we have nice things?

Okay, got the whining angst out of the system.

So, the spring practice reports noted that Rushel Shell was not at practice. He had hurt his leg last week, but…

Running back Rushel Shell, who injured his upper leg Friday in practice, was excused Tuesday, although coach Paul Chryst refused to confirm that his absence was injury-related. “Couple things here,” Chryst said. “We’ll kind of work through it and then we’ll see (about Shell returning Thursday). “Not positive on it.”

Okay. I’ve gotten used to vague statements from Coach Chryst. Could be classes. Could be personal. Could be related to the injury.

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Note: Chas asked me to chip in and do a two-Blog series with the FSU Blog ChantRant in anticipation of our ACC opener with Florida State University.  Rich (of ChantRant) and I decided to address what we thought were five major concerns going into the Spring Practices then follow that up with an general article after the practices are over.  I like this format as it aquaints our respective fans with the other team.

FSU’s #5 – Who works where in the secondary?

It has been announced that senior Lamarcus Joyner is moving to cornerback this spring. Conventional thought is that this is to open the door for Karlos Williams (junior) to finally make his mark at safety. This is an interesting move in my mind, though, as cornerback seems to be a more loaded position than safety.

Nick Waisome (junior) and Ronald Darby (soph.) saw extensive action at corner last year performing well, while Tyler Hunter (junior) also saw a good bit of time at nickel back. Hunter in particular is a guy that got work at safety and cornerback and has the ability to play both positions. In addition to Waisome, Darby, and Hunter, highly recruited corner Colin Blake (RS fresh.) will be back from an injured freshman year to compete. Blake was a highly rated CB with great size. Keelin Smith (RS soph.) had Jimbo Fisher singing his praises last fall before the season started.

Throw in Lamarcus Joyner, a fixture in the FSU secondary for several season, and there is an embarrassment of talent at the corner position.

At the safety position Terrence Brooks (senior) returns as the starter at one spot. The position vacated by the potential move of Joyner will be the one to really watch this spring. As I stated at the beginning, it would appear Karlos Williams is the front runner here, but guys like Hunter and PJ Williams (soph.), who impressed in limited action last season, could also see a shot at earning this spot.

Williams was a Top 10 safety out of high school and impressed the coaches enough last season to see the field quite a bit over upperclassman. While I would bet on a tandem of Brooks and Williams, the Noles do have some other potential options that could emerge.

The good news is that for the 4 (or 5 in nickel) positions in the defensive backfield, Florida State returns 6 guys who saw lots of action last season.

by Lilburn Nole for ChantRant.com

I can’t say I’ve given it too much thought. Kind of wonder if that is what Coach Paul Chryst wanted when he set it up to be completely overlapping with the NCAA Tournament, and spreading it out over so many weeks. It’s been hard to glean much in the way of information.

There’s the basic roughing of what the 2-deep looks like. At the same time, most of that seemed to be in place before spring practice even began.

The O-line at least has more bodies. T.J. Clemmings seems to be making a very rapid transition to the O-line. He is even in line to be a starter at right tackle. That is either a great reflection on the effort he is putting into the move and the coaching he is receiving. Or it is a terrifying indictment of how thin the O-line remains in terms of talent.

…Or yes, it could be both. But where’s the fun in that. Don’t we all prefer to either believe the sky is falling or that its rainbows and unicorns for all.

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In the recruiting game, sometimes it doesn’t pay to wait for late offers and sometimes it does. For Jon Severe, it worked out well. The shooting guard from Christ the King didn’t have a lot of offers at first. A 3-star recruit, had offers initially from middling A-10 programs like Rhode Island, GW and Fordham. He didn’t commit and saw his stock rise, including being named New York’s Mr. Basketball. He now has offers from Pitt, WVU, K-State, Creighton. No surprise Pitt and WVU are now after him considering both struggled with being able to score consistently this past year. He is a shooter and willing to drive.

He gets to the rim north to south as well as east to west with a quick first step and good economy of motion. He runs hard in transition, has dexterity putting the ball on the floor and finishing, and actually prefers to drive left. Severe is also a capable shot maker off the catch or the dribble with terrific shot preparation for a youngster.

As you would expect defense and consistency are the issues for him. He’s a bit on the small side for a shooting or wing guard at 6-2 — which was the primary reason he didn’t attract a lot of high-major interest. It’s not clear when he will make a decision. The number of offers swelled, so he appears to be re-evaluating everything.

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Sorry. I have been trying to get healthy and pull double shifts the last week or so. Somehow the two don’t work well together. I was working on a post-mortem post on the Wichita State game yesterday when the news of Dixon’s extension started seeping.

That kind of changed things a bit.

So let’s work from this point. Jamie Dixon is not going anywhere.

Stating that he intends to “finish his career at the University of Pittsburgh,” Pitt men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon reinforced that commitment today when he signed a 10-year contractual agreement that runs through the 2022-23 season.

Dixon owns the highest winning percentage in school history (.753) with a 262-86 record from 2003-13. He has led the Panthers to nine NCAA Tournaments in 10 seasons, the most NCAA appearances by a Pitt coach.

“Pitt and Pittsburgh are home,” Dixon said. “My family and I feel blessed to be part of such a great institution and wonderful city. It is the people who truly make a place special. I could not be surrounded by better players, staff and administration. These aren’t just people I work for and with every day. They’re friends and I’m very thankful for that. I would like to express special appreciation to our leadership team of Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, Athletic Director Steve Pederson and Executive Vice Chancellor Jerry Cochran. Their guidance and friendship have been invaluable. I greatly appreciate the faith and support they have always shown me since my arrival at Pitt.”

I know there is a vocal minority that feels like Dixon should be gone; along with a very frustrated group after the Wichita State flop ready to say good-bye and don’t let the door hit you on the way out to USC.

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The game is at 1:40. It’s on TBS. On the bright side, it isn’t a noon tip. The downside (for me) is picking up the kids from school roughly as the second half is getting underway.

Will Pitt be able to avoid yet another slow start to their game? They are definitely aware of it. I’m not sure that it makes a difference or not — the being aware of it part. The fact is, this Pitt team has started most of their games — win or lose — sluggishly. Fitfully. At this point in the year, it is hard not to shrug and acknowledge that this team doesn’t get off to good starts.

Dante Taylor got six stitches above his right eye from the Syracuse game last week. The eye is still a bit swollen, but he’s not missing the game.

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You know those coincidental illnesses that fell many of us right around the start of the NCAA Tournament? Yeah, I actually did get sick and it timed out horribly. It’s not a deathly illness. It’s a sinus infection that I tend to get around this time of year. If that was it, it would be annoying but tolerable as the antibiotics kick it out. It’s the sleep deprivation from continually waking up from the coughing and continual drainage issues. Just been trying to get through work.

This is by no means a gimme first round game. Not simply because this is an 8-9 match-up. Personally, I think Pitt is seeded a bit low and WSU a bit high. But a 6-11/7-10 meeting is not exactly an uncommon upset. And superficially, some similarities on the resume.

Pitt went 4-7 against RPI teams in the top 50 and 5-0 against teams ranked 51-100. Its best wins came at second-seeded Georgetown (73-45) and against fourth-seeded Syracuse (65-55).

WSU, No. 37 in the RPI, went 3-2 against the top 50 and 5-3 against teams ranked 51-100.

The teams played three common opponents, all victories. Pitt defeated Howard (70-46), Detroit (74-61) and DePaul (93-55 and 81-66). WSU defeated Howard (69-50), Detroit (94-79) and DePaul (75-62).

The Shockers best wins came at VCU (53-51) and versus Creighton (67-64) who they also lost to twice.

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So after all my comments about how seeding is not as important as match-ups and where you play the games. When Pitt ended up as a Number 8 seed, well that kind of went out the window.

Pitt was a top-20 team. They were ranked in the top-10 in KenPom.com. The ESPN system of BPI said top-15. In the RPI, Pitt was only #43. The NCAA Tournament Committee Chair, Mike Bobinski has said they don’t just look at RPI. That they look at Sagarin, KenPom, and plenty of rankings beyond RPI. And when there is a significant discrepancy they look at a team closer.

I guess they didn’t like what they saw. On their official 1-68 list they had Pitt at #31. The popular sentiment is that the Committee leaned towards agreeing with the RPI rationale. Which penalized Pitt for their non-con strength of schedule. That the Committee wanted to penalize Pitt for a weak non-con.

Even so, it seems that this is more than a single seed line penalty to be dropped to an #8 seed.

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