I mentioned a few days ago that I would be looking to get some perspective on Tom Herrion from the place of his former job. JET of The Bushido Way and College of Charleston Sports Fan blogs (I’m always a fan of those who do multiple blogs).

This is what he wrote to me about Herrion in a brief summary.

Herrion is a good coach; he just wasn’t good for the college. I know he was the only CofC coach to be sanctioned by the NCAA for his antics on the side-lines but I attribute that to his knowledge that his house of cards were about to tumble. He didn’t discipline a couple of the guys when they were arrested and never really took the leadership role a coach should take. I am sure he has learned from those (bad) experiences though.

He pissed off a lot of the major donors of the school and season ticket holders were not re-upping their seats after his second year. I think when winning became his only salvation he did anything and everything to win. And it is human nature to crack under that kind of pressure.

I met him a couple of times and had a few heart to hearts with him-he has a genuine caring and respect for his players.

On his blog, he took the time to produce a much longer and detailed recollection of Tom Herrion’s time at CofC. Big thanks to JET for taking the time to do this.

Unfortunately, if there was one mistake Herrion made at the College, it was that he didn’t lobby (stroke) the Maroon Nation enough. And perhaps that is just that he was somewhat of a greenhorn at the game: you have to be 1-part coach, 1-part salesman (recruiter), 1-part cheerleader and 1-part politician (working the crowd: the alumni, the fans and the media). In fact, if you notice the main difference between a coach like Herrion and a coach like Bobby Cremins is that Cremins has gone out of his way to leave his footprints on the bricks surrounding George Street. And Cremins loves this interaction with the fans: If you pick up the receiver Cremins will make you a believer.

Really, make sure you read the whole thing if interested, especially the part about his “enthusiasm” on the bench. Because he didn’t do enough fan/alumni/booster stroking, when things got bumpy and he made some mistakes, it seems he had no room for getting a pass from the fans and powers. A not uncommon story.
I’d say Coach Dixon, after the second season with such a thud, started nearing that crossroads. Fan support was tepid for him and it seemed that the program was already beginning to backslide. Add in Dixon still being incredibly uncomfortable being the public face of the program, and rumblings were already starting. Thankfully, the team came back better the next year (and has shown to be getting better still) and Dixon began getting more comfortable with the public appearances aspect of the job.
The recruiter part of Herrion has never been in question, so that is good for Pitt. Herrion, in an article with a Charleston paper published today also talked about the new opportunity at Pitt.

Herrion, 39, returned to coaching this week when he was named an assistant coach at Pittsburgh, one of the most successful programs in the Big East Conference and in the nation in recent years.

“It’s an absolute home run, a grand slam, whatever you want to call it,” said Herrion, who was hired Monday by Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon. “It’s just a great opportunity for me and for my family.”

…

“I missed my players last year, being with my team day in and day out,” Herrion said. “Broadcasting games is not the same as coaching, but under the circumstances it was a great opportunity to stay involved in the game. It offered some different perspectives, and I think I did a good job of maximizing those opportunities. Spending time at other schools, witnessing how other programs are run, I think that made me a better coach.”

Herrion is still under 40. So, it’s not like he is some burned-out, retread ex-coach. He’s still quite young for a coach and has ambition to be a head coach again. This is all very good for Pitt.

Reminder that I will be doing a segment or two on The Sports Contraption with Dave Dameshek tonight on 93.7 The Zone. It should be sometime after 7:30. As of this time, Dave’s wife has not gone into labor. The appearance will be live, but hopefully with a bit of a 9 second delay in case I release an expletive deleted. Yes, I tend to keep it clean on the blog, but as my friends can attest, I am not nearly so good in conversation.

Dave’s even got his own entry on Wikipedia where you will learn about his extensive relationship with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla projects.

I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully I won’t provide too many dead air moments or um and ah too much.

I’ll be making my Pittsburgh radio debut tomorrow on the Dave Dameshek Sports Contraption on 93.7 The Zone. Yes, that’s right. Despite doing this for 3 and 3/4 years, this will be the first time a radio show will be speaking to me. That sure keeps the old ego in check.

You can listen on the internet, but you have to do a free, short registration (so do that early). The only thing that might cancel the appearance will be if his wife finally goes into labor. She is apparently due any time, so…

The show is new (as is the whole program format) and Dameshek has been active in reaching out to the Pittsburgh sports bloggers. On Monday he had the guy behind Mondesishouse.com on for a couple segments. It’s a smart approach in that it gets some different people on the radio who pay close attention to Pittsburgh sports giving some different views. Not to mention create some positive vibes with the online community and more promotion for the show (such as this post).

As you can expect the discussion will be on Pitt, though I’m sure other things may creep into it.

When Kevin Gorman asked for e-mail responses to the question “What position is of greatest concern to you?” on his blog, I wrote him the following.

Dennis from Pittsburgh: I think it’s, by far, the offensive line, and especially at center. It sounds like Mike McGlynn is the answer there because of some of the experience he’s had as well as the problems the other potential centers have seen. We’ll need him and the entire line to be solid to get anything going on offense.

KG: McGlynn just might solve that riddle and, if so, it potentially gives the Panthers their best offensive line in years. McGlynn and left guard C.J. Davis have two seasons as starters in offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh’s system, while left tackle Jeff Otah and right guard Joe Thomas both have one. Jason Pinkston appears to be a fixture at right tackle, and saw spot duty last season.

If McGlynn moves to center, which is becoming a strong possibility, it would allow the Panthers to have solid backups at every position: Chris Vangas at center, Dom Williams at guard and John Bachman, who can now play all three spots.

McGlynn, however, is recovering from surgery for a torn labrum and might not be ready by the season opener against Eastern Michigan Sept. 1. That would leave another Bachman/Vangas battle and could stunt the development of the quarterback competition.

Considering that the center touches the ball on every play, that the starting quarterback is going to inexperienced and the difficulty Bachman had making clean exchanges, it might just be the position of most pressing concern to the Panthers.

Just one of many things to think about for this upcoming season. Other responses included punter, linebacker, and leadership.

Not much news on Pitt. Hope a lot of students went to “Blue Chip Day.”

The only story was on the Center position. I’m betting Vangas will be the starter. Bachman is still learning and it just seems that he is going to need more time with that ankle.

This evening, of course will be the Final Four. I’m going to be providing the live-blog for the games at AOL Fanhouse tonight around 6. Michael David Smith (also of Football Outsiders) will also be adding additional posts and thoughts as the game goes on.

This means pacing myself on the beer. I will be starting with Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel. It’s a Belgian I picked up yesterday. Given the high alcohol content (9%) and the flavor, I should be able to go at a slower tempo.

After that, it will be nursing the New Castles.

Hey, I can see in the comments there’s a lot of wondering what is happening with Dokish’s old blog.

I don’t know why he quit it or anything like that. I can explain some of what you are seeing now based on my understanding of Blogspot.

Dokish didn’t just quit and abandon his blog. He took it down. Deleted it. That’s why there was a 404 message for a day or two. That meant he deleted it, all the archives and the name from Blogger and the Blogspot servers. That also meant that he gave up the name on Blogspot.

He had used one of many standard templates that Blogger offers for blogs. It was not something of his.
So it is safe to surmise that someone simply set up a new Blogger account and used the old name since it was now free once more. Then they set up the blog, using the same template.

There was no hacking in this case. Simply someone taking shots at the old blog right on Blogger (and now you know why I haven’t deleted my old Blogspot site despite having all the files transferred to Pitt Blather).

While on blog stuff, a quick note in the blog roll to a new Pitt blog, Pitt Panther Fans. Be sure to stop by and say hello.

So we saw Monday who the coaches think should earn the Big East postseason honors. Tuesday it was the bloggers’ turn to talk. Unlike the coaches, however, the bloggers understand that award teams generally have five players; not half of the players in the league listed on one team. Notable awards listed below but to see the entire list click the link above.

BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Jeff Green, Georgetown

All-Big East 1st Team:
Herbert Hill, Providence
Demetris Nichols, Syracuse
Roy Hibbert, Georgetown
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh
Curtis Sumpter, Villanova

All-Big East 4th Team:
Sharaud Curry, Providence
Lamont Hamilton, St. John’s
Wilson Chandler, DePaul
Levance Fields, Pittsburgh
Brian Laing, Seton Hall

BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
Scottie Reynolds (Villanova)

BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR:
Mike Brey, Notre Dame

BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Jerel McNeal, Marquette

Here are some more official awards announced last night.

2006-07 BIG EAST AWARDS

Player of the Year
Jeff Green, Georgetown

Coach of the Year
Mike Brey, Notre Dame

Rookie of the Year
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

Defensive Player of the Year
Jerel McNeal, Marquette

Most Improved Player
Herbert Hill, Providence

Sportsmanship Award
Brandon Jenkins, Louisville

No Pitt guys on the list, obviously not a surprise.

I’m about as excited as you can get for a Villanova-DePaul game as you can probably get. If you don’t love Big East tourney time–well I really don’t have any threat for you–but you should. Great games all day today and tomorrow and should be a ton of fun.

To start, I’d like to say I’m moderately scared that Jeff Long will take away my football season tickets if I say something bad about the football or hoops teams. If bloggers in Egypt who talk bad about the government can be thrown in prison…

It’s not worth me breaking down the WVU game anymore than it already has been. I was at the Penguins game and wouldn’t have been able to see it if I had stayed home (friggin’ Comcast). Chas did a great job recapping it anyways. Instead I’ll look towards Saturday for our trip to Marquette.

It’s going to be a College Gameday; no word on if Marquette Rollabanas will be on display. Cracked Sidewalks doesn’t care about those though — they just can’t wait for a certain sideline reporter.

Lastly, I know some people asked how the tie breaker would work if we finish with the same record as Georgetown which now seems more likely after they lost at Syracuse. It’s still not a guarantee; we have to play Marquette at their place while the Hoyas host UConn. By the looks of it, they have the easier road. Anyways, if we were to finish with identical records in conference, we would be regular season co-champs. Obviously it’s nice but not as important as winning the Big East Tournament in New York City.

As for seeding for the tourney up in NYC, it looks like Georgetown would be the top seed (once again, that’s if we tie them at the end of the regular season) at which point I laugh at them for having to play at noon on the second day of the tournament. Of course, this could come back and bite me in the ass if we get the #1 seed. For a great breakdown of that whole thing, check out BigEastHoops.com.

First, the Gray injury needs to be addressed.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon has watched Aaron Gray turn his ankle many times the past four seasons in practice. But, when his star center went down in a heap late in a 65-61 victory against Washington yesterday after grabbing a game-clinching rebound, Dixon made a beeline to the baseline to check on his hobbled 7-footer.

“I thought it was pretty bad,” Dixon said afterward. “He’s had ankle problems in the past. But he went down pretty bad on this one. I think this one could be worse [than the other sprains] from what I saw. I hope I’m wrong.”

Gray limped off the court after the injury and did not return in the final 10 seconds. He gingerly made his way to the locker room and will be re-evaluated today before determining whether he can play in the game at Seton Hall tomorrow night.

Well he seemed to walk over to the bench pretty well under his own power and when he sat down there were no trainers hurrying over to see him. I am in no way a doctor (at least not a medical doctor) so I could be completely off base with this — I just don’t feel too concerned about it right now.

Especially if he was to miss the Seton Hall game tomorrow. Not exactly the worst game to lose him for.

Looking back at the actual game though, Pitt did not play a stellar game (for the second time in a row) but this time managed to pull out the win. Washington did a good job from deep and they were able to keep the game close by shooting 7-11 from three point range.

In comparision, our outside shooting was less than stellar. We were 4 of 15 from 3-point range which puts them at 7 for 36 from behind the arc in the past two games.

Looking inside at the big men, Gray was only able to add 5 points as the combo of Hawes and Gray each neutralized one another. The 20 NBA scouts there didn’t see a ton of scoring from the two but saw them going at it all game.

A recurring theme with this Pitt team is someone new stepping up each game and yesterday it was Mike Cook coming through with 15 points. Ramon (11) and Sam Young (10) each came off the bench to score in double figures.

Gathering what I could from a Washington blog, it seems the mood there is mixed.

The Huskies received their second tough loss in as many games today. I really feel the Huskies were the better team in both of those games.
…

After reading the comments on the game, I thought I would respond. John Brockman was in foul trouble for most of the game. I think that hampered is ability to play physical basketball. He had some great, aggressive moves early on. He played timid for the majority of the second half in my opinion. Quincy Pondexter also was in foul trouble. His ability to help this team is nowhere to be found. He looks like a natural one play and the next he throws the ball out of bounds or goes to the hoop out of control. It is amazing how unpolished this freshman group is. Take away Hawes and this groups freshman year is an absolute bust.

Seems pretty happy with how the game went; not so much with how some of the players look right now.

To be honest, I’m not really as excited about tomorrow’s game as I was back in November and December. Maybe I forgot how important conference games were as opposed to the non-cons. Maybe I figured Washington would be ranked at this point. And after reading what one Huskies fan has to say, I think they might be under that same mindset.

Tomorrow’s game against Pitt is a good exposure game for the Huskies. The impact of that game on the Huskies post season hopes is minimal in my opinion. As long as the Huskies win 3 out of 4 Pac-10 games they will get into the tourney. Winning the game will be great for the RPI and win record, but losing will not affect anything. The Huskies have been hot as of late. If that trend continues then they shouldn’t be worried about an at large berth. The NCAA committee loves to use the last 10 as a gauge for at large berths.

I guess in their spot they don’t have a ton to lose and are more interested in the Oregon game next week.

Can UW’s freshman center, the 6′ 11″ 225 Spencer Hawes, stop Aaron Gray? Other than him they don’t seem to have anyone to match up on him size wise so the Hawes-Gray is probably going to be the key to the game.

And don’t be fooled, Gray is valuable when he’s on the court. Very interesting stuff from the Post-Gazette and Ken Pomeroy.

It is no surprise that Gray is by far Pitt’s most valuable player in terms of plus/minus and on/off rating.

Gray is a plus-19 in the on/off rating, which is calculated per 40 minutes. In the plus/minus ratings, Gray is a plus-312, or an average of 12.5, for the season. The next-closest player is Antonio Graves at 241 (9.6). Gray posted a negative rating in a game only twice this season — in losses to Louisville and Wisconsin.

According to the ratings, Pitt’s least valuable player is sophomore forward Sam Young.

Is this why Young isn’t seeing the kind of time that most would like to see him get? Probably not because I highly doubt Jamie Dixon looks at this kind of thing; or maybe he’s sitting in his office right now looking over those exact stats. Just maybe…

But coming off of a loss, a win is important for the simple fact that the team needs to shake off the bad thoughts. We were given plenty of time to think about Monday’s loss though.

Two practices, three days and four words from their coach — “playing for first place” — served as an ointment for the shell-shocked Panthers.

Pitt spent the past two days of practice and film study working on everything from breaking the press to defending Washington’s formidable inside tandem of sophomore power forward Jon Brockman (6-7, 260) and Hawes (7-0, 250).

Another Monday has arrived (and it’s a “Big Monday” for the Panthers tonight on ESPN) which means all kinds of different polls and numbers can be seen left and right. First we start with the two Top 25 polls, both of which bumped Pitt up to 7th in the nation. The six teams in front of Pitt are the same and in a matching order in both polls with teams such as Duke (who had a win handed to them last week), Oregon, and Texas A&M.

Next we get something interesting from the Big East Basketball Report: RPI ratings for Big East teams composed of stats just from conference games. From that, here’s what we get through yesterday’s game.

….TEAM………..CONFERENCE RPI………CONF SOS….SOS RANK
Marquette—————.5846——————.5218———–4
Pittsburgh—————.5594——————.4709———-13
Louisville—————-.5508——————.5020———-9
Villanova—————-.5418——————.5507———–2
Syracuse—————–.5368——————.5137———–7
Notre Dame————-.5268——————.4941————11
Georgetown————-.5260——————.4690———–14
West Virginia———–.5069——————.4676———-15
DePaul——————.4973——————.5215———–5
Connecticut————.4946——————.5584————1
Providence————–.4940——————.4748———-12
St. John’s—————-.4653——————.5133———-8
Seton Hall—————.4516——————.4949———10
South Florida———–.4446——————.5303———-3
Cincinnati—————.4181——————.5191———–6
Rutgers——————.4019——————.4525———-16

I don’t think it would be expected to see Pitt at anywhere but the top two or three slots at this point through conference play.

The weekly conference poll they run there also came out for the new week with Pitt checking in at number one. The top five looks like so:

1) Pittsburgh (16): 286 pts.
2) Marquette (2): 269 pts.
3) Georgetown: 245 pts.
4) Notre Dame: 228 pts.
5) Louisville: 208 pts.

I found it a bit surprising that more voters did not give their first place vote to Marquette and the voting followed how things have gone the past few weeks.

Also following suit from last week were the player of the week, Dominic James, and freshman of the week, Scottie Reynolds from a ‘Nova team we’ll see tonight, both of which were voted into those spots for the second straight week.
Also a few notes from ESPN Insider who now have Aaron Gray as their #22 draft prospect.

Positives: Gray is a legit 7-footer, and he has the girth (he weighs in at 270) to handle the middle full time. He’s a good rebounder, especially on the offensive boards. Excellent hands. Good lower body strength helps him hold position in the paint. Nice baby hook. Good perimeter shooter.

Negatives: He’s not a very good athlete, and weight has been an issue in the past. With the NBA moving toward an up-tempo style, Gray’s type of game is less valued than it’s been in the past. Not much of a shot blocker. Poor free throw shooter.

Summary: For a second straight season, Gray continues to prove that he’s a legit NBA center prospect, despite scouts’ misgivings. He’s moved from the first round bubble to a pretty firm first round pick.

Two freshmen, Texas’ Kevin Durant and OSU’s Greg Oden, are battling it out to be in the #1 spot according to both ESPN and anyone who has eyes and has seen either of them play.

Jay Bilas also has Gray as his Big East Player of the Year so far (Insider subs.).

Big East
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh: The most productive player on the top team in the league. Gray stands just above the rest in a season when there is no signature player or team, at least by traditional Big East standards. Gray is having a great season, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds and shooting just under 60 percent from the field.

Fran Fraschilla and Doug Gottlieb both took Dominic James over Gray.

All kinds of new polls come out each Monday and here’s a few with Pitt. New AP and ESPN/USA Today polls are out with the Panthers checking in at the seventh spot in each poll. Each has the same teams rounding out the top 10 and a very young, possibly unready North Carolina team takes over the top spot.

The Big East Bloggers Poll came out after the first real week of conference play and Pitt continues to hold onto that #1 rank. The ‘Eers are closely coming in behind us; even though Pitt got many of the 1st place votes, WVU got a few and then raked in the rest of the second place votes.

This Week’s Poll (first place votes in parenthesis):
1) Pittsburgh (16): 300 pts.
2) West Virginia (3): 274 pts.
3) Georgetown: 256 pts.
4) Notre Dame: 234 pts.
5) Connecticut: 221 pts.
6) Providence: 207 pts.
7) Syracuse: 205 pts.
8) Marquette: 181 pts.
9) DePaul: 150 pts.
10) Villanova: 144 pts.
11) Louisville: 114 pts.
12) St. John’s: 82 pts.
13) Seton Hall: 79 pts.
14) Cincinnati: 54 pts.
15) Rutgers: 45 pts.
16) South Florida: 31 pts.

Looks like we managed to make South Florida bad enough that they took over the last (and definitely least) spot.

Matt Glaude of Orange 44 and I finish up our talk about Pitt and Syracuse. My answers to his questions in part 1 and part 2. Here’s part 1 of his answers.
1. Pitt has successfully attacked the Syracuse 2-3 zone as well as anyone the last few years. To such a point that the Orange quickly abandoned it in the BE Championship game. Do you anticipate more man-to-man again for this game or because it is still early in the season, Boeheim sticking with it a lot longer to make sure players like Harris get better used to playing it?

I think this question turns on two points that really have little to do with Pittsburgh’s ability to destroying the vaunted zone.

The first is that Boeheim has actually been playing a lot of man-to-man this season. The players hounded him to go with man in the preseason and during the non-conference slate and Boeheim, surprisingly, acquiesced (at least to some degree). There is a feeling that this team is better suited for man-to-man defense simply because it is more athletic and tougher than recent vintages of the Orange.

The second point of emphasis is that Syracuse is really struggling with depth right now. Mike Jones, the “other” heralded freshman the Orange brought in this year, announced yesterday that he was transferring from Syracuse. He is not currently with the team and there does not appear to be any hope of a return.

Moreover, the team is struggling with injuries right now. Terrence Roberts is still banged up (although he anticipates that he will play tonight), and Matt Gorman, the man that replaced Roberts in the lineup, turned an ankle the other day and is status is questionable. The combination of these three happenings leads me to believe that Boeheim would like to play zone tonight in order to preserve the short bench he is now forced to play with.

So, I guess to answer your question, I expect Boeheim to play a lot of zone tonight, even though he and the players would probably like to play extended periods in man coverage. Given the fact that Pittsburgh is not the most comfortable perimeter-oriented offense in the country (I believe they rank below 225 in 3PA/FGA), playing extended periods of zone may not be the worst thing in the world.

Of course, if Pittsburgh eats up the zone again, Harris and Company are going to get a baptism by fire in the man-to-man defense. A fact that I seriously worry about given Pittsburgh size and strength.

2. So Mike Jones is transferring. I know this is an issue longer term, but is this much of an impact for this game and season for a kid playing less than 7 minutes/game? It only seems to matter if there is a season ending injury to the forwards. Jones didn’t seem to get much increased play even after Roberts went down since he struggled anywhere but at small forward behind Nichols.

The Mike Jones situation is still developing from an impact standpoint. As I noted above, his departure leaves Syracuse with only nine scholarship players and very few bodies in the frontcourt. That is obviously a concern, especially considering how bad Syracuse has crashed the boards this season.

The real kick in the pants, though, is that Jones would have likely seen serious minutes tonight. With Roberts nursing his injury and Matt Gorman’s injury still uncertain, Jones would have started at the 3 tonight with Nichols moving to the 4. For a guy that was itching to get out of the doghouse, tonight’s game could have been the remedy for Jones’ ills.

Finally, given Mookie Watkins’ and Terrence Roberts’ penchant for getting into foul trouble, Jones could have contributed with his long frame and jump shooting ability. The only real reason he didn’t find a lot of floor time this year was that he did not have time to develop as a wing playing the 2 or a functional 4 on the defensive end. He certainly had a role on the team and his departure is going to leave a hole that either Matt Gorman or Paul Harris will need to fill.

In short, Jones could have been a solid option down the line this season, but he chose to act like a coward and cut and run before he truly earned the time he thought he deserved.

3. How do you think Syracuse will handle things if Pitt does get control of the tempo and pace? Can Syracuse be patient and find the best shot?<

If Pittsburgh dominates tempo and pace, Syracuse is screwed. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for the Orange to get into transition and create easy buckets.

The fact of the matter is that Syracuse currently has one shooter on its roster: Demetris Nichols. Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins have the potential to become half-court offensive threats, but neither has established that role as of yet. Paul Harris and Josh Wright were built for fast-break situations, not structured offensive sets. So, if Pittsburgh puts the locks down on Nichols, the Orange really doesn’t have any other reliable half-court option to look for.

Unless, of course, you consider ill-advised Matt Gorman shots as solid offensive options.

4. Which player needs to have a good game overall, other then Nichols, for Syracuse to win tonight? Are you going with the home team on this one?

There are a host of Syracuse players that I would love to see put together a solid effort. Paul Harris really needs to put together a signature game both on the glass and on the defensive end. Eric Devendorf is due for a big output, as his shot is desparately needed. Even Josh Wright, a man that is much maligned in Orange Nation, needs to put together a turnover free performance so as to quell many of the concerns surrounding his play.

But the guy that Syracuse needs most tonight is center Mookie Watkins. Watkins showed at the tail-end of last season that he can be a tremendous force in the middle. Against Aaron Gray tonight, Watkins has the opportunity to contribute significantly on both ends of the floor. If Watkins can establish himself in the paint, I think that Syracuse has a fighting chance. Especially considering how bad this team needs to find and inside-out identity.

Given the above, I am staying so far away from Syracuse tonight that it’s almost ridiculous. Even though its a home contest, the students still haven’t gotten back to campus. The team is coming off of a disappointing effort against St. Bonaventure and still has not put together two solid periods of basketball. As this team lacks so much consistency (and because Pittsburgh is pretty much the polar opposite, at least from an offensive efficiency standpoint), I think that the Panthers will run away with it early and probably hold off another late charge from the Orange.

Final score: 65-53.

Matt Glaude of the ever optimistic Orange 44 and I engage in yet another Q&A of Pitt-Syracuse match-ups to start 2007. My responses to his questions are here. And here are his to mine.

I. What expectations did you have with the leaving of Mr. Overrated? the arrival of Freshman sensation Paul Harris, and the team that was still there? How have they changed after the non-con if at all?

My expectations entering this campaign were fairly tempered. Having seen this squad adjust to seismic changes in the past (save 2003), I was fairly concerned with the amount of transition that this team was going to go through.

Gerry McNamara, despite his significant deficiencies, was pretty much played “Mr. Everything” last year and with his departure, I knew that the team was going to feel some growing pains.

As for Paul Harris, I bought into the hype a little bit. With his body build, he had the potential to immediately impact the game on the glass and on the defensive end. What I didn’t know, however, was how poor his shot was. There were indications in the preseason that his offensive game needed significant development (which is probably why I didn’t buy into Harris hook, line, and sinker), but nobody could have convinced me that he would be this one-dimensional offensively.

With respect to the rest of the roster, I really thought that the Orange senior corps would take a drastic leap forward. Toward the end of last season, Terrence Roberts and Mookie Watkins looked like they had enough game to really pace the squad in 2006-2007. Moreover, now-sophomore Eric Devedorf showed flashes of offensive genius last season and a toughness that could define the team’s confidence.

As this season has shown, however, I really missed the boat on Demetris Nichols. He has become an all-around player with an ability to really burn down the nets (save his dunk/layup gaffe against Wichita State). It has been his senior class compatriots, for the most part, the have not taken that step forward that I anticipated.

Like most fans following Big East teams, my expectations have not changed much following the non-conference slate (with notable exceptions illustrated above). Syracuse still has a lot of room to grow and can still make a trip to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond. Boeheim has clearly groomed this team for Big East play; it is simply a question of whether or not the roster is ready to take that step forward.

II. Nichols has been shining the last few games, Devendorf is struggling and Paul Harris is still learning. Basically, what is the deal with this team?

If Jim Boeheim doesn’t have the answer yet, neither do I.

The problem with Devendorf the last couple of weeks has been a combination of sickness and a hometown tragedy where he lost a childhood friend in a shooting. Both distractions occurred back-to-back over the last month and his production has connectedly struggled. He showed flashes of life again against Hofstra, and should be back to his thuggish form soon.

Overall, though, the team is relying too heavily on Nichols to carry the offensive load. With Roberts essentially turning in a no-show and Andy Rautins failing to find his outside shooting form, the team is still looking for two other reliable offensive weapons to run Boeheim’s offense. Until those options surface, this team is going to have troubles with consistency.

Personally, I think that “eureka” moment will come when Josh Wright establishes himself as a stabilizing fixture at the point. Right now, he is still learning where to distribute the basketball and when to penetrate and create contact and easy scoring opportunities. He has all the physical tools to really get the offense cooking, but right now, he still seems tentative on the offensive.

But when you lose Gerry McNamara, that kind of indecision is easy to see happening.

III. As far as Harris, Coach Jim Boeheim spent all summer/fall pumping this kid to every basketball writer who asked — Mike DeCourcy, Andy Katz, Seth Davis, etc. — that he was a big time player. With his inconsistent play (which isn’t really unexpected) , Boeheim has defended Harris at times as blaming the media for expecting too much from him. Um, why hasn’t anyone pointed out the reason for those expectations? What are your expectations regarding him? Will he stick for more than one year?

Honestly, I think writers are genuinely frightened of calling Boeheim on his boasting. Ever since his tirade in the Big East Tournament last year, writers have been very selective about what topics Boeheim should address. As Boeheim has been struggling with Harris’ development as of late, I’m sure that nobody wants to light the torch that sparks the gasoline.

As I noted above, I took a wait-and-see approach with Harris. There are only a handful of freshman that can step in and pull a Carmelo Anthony-like performance. Given the book on Harris’ offensive game coming into the season, I didn’t expect him to have All-World potential like Kevin Durant down at Texas.

With respect to Harris sticking around for more than one year, I think it is in his best interest to do so. He has almost limitless potential, but just doesn’t know how to play the game quite yet. Until he shows flashes of development on the hardwood, I am fairly certain that everyone associated with the hoops program at Syracuse will advise him similarly.

The X-factor, of course, is the fact that he does have a daughter and is not the strongest student in the classroom. If the money begins to drop early and/or academic probation looms, there is a good chance that Harris makes the jump.

IV. How are Syracuse fans adjusting to this new Big East? Not just the size, but the shift in powers at the moment. Syracuse, by virtue of its success and coach get plenty of attention and TV exposure; but the last few years the expectations for who will rule the Big East has stayed in Storrs, Pitt’s gotten the attention, Villanova and this year it’s Syracuse behind Pitt, UConn, Marquette, G-town and possibly ‘Nova pre-season. No one’s putting Syracuse out of the NCAA, but they aren’t talking seriously about them in the Big East race.

The lack of focus on Syracuse really hasn’t discouraged the Orange faithful. Everyone seems to understand that this year is one of transition, and with an awesome class of freshman poised to take residence on The Hill next year, there is a general feeling that this edition of the Orange simply needs to “not fall apart.”

Plus, Syracuse really didn’t carry the league’s banner the last two seasons. And those years led to two tournament championships (and two forgettable first-round NCAA exits). But the former point seems to be sticking in everyone’s mind (although the last isn’t too far behind).

The real point of emphasis, though, is that the Syracuse program is never going to fall too far from national consciousness. The Big East naturally sees these cyclical shifts in power over the years. From St. John’s, to Providence late-80’s/early 90’s performances, to Seton Hall’s efforts under P.J. Carlesimo, to Boston College actually looking like they understood the game of basketball under Al Skinner, the Big East inherently posts new faces in dominant places every few years. It’s just a matter of time before Syracuse assumes its rightful place somewhere among the top three teams in the conference.

Hell, it took Georgetown almost 10 years to figure its way back into Big East relevance. If anyone thought that would happen during the “Hoya Destroya” era, you’d think they were crazy. With that in mind, it’s not the worst thing in the world that Syracuse has had two “down” years with a bright future ahead. The Orange will get back, because if they don’t, we may be witnessing not only the fall of Big East royalty, but the end of one of the most important basketball head coaching tenures in the nation. And I’m not ready to accept that fate quite yet.

More tomorrow and hopefully before gametime.

Sorry to have dropped off for a couple days. I spent New Years Day watching and liveblogging bowl games. 14 hours, 21 posts and 5 bowl games. A true test of stamina, and discovering just how much babble I am capable of generating in one day.

The good news, content on this site is about to increase with some new/familiar help. Dennis who has been doing a fine job going solo at PittHoopsBlog will now be posting at Pitt Blather. I am very happy to have him aboard and more discussion is always a good thing.