Been a while since I did this, but there is no real theme to what I’m posting, so…
I blasted Dejan Kovacevic a couple times for his “I’m not saying, but the questions are out there” columns. So, good for him on admitting that, yes, he was actually questioning the non-con schedule for preparing the team for the ACC.
For all the teeth gnashing over Pitt not “getting respect” (specifically, being ranked), it’s coming.
More than a couple pieces noting Pitt.
It was the first win in ACC play for Pitt, which of course is new to the league this season. And of all the teams ranked in the top 25 this season — seriously, all 40-ish that have found their way into the polls at some point to another — no group has been on the wrong side of skepticism as much as Jamie Dixon’s Panthers. The doubt was (and maybe still is) warranted.
Now at 13-1 with its next to home games against Maryland and Wake Forest, two teams with 19 wins total, but zero of those Ws against teams ranked in the top 70 of KenPom.com, Pittsburgh is set up to to have it best start, record-wise, since the team got to 19-1 in 2010-11. (In a few ways, that group reminds of this one — and also had a lousy non-conference schedule.)
This season, the Panthers’ sole defeat stems from a hideous Dec. 17 loss, 44-43, to Cincinnati. But it was by just one point, and on the heels of Cincinnati’s win at Memphis Saturday, it’s looking better by the week.
I think Rothstein meant top-50 of KenPom.com, since Stanford is at #54.
Seth Davis at SI.com who has been one of the louder complainers of Pitt’s non-con and why they shouldn’t be ranked is also taking note.
This is for all you bargain shoppers out there. After waltzing through a weak nonconference schedule and losing to Cincinnati, 44-43, at Madison Square Garden in one of the ugliest games of the season, the Panthers were demoted to the discount rack. When they fell behind at N.C. State on Saturday, it looked like even that might be too good for them, but you have to give them credit for getting off the mat and winning a conference road game going away. Now I think Pitt is ready to get some work done in its new league. Most of the ACC teams they play are not used to the physical brand of ball that Pitt will bring. The Panthers might not look pretty getting to the NCAA tournament, but I think they’ll get there.
He has seen the rest of the ACC — not to mention college basketball in general — right? Barring major injuries, Pitt is going to be in the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN’s own proprietary computer rankings, the BPI, have Pitt at #5.
Pittsburgh still has not entered the AP Top 25 despite being ranked No. 5 in BPI.
The lone blemish on Pitt’s schedule is a one-point loss on a neutral court against No. 26 Cincinnati. It came on a Titus Rubles offensive putback with less than five seconds remaining. That’s how close Pitt is to being undefeated right now.
Sure, Pitt hasn’t played the most difficult schedule –- its strength of schedule is ranked 90th.
But the Panthers have fared well against their toughest opponents. Other than their one-point loss to Cincinnati, they’ve won each of their other five games against top-100 opponents by at least nine points. Their average margin in those five wins is 17 points.
Thirteen of Pitt’s 14 wins are by at least 12 points. Its closest win was by nine points, 78-69 against No. 81 Penn State.
The biggest issue for Pitt is not the non-con slate is so bad. It’s that they haven’t had many national appearances.
Since I’m always going to watch Pitt, there is little difference in my head between ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or most RSN games. For the casual viewer and a lot of sportswriters who are covering other games that night, it matters. ESPN is what will play in the media rooms, offices and bars. so those will be their glimpses Since Pitt wasn’t ranked in preseason, their patsy games have gotten little play. Even pollsters have to be able to see a team to think about them and decide to rank them. The Cinci game was that big appearance. It was a hideous game, that cemented a lot of biases built-in against Pitt by preseason prognostications.
Only now, after the start of the ACC play has there begun a thawing of that perspective.
It also doesn’t hurt that the ACC is looking more and more like it brought in the lastest wave of Big East teams to raise-up the basketball. Yeesh, UNC. The ACC is not looking hot right now.
The rest.
Every year, another story on the overall versatility of the Pitt players. The biggest difference in my view, to past discussion of versatility is that it usually centered on the guards. How they can play point or elsewhere. This year, it is much more about the forwards. Mike Young, Jamel Artis, Durand Johnson and Lamar Patterson. These are players with different skill sets than in past years. Different strengths and weaknesses. We are seeing the team this year, much more willing to create different match-ups. Stretching opposing defenses.
Hey, yeah. Time for the “Pitt is a physical and tough team” story.
“They were tougher than our team was, period,” N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said after Pitt’s 74-62 victory Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. “They defended us tougher than we defended them. They got after loose balls, they pushed the ball on the break. And we did not respond.”
Gottfried called it a “tough lesson to learn.”
Maryland coach Mark Turgeon echoed those sentiments after a 79-59 loss Monday at Petersen Events Center, noting the difficulty of driving the lane against Pitt caused his players to stray for perimeter shots.
“If you drive, you’re going to get bumped,” Turgeon said. “They’re going to reach in. A lot of times, they strip it or hit you. So I do think that we settled for too many jump shots, which was disappointing.”
Gottfried called the Panthers’ ability to strip the ball out of an opponent’s hands or diving onto the floor for a loose ball, which resulted in fast-break opportunities and points off turnovers, “part of being tougher with the basketball.”
Again. This is a different team than past ones. Is Pitt strong? Yes. Are they able to play very tough defense? Absolutely. Are they a bruising, brutish team? Absolutely not. Turgeon is playing to the officials for the next game with the bumping and hitting claim. Especially considering how much zone Pitt used against his team — which is what sent them to more jump shots. This team does very little of the style he is claiming. They are getting their hands in on the ball more, but the only time they are bumping is when the ball is loose. Not in the lane.
Point guard columns. Josh Newkirk and James Robinson. If only we could combine the two. Robinson’s court vision, passing, defense and free throw shooting. Newkirk’s speed, three point shooting and aggression. Right now, I’m happy with both.
Really liked the arena.
And liked the fans. They are basketball savvy.
The folks dressed in red pants and white shirts were a little bizarre though.
Ped State can have him, from his other stmts about assistant coaches wives, he seems like an a-hole.
The BBVA Compass Bowl. whoop
He was a bargain.
Damn we need an edit option on this site
Haven’t looked it up either, but remember hearing that South Carolina (USC) had their first back to back …..11 win seasons in school history.
LSU had 10 wins this year. Probably had 9 or 10 last year. so them too.
UGA might have had as many as they had 8 this year. believe they had more than 9 last year.
LSU had 10 this year and 10 last year = 20
A&M had 9 this year and 11 last year = 20
And of course Alabami and South Carolina.
So where’s that put Vandy, 6th I guess.
Ok better than they were, yet only Music City Bowl and the Compass Bowl. So they took a slot from Kentucky or Ole Miss. Whoop Whoop.
I’m not too concerned with some schmuck who went to East Stroudsburg State or whatever.
Don’t know how well Mr. Franklin will play in that.
I thought it was last 2 seasons. It was last 20 games bowls included. Penn Live article.
Well in theory, maybe not wrong. But do you go on the radio and in a length interview, proclaim this to a radio audience in today’s PC world.
Not real bright. Again I think he’s overrated and over hyped. Media false reality in today’s world.
0/27 Massachusetts W (-32.98) W (-33.85) 49-7 W
11/3 at Kentucky W (-9.78) W (-9.50) 40-0 W
11/10 at Mississippi W (-15.66) W (-6.98) 27-26 W
11/17 Tennessee W (-4.34) W (-6.84) 41-18 W
11/24 at Wake Forest W (-9.46) W (-15.72) 55-21 W
12/31 N.C. State (Music City Bowl) **** W (-7.16) 38-24 W
11/9 at Florida L (+5) L (+9.22) 34-17 L
11/16 Kentucky W (-23.55) W (-17.58) 22-6 W
11/23 at Tennessee W (-8.51) W (-6.66) 14-10 W
11/30 Wake Forest W (-16.26) W (-14.95) 23-21 W
1/4 Houston
(BBVA Compass Bowl) **** L (+0.95) 41-24 W
Florida as we know went 4-8 this year. Worst team down there in several decades.
8/29 Mississippi W (-4.26) W (-4.26) 35-39 L
9/7 Austin Peay (FCS) W (-43.28) W (-41.79) 38-3 W
9/14 at South Carolina L (+5.16) L (+6.67) 25-35 W
9/21 at Massachusetts W (-31.78) W (-31.99) 24-7 W
9/28 UAB W (-19.80) W (-18.66) 52-24 W
10/5 Missouri W (-10.65) W (-4.60) 28-51 L
10/19 Georgia L (+3.93) L (+5.39) 31-27 L
10/26 at Texas A&M L (+5.16) L (+7.55) 24-56 W
Which was their big win of the season. And of the last 2 years.
Could be fun to watch ! 🙂
or it cuts the other way… take a Patrino… great coach.. lots of wins… right? but look at the mess because of who he was as a person.
It’s how this is going to play out in public… as the article stated (link below), this guys is going to be called as a witness to these rape trails (plural)… internal communications are not yet public… PSU is just stupid as an academic institution to be putting itself close to this stuff.
The comment on radio was over the top BS too… and it was not just a sentence… it was several paragraphs that show what this man is really thinking… and he was dead a$$ serious about the hot wife crap… wonder what the assistants look like around the office?
look at the pictures of the guy too… like a GQ model on the sidelines… got the shades, shaved head and the whole look going on… this is someone who is very much into himself…
Academic institution… that is what this all suppose to be about first afterall (hence now some PSU professors are starting online polls NOT to hire the guy). There is now way this plays out in the real world as positive for Ped State… in the insanity that is college football… nobody gives a s$%^ for those kids or what happened… and they don’t care that this guy might be trouble. Just win baby and bring in the $$.
Pitt maybe ‘cheap’… and part of that might just be because it puts sports into a better perspective of their priority within the entire educational institution.
sorry…
4.5 million, all happening so fast… just has a slight feel of desperation to it… (who else has offered this guy a job anyway?… lots of talk about interest but that is just talk. Sounds like he is working it all perfectly for his wallet though (hat’s off to him).
2nd highest ranked coach in the Little 10??? really? does he merit this? Is this how Penn State changes the culture and puts football into perspective within its ‘community’???
oh, and no there is no way these guys have done full due diligence on this guy… search committee of 6 people like you and me flying around the country?
Unless they called Freed and asked if his firm could investigate for them…. LMAO…
Ped State is desperate, the AD promised a new coach would be hired in a specific time period. Like a week or so. Golden said,,,,,thanks but no thanks.
And so…..this guy is available. Again Vandy replaced a Kentucky or Ole Miss in a 3rd or 4rth tier bowl.
Seems like the whole enchilada was just prepping another one to become a HC a major program.
Maybe the Big 10 was short !
I still say you don’t make Vandy competitive without braking some rules and taking some shortcuts.
Just what PSU needs to add to their shaky rep.
I will be surprised if this doe not end badly for them.
Plays right into Football is more important than values. 4.5 mill, if I am representing one of the Sandusky/PSU victims, my price just went up.
– I know it seems counter-intuitive, but I don’t think Franklin to Pedo has much impact on Pitt. The WPIAL is the only area that recruiting overlaps, and Pitt and Ped St. have competed forever for these kids. And there are not as many D-I kids in the WPIAL as there used to be, unless Pitt gets a D-I hockey team. Some kids want to stay in the city, some want to go to the farm. We have greater competition from WVU, OSU, Rutgers, etc. With or without Franklin, PSU is a good program that will continue to represent the Big 10 in many an Outback Bowl.
Know nothing about S&C hire Russ Kolodjkjldie (whatever). He could be great, but holy shit could Chryst just once break the stereotype and hire somebody that is not connected to UW?!?
On to hoops – After all the bad loses by ranked teams this week, if Pitt wins tomorrow, they have to be ranked..right???
Last night in a fit of boredom, I looked at every AP poll. I don’t believe the rankings are a huge deal, but it is an interesting phenomenon what influences voting. First off, I can’t believe the guys who vote. Writers from the Missoula Independent, the Idaho Sun, the Podunk Press. No wonder the rankings are F’ed up. Maybe if there were more voters from the cities that actually produce basketball players…
Second, Pitt got some love from some interesting sources, especially towns in which top tier programs reside: Lawrence KS, Lexington, KY, Hartford, CT, Columbus, OH. But not from Kevin Gorman. He knows better.
Headed to the Pete tomorrow for the Nooner. Expecting a beat down of the Demon Deacons. H2P!
Also knew about his donations back to PSU.
Read or heard that he actually donated more BACK to PSU than he ever was paid in salary.
Comment by Upittbaseball 01.10.14 @ 6:27 pm
Personally, I don’t think a football coach should make more that a president of the university. We have our priorities mis appropriated. — Pitt least than Penn State…
When that didn’t happen and the first round with Franklin didn’t go as planned they upped the ante. To me the whole thing looks like a cluster F%#$*&!
I thought Graham was around 2.5M salary and I assumed PC was similar. Is it confirmed he makes 1.2?
While I agree with MariettaMike that number would seem to be pretty low, even though Pitt should keep things in perspective.
Coaching staff does seem as if they are going the ‘development route’ with the coaches. Who knows how that goes.. again could be building a staff that will be real solid for many years…
… or could be the training ground for Wisky’s next coach staff in 2-3 years!
Hey, to be fair to the DC… didn’t Wanny have some young guy be his DC real early… and was for most of Wanny’s tenure and is now HC at Arkansas state or something like that??
or if you read between the lines i will bury pitt
pa is mine his.
what neighborhood, part of Charlotte does your brother in law live in ?