I don’t really get that worked up about whether Pitt has played a true road game to this point or not. Syracuse has done this for years, and has managed to keep their head above water. After all these years, there are still no numbers supporting or disputing whether playing a tough schedule or more road games helps or hurts a team. It just comes down to the team itself.
This game isn’t getting much in the way of national buzz, as ND has been slightly disappointing to this point. They are a good team, but they have lost to teams like Alabama and Monmouth.
After Pitt’s win over GT, much has been made of Pitt’s offense and the idea of Pitt being much more uptempo. Not to go too contrarian, but I’ll just keep banging the drum on it being more about efficiency than tempo. Pitt was only slightly higher in adjusted tempo versus their season average. (70 vs. 68.3).
Yes, Pitt got out in transition a lot faster — as they have been doing this season — and they seemed to bring the ball up court quicker against GT. But a lot of that had to do with GT being such a bad defensive team trying to use full court pressure to speed Pitt up. Instead, all it did was allow Pitt to get into their offense a lot faster as they broke the press with ease.
This game with ND should be a game of similar styles. ND is actually a slower tempo team than Pitt. They are more efficient on offense, but worse on defense. Like Pitt, they don’t force a lot of turnovers defensively. They just guard.
The big concern for Pitt, is that ND does not foul. Getting to the free throw line is very important for Pitt in games. They get a lot more offense than most teams at the line (I know, I know. That is still the weirdest thing to read in 2016). ND has been burned more often than not on 3s. Pitt is capable of bombing away, but the consistency is the concern. In that respect, not playing a lot of road games is a concern. Hitting 3s on the road is hardly a given.
The game tips at 4pm.
It is on the RSNs, with wide distribution.
• FOX Sports South
• FOX Sports Carolinas
• FOX Sports Sun
• FOX Sports Midwest
• FOX Sports Indiana
• Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Plus
• YES
• NESN
• ROOT Sports Pittsburgh
• SportsTime Ohio
• FOX Sports Detroit
• FOX Sports North
• FOX Sports Wisconsin
• FOX Sports Southwest
• FOX Sports West
For grins, you don’t want the parasite to kill the host, at least not quickly.
1) Jeter is good, but I really like him off the bench, still, because he can quickly get into foul trouble.
2) Young & Artis may be the best duo in the ACC.
3) Robinson is our glue. He does everything.
4) Our transfers that have played have all been more than worthwhile…Sterling Smith, Maia, Ododa. Dixon scored big time here.
5) Jones is much improved over last year.
6) Cameron Johnson is going to be really good.
7) Cincinnati fans have no fuc*ing class!
8) We were very close to ripping this game wide open. Jamie took the pedal off the metal.
H2P
Bengals and their fans are thugs.
As far as the Steelers, a guy makes two great plays to win the game and then gives it back with a dirty hit. As kid’s we called that “Cheater’s Proof” anyone heard that one before?
I still can’t believe it.
“I did my homework throughout the process,” Narduzzi said. “I talked to a couple very qualified people from around the country.”
Narduzzi seemed focused on Canada.
“When (former coordinator Jim) Chaney left, I said we are going to get a guy as good or better,” he said. “Mission accomplished there.”
HCPN (CEO of PITT football) is on to the next order of business. Secure the current 2016 verbal recruits and land a few more studs like Hamlin, Hudson & a 4 or 5 star DT who will start on day one.
The new OC has his marching orders as well: secure QB recruit Thomas MacVittie’s verbal and bring in an experienced QB back-up, a TE and other high end talent MC may want.
HTP!
Sounds like a team that just might give the Ville all they can handle.
And for much of the game it felt like the entire display was teetering on the edge of chaos. I thought the refs did an awful job of controlling the extracurriculars. The NFL is very lucky it didn’t get uglier than it did.
You would have to think Marvin Lewis is done but then again we are talking about the Bengals. They have a solid history of tolerating both on and off field shenanigans beyond what most other NFL teams do, and that is saying something.
It really was sweet justice that they lost the way they did.
Notre Dame also shot lights out, put on a furious comeback, only to be denied. Some say this game should not have been close, I say PSHAW. This team learned another way to win and just looks to get better. So much firepower.
This team has a top seven guys and four role players when needed. Adoba may make it a top eight when we need a shot blocker, but Maia is becoming the man in the middle.
Jamie will make the defense better.
There are a lot of ways this team can win, hopefully we see a few more on the road.
Glad we caught Notre Dame early, they look to get a lot better.
H2P
Boyd is not a thug. That head hunting cheap shot on Brown that cost the Bengals the game was a definition of a thuggish act. The comparison is not even rational.
I was actually OK with Cinci winning up to that point. The Steelers are pretty much done anyway. But who knows, strange things can happen. Tomlin the happiest, he would have got a ton of grief for the two point conversion attempt.
The word is the word Doc. I use it alot to describe exactly what I saw on display last night. Someone will pop up how racist we are for using it. Give it time.
Now the guy responsible for the defense that was almost single handedly responsible for handing franklin a winning season has bailed out on the guy without clear provocation. Considering this happening at such a critical time a few weeks before LOI Signing day has to put some doubt into those recruits ready to jump on board with the cult clad in white.
The decommitting of 4* DT Karamo Dioubate this past week does not bode well that all is happy in that there valley in the middle of PA. Closer to home, I will guarentee that all of the above has been noted accordingly Coach Narduzzi. I am also secure in the notion that Pitt targets such as Hamlin and Hudson will be enlightened by Pitt’s staff to consider the ramifications of these recent defections as well as speculating on the underlying circumstances that initiated such actions.
Add to these contingencies the obvious opportunity of early playing time for such talented players as Hudson and especially Hamlin and the potential of these guys becoming Panthers in the end seems pretty viable.
In any case, the practical application of completely revamped offensive and defensive systems instituted by new faces, one of which remains to be determined, will take time to refine on the field of play. Time that nitters won’t have if they intend on having an effective game plan that can beat the Panthers come September 10th.
Coach Franklin is up to his elbows in alligators right now. How he manages the required damage control in the next three weeks is going to determine his long term future at penn state. One thing is for sure, no one is currently happy in happy valley.
On BB, do not like the late game at Louisville.
So yeah, Iron Duke those names that you dropped above would fit the bill, even in the absence of corn rows. In Berfect’s case being labeled a thug, after last night’s desplay, IMO, would show a conscious effort of tolerance. Myself, I can conjure up an adjective or two that would be more appropriate for his actions but I’m certain that they would be way outside the realm of political correctness.
Romanowski was a thug. Bill Laimbeer, I can go on and on.
Ville, our next opponent, is coached by a white-collar thug
Obviously very difficult to manage and subject to much interpretation. Deon Sanders is saying that Burfict’s hit was not intentional and dirty.
On a previous play Shazier knocked out a Bengal with a “legal” head on head shot.
Pacman, was penalized for going after Joey Porter, who should have got a penalty for being on the field.
So much of this is on the eye of the beholder.
James Harrison used to be the “Dirty Guy” in the league for his hits. Steeler fans certainly didn’t mind.
I remember when Joe Greene punched a guy in the stomach.
It is a dirty nasty game and people love big hits by their guys and hate them by the other guys.
Obviously Brown was a defenseless player when he was hit. To say their guy wasn’t defenseless when Shazier hit him is a very close call. Steeler fans would have reacted the same way Bengal fans reacted.
I still think Burfict’s hit was far dirtier, because it looked to me like he could have avoided the hit, Sanders says he tried to avoid the hit. It didn’t look that way to me, but how do you determine intent. Sanders says that Burfict didn’t know that Brown didn’t catch the ball and was making a football play. That I don’t buy at all.
534 comments on Black Shoes diaries about Shoop leaving. Lot’s of sour grapes. Calls for Bradley. Darren Perry, promote from within, even Dave Wannstadt LOL
Got to figure people will be going after their recruits with furious intent. Funny stuff.
But, we must try. The fruit is ripe and we have needs.
The Louisville press will give Pitt fits and slow the O down. We’ll need more than JR to handle the ball – and with yesterday’s performance, we know that could be trouble.
Per Zeis …
That being said, let me throw this out there: As great of a job as Jamie Dixon has done at Pitt, as much evidence as we have had that he is a great coach, as many ways as he has proved it over the years by getting the most out of a lot of teams that weren’t blessed with a lot of high-level talent — what he has done the last three years to transform this team from a Big East team to an ACC team is nothing short of amazing. Actually, a miracle in many ways and he deserves whatever he is getting paid because it puts him in the category of one of the best coaches in the country.
You think I’m overstating it? Do you realize how hard it is for a coach who believes so strongly and had so much success doing things one way – to go completely the opposite direction and still win games? His recruiting the last three years has reflected a change in philosophy (something I’ve been writing about) and required a change in philosophy. His mentality in how he runs offense and defense and finishes games – everything he has believed in, he has had to have an open mind and change.
And that is something that is not easy to do, talk to any coach who has been around and had success.
Some thought the move to the ACC might be the end for Jamie because he wouldn’t be able to adjust but guess what, it only took him two or three years to complete change the philosophy of a program to fit the way college basketball is played and to fit the new league the team is in.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t still going to require his guys to commit to being great defenders and rebound the ball – those will be staples because he believes in that.
But he has found balance, he has a group he can trust to go score at will but do so while still being unselfish and protecting the basketball. I never thought I’d see the day where Pitt would be hitting transition 3’s (like the one Jones hit yesterday), pushing the ball at every opportunity and shooting early in shot clocks.
It is fun to watch.
And Jamie Dixon deserves all the credit in the world because like I said, he is a terrific basketball coach and he’s proved that he can and will adjust to do what it takes to win.
There are tons of stories of coaches who had success then suddenly couldn’t win or fizzled out and usually, it is because they are too stubborn to adjust.
Iron Duke – I thought about it and afterwards I use it pretty much evenly. Good point though. Hell Teddy Bruski was a thug as well.
Mathiang has been injured and now Onuaku is on the bench (ankle?).
Louisville will rely on Mahmoud (So 7′ 210#) and Spalding (Fr 6’10” 210#) up front. Very skinny guys.
I am liking Pitt’s chances at the Yum.
Thug is now a term for the street. If you use it for anything else, it can be and will be taken out of context. Blame the PC police or liberals or whatever but it has racial implications. Whether you like it or not. Especially in a public forum like this.
Hail to Pitt!
2) Pitt wins with a running O & is the best FT shooting team in the nation- check
3) Steelers win & Burfict is fined and suspended games for next year (guaranteed) – check
4) Pens beat Montreal – check
5) The pedo lose Shoop – check
6) pedos lose commits and the fans are crapping themselves (much like their old coach) – check
Did I just dream all this?
Of course it could mean that they aren’t that good after all….
Also, there is an enormous difference between BEING a racist and SAYING something racist. We all think/say racist things from time to time and it’s a good thing to be called out for it. It’s pointless to just call someone a racist. Too many ways to argue your way out of it. “But I have two black friends…” It’s harder to argue your way out of “that thing you said was racist.”
To me, “thug” describes actions and attitudes; it has nothing to do with skin color.
