I think the embed is working this time. If it isn’t you can find the direct link to the liveblog by Clicking Here.

In case you are new to this or forget the rules, comments are moderated unless I know you to be a trusted commenter. In which case I will clear you to unfiltered commenting.

I generally will not bother approving a slew of comments after a play that repeats the same thing. Nothing personal, but it really adds nothing and keeps me from doing any commenting as the game goes on if I just have to keep clicking them through.

I’m guessing there are going to be a ton of these tonight. Of course, this will be the only one with Pitt bias at the forefront.

YouTube clips of DeJuan Blair abusing Hasheem Thabeet will be re-posted around the same time Thabeet goes in the top-5.

Video links of Jonny Flynn being worn down by Pitt’s defense will be appreciated as well.

And of course, Sam Young highlights.

The fun starts around 7pm. Join in, here.

Is this a revenge game for Pitt? Is this yet another breakthrough and first for this Pitt team that has taken Pitt basketball to a slew of firsts this season? I hope so.

The fun starts about 7 PM. Have your beverage of choice at the ready. It’s going to be a tough game. The link to the liveblog is below.

Let’s Go Pitt!

I’m a tense, mess. I hate being this way. The brain can rationalize and intellectualize it all it wants. This game is big. Huge. It is a bit silly, but I almost feel that if Pitt can win it, so much else with the rest of the Tourney could fall into place. That’s a big lie in and of itself, but since Pitt has yet to win more than two games in the NCAA Tournament in any year, it has taken on that outsized importance.

Liveblogging will begin a bit before 7:30. You know the drill. Comments are under moderation. We’re all going to be tense, but try to keep some sembalence of control. Remember these are still Pitt guys, they were yesterday and they will be tomorrow.

The fun starts here.

With five teams from the Big East in the Sweet Sixteen, this seems like an ideal time to engage in a little premature Big East triumphalism. Especially after having to endure the past year of Big East football (and having to hear nothing but ess-eee-seee arrogance).

It’s a full slate of Big East bloggers representing the teams in the Sweet Sixteen to discuss this coming week. Laugh at the lesser conferences and poop on the hopes of others.

The participants include:

Mike Rutherford operator of the Card Chronicle, who is feeling a lot better about getting a haircut this time.

Sean Keeley who directs Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician (Syracuse) and knows who Devendorf has on speed dial.

Andrew Porter from UConnBlog will be explaining the magic of Jim Calhoun’s hospital visits.

Chris of I Bleed Blue and White (Villanova) who will be taking time away from stalking the Wildcats.

Come on by at about 9pm tonight. We will discuss some of the match-ups. What we are looking for in the games. Is there still cross-support amidst the Big East programs or simple hate? And plenty of other things.

I’ll be moderating, and if time allows we will take some questions. The liveblog can be found when you Click Here

One of those days. The laptop abruptly has decided it might want to die on me. Now my satellite is in reset mode.

Clearly my mistake is that I haven’t been drinking enough.

It’s a good thing I don’t believe in omens or anything.

So we’ll see if I can get everthing up and running in time.

UPDATE:

Okay. Things are looking up. The laptop fired back up, shortly after halftime of the Syracuse-ASU game. Satellite is fine. All is well. At least as long as nothing goes wrong with the Mega March Madness feed.

Let’s do a liveblog. The fun will start around 2:45 pm.

You can find the link by Clicking Here.

One more time with WVU-Pitt. Both teams were plenty familiar with each other from the summer. Add in playing twice in the season. There should be no surprises from either team.

So far today and yesterday, it’s been chalk. Let’s keep it going.

The fun starts at about 7.

Over here for the fun.

Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that last year Marquette was able to hold DeJuan Blair in check in both games.

One thing that stands out about both games as far as MU is concerned is the way it was able to hold down 6-foot-7, 265-pound forward DeJuan Blair. In the two games, Blair battled foul trouble en route to averaging just 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds — obviously a huge boon for MU.

Except that the facts are wrong. Blair was 5-6 for 16 points and 8 boards in the Big East Tournament meeting in 33 minutes (he did have 4 fouls and 4 turnovers). In the embarrassment at the Bradley Center, Blair had 5 rebounds and 6 points in 23 minutes. Again he had 4 fouls and 4 turnovers. So, by my math, he averaged 10 points and 6.5 rebounds. Not great, but a little different. Clearly Rosiak must have meant the fouls and TOs.

The Golden Eagles showed against UConn and Louisville that they aren’t going to just fold and quit without James. Have to assume that Pitt isn’t taking this game for granted. Dominic James was not medically cleared to make the trip with his teammates. He has to suffer back in his crib and watch. Much like us.

Anyhow, there will be a liveblog. I repeat, for best results, view in Chrome. It responds best.

You can find the liveblog RIGHT HERE.

Okay. It’s Saturday night. I’ve been watching college basketball since noon. I’ve been enjoying the appropriate adult beverages.  So, why not do a liveblog.

Tonight, the game airs on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, SNY and ESPN’s Full Court package.

Come back at 8:30 and Click Here

Here’s the setup. Comments are generally moderated, unless you are a trusted commenter. Keep the language somewhat in check.

Find the liveblog here.

Let’s get a big win.

More or less just past the halfway portion of the conference slate of basketball. It’s time for the latest liveblog and roundtable of Big East bloggers.

Brian Harrison at Orange 44 will be the host once more.

In addition to yours truly, here’s the line-up of participants.

Sean of Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician;
Brian of Orange 44;
John of Mountainlair;
Dave of FriarBlog ; and
Kevin of TheUConnBlog

The fun starts around 9pm. Stop by and join the fun.

Okay late decision, but I’m doing the liveblog.

Join the fun, here.

Just a reminder of how this works since it has been a while.

The liveblog is a moderated chat. That means I will be approving comments. Keep it relatively clean.

In the interest of keeping it from bogging down, not all comments will get through. Especially the repetitive ones. It isn’t personal or about censorship. It’s that 5 consecutive comments that say “wow” or something similar on a great play hardly adds much.

I find that Google Chrome is the best way to use the CIL live blog. I’ve never had to reboot or crash that browser.

The live blog will Right Here.

Here’s the first rule about this liveblog. If anyone even tries to give a score update on the Pitt-Rutgers basketball game, I’m blocking them from the liveblog for the duration. I have my DVR taping the game, and I intend to watch it after the Sun Bowl. I would appreciate it if you left me in the dark. If you feel you must talk about it, here’s an open thread for the game.

I’ve been waiting quite a while for this. Just before the season started in 2004, I picked up a bottle of Unibroue 2004. I figured on cracking it open for Pitt’s first bowl game in the Wannstedt era. I was beginning to worry. It’s a good thing this beer is one that was bottle conditioned to allow it to age. Hopefully, it has aged well.

I use Firefox for almost all browsing, but Chrome from Google is the best for stability in the Cover it Live format. I never get any crashes or lock-ups using it.

Here’s the link for the live blog. Let’s go Pitt.

The wife came home before 10 am today due to the water main break in downtown Cleveland. It should have freed me up to do plenty of writing. Ha. Instead, she came home and insisted this would allow us to take care of all the other errands that had to be run. Needless to say, my day was shot thanks to her surprise day off.

That’s why I couldn’t get to anything on tonight’s game with Siena.

Siena likes to run and feel that they need to against Pitt.

If the Panthers are guarding the Saints in the half-court on almost every possession, this game won’t be close.

“They have terrific athletes, they have shot blockers, and they play a very high-level of intensity,” McCaffery said. “That’s pretty much all it is. This is nothing complicated. They get after you. When they get over toward the ball, they’re up on the ball. They get in the passing lanes. They pressure it. And if you put it on the deck they contest, and if you drive it to the hole they contest that.”

Opposing teams are shooting just 36.3 percent against Pittsburgh, ranking the Panthers 16th in the country in that statistical category. They allow just 57 points per game.

“They’re going to make you make tough shots,” McCaffery said. “They’re going to make you struggle to make the normal cuts and passes that you like to make. So they’re just going to make it hard for you to score. It’s what we all try to do; they just do it really well.”

Siena has been something of a disappointment early in the season. They returned a veteran team that made the NCAA Tournament and scored an opening round upset.

The Saints’ balanced scoring is led by 6-foot-7 junior Edwin Ubiles at 14.8 ppg. Alex Franklin, a 6-5 junior, is next at 14.1 and 6-3 senior Kenny Hasbrouck adds 13.1. Ryan Rossiter, a 6-9 sophomore, leads the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg).

“They can shoot,” Brown said. “Every player down to the 5-man has the ability to shoot it. That’s what we’ve seen on film. They have no real inside game, except for (Rossiter). They use a lot of screens to kick it out and shoot.”

It will be a strange and considerable challenge for Pitt’s interior defense, including massive center DeJuan Blair, Brown conceded.

“This is going to be a test for DeJuan to play perimeter defense,” he said.

Of course, the Saints have been worse than Pitt at shooting from the perimeter this season. Part of the reason they are only 5-3 so far.

Speaking of 3s, Ashton Gibbs has been hitting his and is trying to get more minutes.

All of the freshmen have seen their minutes scaled back with the return of sophomore guard/forward Gilbert Brown. Dixon said it is up to each of them to earn their minutes in practice.

“The focus with those guys is practice is what decides it,” Dixon said. “That’s where their opportunities are, and they know that. I’ve talked to them. I’ve brought them all in and made it very clear to them what they need to do. They know what will make us successful.”

And that is not necessarily their shooting percentage. It’s the one trait that Pitt is most known for.

“The biggest thing is defense,” Dixon said. “They have to continue to improve defensively. That’s the thing we’ve made very clear to them.”

Should we give a live blog a shot tonight? I think so. The fun will start about 9:30 pm Click Here to participate. A word of advice, give Google’s Chrome browser a shot if you want to play. It performs very well with CIL, nary a crash or seizing up of the computer.