Just quickly through the stuff ahead of the game at 2pm.
Big East blog has a very good preview of the game.
Seton Hall has been an interesting team to say the least. They have already played in four overtime contests, including at home against Monmouth, Robert Morris and James Madison. At times, the Pirates play down to their competition and find themselves in HUGE holes, only to use their full court frantic pace to pull themselves out. Luckily, they do play more consistent against the better teams, because that style is not likely to find success against Big East teams when trying to climb out of a big hole.
Seton Hall was very successful in nearly stealing a road win at Marquette this week by settling back into a zone defense and working to keep the score in the 50’s against Marquette. To win on the road, you have to be willing to get your hands dirty and be able to grind it out in the half court. If they can do this and turn it into a posession by possession game in the last three minutes, the athletic ability and quickness of Eugene Harvey could give Pitt trouble on both ends of the floor. It might be a tougher task against Pitt as the Panthers will rebound the ball very strong and use their size against a smaller Pirate club, but that is probably the best strategy for Bobby Gonzalez to follow.
The last time Seton Hall won a road Big East game was the season finale in 2005 when Louis Orr was still their head coach — at the Pete.
Expect the Pirates to follow that tack. Gonzalez has already said as much.
“We’ve had trouble winning on the road. And I think that has to do with maturity and experience and toughness. We don’t have a lot of it right now. With Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter really our only two experienced players that have played in a Big East road win.
“It’ll be a tough game. I know PIttsburgh’s got their own injury problems. They’re still obviously a very good team, especially at home. They’re big, they’re physical and it’s going to be a very hard game.
This is the extent of the NJ media coverage of the game. A basic starting line-up and capsule summary. I guess most of the coverage is down in Dallas for the Giants-Cowboys. (You know, everytime I start to get annoyed about Pittsburgh media coverage of Pitt, I think about what happens to BC, ‘Nova and all the metro NY/NJ teams and realize how much worse it could be.)
Gary McGhee, naturally, got some attention in the media.
“I hope he continues to make people wonder why he wasn’t being played,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said after Pitt’s 79-66 victory at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.
Guess he read Fittipaldo’s Q&A on Thursday. In the notes, Dixon said that Diggs is still struggling to get healthy from injuries.
McGhee in the rotation, means Pitt can and likely will throw out some more combinations on the floor.
This should shock no one. The Pitt coaches and players are saying that they have complete confidence in Ronald Ramon. Ramon and Pitt should be expecting plenty of pressure on Ramon when he brings up the ball versus Seton Hall.
