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.
As I noted before, the teams aren’t that different in style and emphasis.
“Except they’re maybe a little bit bigger,” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. “They appear to be an inch or two bigger per man across the front line. Maybe our guys have grown an inch or two, but if it’s a mirror image I hope we stack up physically with them.”
I have to believe Lamar Patterson did not say this with a straight face.
“It should be an (up-tempo) pace, probably, because everyone has fresh legs to throw in there. So this should be a fun game.”
Of course Coach Jamie Dixon is bothered by the losses in the NCAA Tournament.
Know that smile Jamie Dixon will flash when he thinks a referee has butchered a call?
The one where his arms are folded, the head tilted a bit, the foot tapping, the skin seemingly going green as it’s about to burst through the suit seams … and yet his face somehow conveys sheer, unfettered joy, his every tooth showing and cheeks stretched like Christmas morning?
Well, as a public service to Pitt basketball fans, I’m here to break it to you (MEGA-SPOILER WARNING): It isn’t remotely real.
Yeah, you’re welcome.
But you know how I became sure?
As part of a good talk Dixon and I had shortly before the Panthers embarked for Utah, the coach flashed almost exactly that same smile upon my broaching the topic of his personal history in the NCAA Tournament.
No surprise. Dixon is not addressing the USC wants to hire him rumors.
“I guess it’s the time of year,” he said. “We don’t talk about other jobs. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. We’re used to it, I guess. And it happens to everybody, I think, this time of the year. It’s speculation, I guess, so I don’t give it much thought.”
Hopefully there will be more games to play to avoid any talk about the issue for a couple weeks.
link to mstarz.com
This is not directed at you, I was going to post this before I saw your comment.
So, with your comment being understood……
I hope no one is going to come on here and say, “look, Wichita beat Gonzaga, so that makes Pitt look better”.
NO. We got smoked and embarrassed by 18 points to a Missouri Valley Conference team.
Possibly, if we got beat by a couple points, you might make that stretch.
Getting blown out by 18, please, just leave it alone.
By the way when the heck is Pitt going to play a team that is falling apart in March? All Pitt does is play teams that are hot in March.
However, breaking it down, who’d we beat???
No one really.
Syracuse once. Without their star player.
Georgetown, when their team was in total discombobulation. We were the catalyst that changed their season.
That’s it, if you wanna hang your hat on that.
Slightly better than mediocre on pure record alone I suppose.
Especially with the Big East having a so-so year in general, don’t dig too deep in all of the Pitt wins.
Not bad, but don’t over sell it.
Not one.
I was hoping we weren’t debating that.
This was a rebound year after one really bad year.
And Dan, I’m pretty sure PO’d hates Dixon and probably Pitt in general. And maybe Upittbaseball and I’m willing to give Jackagain the benefit of the doubt. Although Upitt has great taste in women. I think Emel could go either way but has a great sense of humor. And from what he says a pretty good night life.
Besides, anyone that doesn’t have a love/hate relationship with Pitt needs to see a shrink.
C’mon Reed please put us out of our misery with a football thread.
Man, you have some lofty ideals for your head coach. See me next year, when we are dueling with Wake Forest for the bottom of the ACC.
Thank god we stumbled on to Paul Chryst. At least we might go .500 in football.
Keith when has Pitt played a higher seed? Only two I remember are UCLA that was a 2 in the Sweet 16 and a game that I went to Pitt against OK St that was a 2 seed in the Sweet 16. Notice two losses to really good teams that went to the Final Four. I’m sure if Pitt had more opportunities in last 10 years they would have.
I don’t know how in the world to ever prove that to you, other than, I didn’t post much on here this week, and I haven’t posted that much on this thread.
I didn’t want to get bombed by saying this wasn’t a great team.
At least compared to our 03-09 teams.
I watched a lot of those teams, and KNEW they were going to win.
I’ve watched this years team and found myself HOPING that they would win.
Somethings different the past couple years. Talent?? Missing Rohrsen and the other fella (can’t think of his name), but, missing some good a.c. recruiters??
I don’t claim to have the answer, hopefully we can get it back.
Watch, I’ll get bombed for giving my opinion. I’m a hater, not a real Pitt fan, etc. etc.
Sorry, that’s what I saw this year.
I’m just comparing the past couple teams in my mind, to the teams in the 2000’s.
I’m not even talking about March. The teams in general.
So, I’m actually not ripping on Dixon. I think he had some fantastic teams, great teams that were fun to watch.
I just see a difference the past two years.
Too me, in my opinion.
I am confident HCJD will learn and adapt. I am confident Pitt will be successful in the ACC. I am confident that Pitt will, sooner rather than later, make the final 4. I am confident that Pitt will, within the term of HCJD’s contract, compete for a national championship.
However, if I’m wrong, count on seeing me here admitting same.
HTP!!!
94, I was giving credit for posting the picture.
Besides, isn’t that the way to select a coach?
UCLA= HIGH EXPECTATIONS
PITT= CONTENT
Had this strange dream, that Pitt was still alive and headed to the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles having just knocked off #1 seed Gonzaga.
And that Jaime got a 10 year contract extension.
Must have been that Chianti we were drinking last nite at Villa Antonio’s.
Going back to bed, my back is killing me !
This offseason should tell us something about if Dixon is committed to change. Will he hire smeone who can upgrade the recruiting efforts? What does he do about the lack off frontcourt depth?
How much of the above is Jamie’s fault for their not developing? Some. How much of it is his fault for misusing their playing time? All!! Does he really get the most out of players? Regular season yes, post-season NO WAY.
Should he have gotten an extension to 10 years? I don’t think so, but did we have any chance to replace him with someone better? Who? My only confident choice would be Brad Stevens.
We’ll see how the next 2 or 3 years go with the transition to the ACC. This will prove his worth, or not. If not, then 10 years wasn’t smart.
Did you see Peyton Siva yesterday?
If I were JR or Patterson, I would spend my time with Adams and Zanna doing the pick and role all day. I would be able to do it in my sleep, dunks and layups are much more dependable than 3’s. Live by the three die by the three.
It’s going to take more than Adams alone next year. Let’s hope the seniors show some dedication to upping their games.
No wonder your back hurts, you carried around the Pitt BB team on it for for over a week while they struggled through the BE and NCAA tournaments. LOL.
Go Wichita State! On to the Final Four! If you can’t beat them, join them, I say!
You met my son….yesterday after basketball practice; you know, the one in which he learned that passing at the 10 year old level is a mortal sin and unless he can dribble and rebound, he will never see the ball, we went to the gym.
At the gym, it is reqally tempting to launch 3’s, try crazy stuff, etc….
Well, there is a young girl who shows up in the early afternoon; she is dressed in baketball jersey, ponytail. etc…
We have seen her before. She is a couple years older than my boy. So I ask her if she will work with my son on some dribbling, etc…she said yes.
So I scram, leaving my son no choice but to swallow his pride (a girl!!) and bring his game, not his name.
Your suggestion that JJ, Cam and Johnson live their lives to the tune of “basketball jones” is dead spot on. But it takes committment and checking your ego at the door. anyone can work on things they do well.
that was the point with my son. I left the two to their own devices and left. 20 minutes later the two were friends and my son got some technique under his belt.
Maybe JJ, Cam and Johnson can head down to the Palumbo center and work with Suzy M.
mediocre all season in a weak conference…how could we be so mediocre and lose in the tournament?…fire the coach!
Glad to see JD is staying…10 year extension…so what?…he can probably still leave at any time but it does show Pitt’s commitment to the program and to what he has done for the schooL…I agree with Chris dokish in that he is the best coach we could get and have going into the ACC next year and is great news for the program…
I have always thought that winning your conference and conference tournament should be the primary goals of any college program because they are realistically attainable goals…something that JD has done with some regularity in his tenure at Pitt, actually the best of any Pitt coach ever and the one of the best in the BE over the last 10 years…
while the NCAA tournament on the other hand is a crap shoot…that is why so few teams have ever won it all (only 19 in the last 35 years and only 35 since the tournament began)…so to soley judge whether a coach is successful or not by how they do in the tournament is shortsighed and ludicrous IMHO…
I think that this year’s team overachieved…and has been mentioned, who on this blog had them winning more than 1 game at best in the tourney?
The prevailing thought among many here is that Pitt will bomb in the ACC becuase they will not adapt to the ACC style of play, more finese than physical…i for one think that within the next 3 to 4 years, the style of play in the ACC is going to become more physical…with Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville and ND the Big East style of play is going have a major influence on the league…just look at Miami; they play a physical style much more akin to the BE than the ACC…
I do agree that changes have to be made…I do not think that the current batch of assistants have served Pitt well over the last couple of years…they miss a strong recruiter like Roherson…I also think that he needs to recruit more shooters…and open up the offense more…
So lets wait to see what happens…I like so few on here look forward to next season and see only better things ahead for Pitt Basketball in the ACC…
HTP
Comment by marcus of schaumburg
Barkley can be an idiot, but he is funny. That could be said of me, except for the funny part.
Seems like he lives as if he came from nothing, enjoys life, and will leave with nothing and no regrets.
that is not a easy thing after last year and being one and done this year they wont be standing in line to come to pitt.
i hope he gets one or two my self but it is not like you go to k mart and pick them off a shelf.
75 percent of the kids have all ready signed
for this year and for the rest we are not on top of the list.
Sandusky state won the NCAA wrestling title for the 3rd straight year.
EWL stopped being relevant a decade ago.
Only a Pitt hater wants Cyanide Steve to conduct a coaching search.
The only reason I am happy for the extension is that it doesn’t force Cyanide out of the office.
spiritofsection22??????
Yep he sure did disappear. Maybe someone should call the Penn Monroe.
This POD system is a utter joke.
If the NCAA is going to let them play virtually “home games” the penalty should be they have to play in the same region.
Same thing with Mich & Mich State playing at home at Auburn Hills. And L-Ville playing in KY.
