Well, so much for sluggish starts…

This afternoon, Pitt came out of the gates with a fast start for the first time this season. We scored the first six points of the game against admittedly pathetic Penn State, and our offense didn’t let up until the second half. In the first half, we shot 57% from the field versus Penn State’s 15%. Of course, the Nittany Lions’s slow-to-react defense should get some of the credit for this success, as they rarely got in anybody’s face. On offense, the Lions went nine minutes without scoring a point — their half of the scoreboard seemed to be stuck on 7 forever. Plus, they turned the ball over ten times (versus our five) before the break.

In the second half (we were up 39-11 at halftime), Penn State’s offense improved remarkably. Plus, they spread out more on defense, and that seemed to slow us down a little. Still, on the day, we held a substantial advantage in field goal percentage (47% to 28%), turnovers (16 to 12), and rebounds (42 to 30).

To be honest, this was the first time that I actually got to sit down and watch Pitt Men’s Basketball this season. And I know that we were only playing Penn State. Still, I was impressed — especially with Jaron Brown (14 points, 4 rebounds). Sure, we’re probably not going to win the Big East again. But we should surprise at least a few teams.

Incidentally, I agree with Chas’s position that we should continue to play Penn State in basketball despite the fact that they won’t play us in football. Refusing the play them wouldn’t really hurt them (their men’s hoops program is already too low). Plus, we would abandon the moral high ground… Yeah I know… moral high grounds are overrated (just ask any Red Sox fan). But still, it’s something I can rub in my wife’s face.

Incidentally, Chas and I disagree about a lot more stuff in real life than we typically do on this blog.

It’s 6:50 PM and Army currently trails Navy by 14. Hail to a Black Knights comeback.