I wonder how much people must have been undervaluing Pitt, prior to the UConn game. It seems in a Pitt loss, the team has gotten more respect and recognition.
Losing to Connecticut 68-65 in the final possession shouldn’t mar any of the accomplishments. This team, this program and this coach are as tough as they’ve ever been in the Steel City, maybe even tougher.
How do we know?
Listen to the respect that the Huskies heap on the Panthers. And this isn’t coachspeak or a few courtesy comments from a team that will play them again in the regular season. The Huskies genuinely respect Pittsburgh and call them easily their toughest rival in the Big East. Playing them in back-to-back Big East tournament title games (they’ve split the last two) earned the Panthers the right to move ahead of Syracuse as Connecticut’s latest nemesis.
“Tonight’s game wasn’t for everyone,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said of the demands the game would make on his players. “Their system is tough. They screen you so much and hit you so much. I’m sure there is an awful lot of contact at their practices. … Jamie is demanding nothing but the best from them. They’re the best I’ve seen at getting you out of position before the ball comes to you. You catch the ball and all of a sudden you’re not where you’re supposed to be.”
ESPN moved Pitt into the #7 position in their “Power 16.” Now maybe I’m just not used to the positive vibes going to Pitt. Or maybe the Pitt football team has scarred me even deeper than I realized, but this is getting a little silly. Yes, Pitt is a very good team. Very likely will be battling for the Big East title and another Sweet 16 run. Beyond that, I just don’t know yet. This all seems a little excessive, and a little too predicated on a couple games on ESPN in the last week plus (Self-question: doesn’t that just reflect the importance and value of getting into the national rotation for games on ESPN? Doesn’t that help make it self perpetuating? Yes and it can but plenty have fallen off the perch — UMass, Seton Hall, NC St., LSU, Utah, the list can go on. The point was that the whole thing now is skewed the other direction in how the media feels about Pitt.) A little perspective, please.
As Shawn said to me the other night, if Pitt can split the games this week then we know how legitimate they are. Pitt has another big road game Saturday night against Syracuse — the defending National Champs. Pitt needs a win on the road against a ranked opponent to prove they are near as good as people are now saying they are. As good as Pitt played Monday night, it was still a loss. That was their one “moral” victory for the year. There are no more of those. The game looks even tougher following the ‘Cuse’s loss to Seton Hall this past night — even if Syracuse sophomore guard Gerry McNamara is questionable with a groin injury.
Finally, can people stop declaring that Jamie Dixon was clearly the right choice as if there is nothing to debate. That won’t be known for sure for a couple years. Anyone remember the job by Bruiser Flint in following John Calipari at UMass? Looked good for the first year, but then things fell apart. I like the job Dixon has done so far, and the team is definitely listening (free throw shooting, excepted); but it is time to tone things down.
