The AP Writers Poll is out, and no surprise Pitt is #1.
“I think it means a lot to our fans and our city and it means a lot to our university, much more so than to me and our players,” Panthers coach Jamie Dixon said Monday. “But it is part of the reason why we play and work so hard so I am glad for them.”
The Panthers have a lot of familiar names in the Top 25 with them as they are one of a record nine Big East teams in the poll.
The 16-team league had a record eight schools ranked for three weeks earlier in the season, but the return of Marquette and the first appearance of West Virginia made it nine Big East teams.
“I know I said a couple of times when people mentioned that we didn’t play any ranked teams on our nonconference schedule that it’s hard to schedule any when a third and now more than a third are in our conference,” Dixon said, laughing. “I think it’s a good thing. People talk about how hard it is but we knew it was that way when we were signing up for it. You want to play against the best and we’ll have that opportunity a lot.”
The Panthers opened Big East play this week with road wins over Rutgers and Georgetown. They won’t play again until hosting St. John’s on Sunday and Dixon doesn’t think all that time with a No. 1 ranking will affect his players.
“We’ve talked about different things from the beginning of the year and how you can either use things as motivation or let them become a distraction and this is one of those situations that’s come up,” Dixon said. “We need to use this to make us better and it starts today at practice.”
The awesome Pollspeak has the rundown on AP Voters. The two voters who put Pitt at #2 and UNC at #1 are from Peoria and Dallas. Disturbingly, where they put Pitt, could be considered their more defensible decision. How about not only keeping Louisville in the poll but a spot ahead of Minnesota who beat the Cards. Keeping Memphis ranked. Both had Georgetown below UConn. Heck, how about putting Illinois a couple spots ahead of Michigan right after Michigan beat the Illini? I’m certain both voters put in their ballots before the Arizona State-Cal game last night, which I is borderline since the game started 9pm central for them.
Yeah, so, I didn’t see that upset coming tonight. I was actually watching the USC-Oregon State game, since I figured that UNC would kill BC in Chapel Hill. I mean, UNC wasn’t just winning games, their “closest” game was by 15 to start the season against Penn and against ND. They blew out Michigan State. They were just dominating. I’m not complaining, but I didn’t see even a chance they would lose until the following Sunday when they head to Wake Forest.
So, barring something really bizarre, like Duke leapfrogging Pitt. No, that couldn’t happen. Right? Pitt will be #1 in the national polls tomorrow. I mean, ESPN.com already made Pitt, the the team of the week.
Naturally, the next Pitt game will be on Sunday. Of course, the Steelers are scheduled for their playoff game on the same day. The good news is that Pitt plays at noon at the Pete. Plenty of time before the Steelers 4:45 kickoff.
So, this late media recap takes on a decidedly different feel in light of the events of today.
This team has the chance to really capture the city. Even hockey fans, frustrated by the Pens.
How bad was it for the Penguins on Saturday? Outside of the fights, the biggest cheers from the sold-out crowd came after the score of Pitt basketball’s win over Georgetown was shown on the center ice scoreboard.
Should we just stay with the Blair-centric stuff? Yeah. There’s more. He was the dominant force and generally draws people to him.
Blair, who once weighed more than 300 pounds, lost 10 pounds in the off-season, decreasing his weight to 265 pounds. The results have been noticeable.
On Saturday, Blair had 20 points and 17 rebounds in leading third-ranked Pittsburgh to a 70-54 victory against No. 11 Georgetown, snapping the Hoyas’ 29-game home winning streak. Blair played 31 minutes, and an occasional wide grin made it clear that he was not low on oxygen.
“I’ve got good teeth,†Blair, a sophomore, said. “Why not show them off?â€
“They hype those guys up so much,” Blair said. “[Monroe] is supposed to be the next big thing. They were picking this young cat against me. I’m not going to take that. Why not go right at him? …
“I guess I got the better of him today.”
Blair is approaching new levels of cool by referring to Monroe as “this young cat.”
“We talked about making a statement to the rest of the country,” Pitt senior Sam Young said. “That’s what we did. Considering they were coming off a big win at Connecticut, and we were coming into their house … For us to have a big win against them, shows a lot for our team.”
Young and fellow forward Tyrell Biggs each scored 14 points as Pitt’s frontcourt annihilated Georgetown’s front line. The Panthers outscored Georgetown, 48-22, in the paint and did what they pleased against the Hoyas, who never figured out a way to counter the Panthers’ brute strength.
“They’re not a great rebounding team,” Young said. “We thought we could come in here and outrebound them by a lot. But we didn’t think it was going to be like that.”
Yes, statement was a theme. It’s been made, now it’s about getting ready to face having the bullseye.
The danger for Georgetown, in playing in a professional arena, the extra seats to fill. Especially with a sizable school within a reasonable driving distance coupled with a pretty decent sized concentration of alumni in the area. It can remove that homecourt advantage.
Steelers fans are known for traveling better than any in the NFL. Pitt basketball may gain that same reputation after thousands descended on Verizon Center on Saturday. Dixon made mention of the fans during his post-game interview.
“Our fans were terrific,” he said. “It was amazing we had this many fans here.” At one point in the second half, there were loud chants of “Defense, defense” — when Georgetown had possession.
Of course Georgetown has other concerns beyond not having homecourt.
“We have to bounce back,†said Hoyas head coach John Thompson III, whose team departs tomorrow for Monday’s encounter at No. 7 Notre Dame. “We have to figure out what we’re going to take away from it, and then immediately focus on what’s ahead.â€
At some point, Thompson will have to figure out how to stop DeJuan Blair, who paced the undefeated Panthers (14-0, 2-0 Big East) and outshined his counterpart, Georgetown freshman sensation Greg Monroe, by using his six-foot-seven, 265-pound frame to clear out space for 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Monroe, who soared to the top of NBA draft boards after out-dueling Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet, had 15 points and eight rebounds but gave credit where it was due.
“[Blair is a] very good player and he knows how to use his strength and his width,†said Monroe. “He’s also deceptively long. That’s his whole game plan, using his strength and wide body under the basket to get points.â€
“In many ways you do throw [the film of the game] away, because that’s the type of game that sits in your stomach. But we don’t have time for that, because we have a game on Monday [at [JUMP]No. 7 Notre Dame],” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “That’s the nature of this league, and to a certain extent this year: You have to bounce back. You’re going to have to figure out what to take from it and immediately focus on what’s ahead of you.”
What’s ahead of the Hoyas (10-2, 1-1) is the final leg of a daunting trio of opening conference games (at No. 2 Connecticut, vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh, at No. 7 Notre Dame). Although the Irish (10-3, 1-1) are less imposing on paper than the Huskies and Panthers, they feature the league’s reigning player of the year in center Luke Harangody and the nation’s second longest home winning streak (43 games).
If the Hoyas don’t do a better job of rebounding at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame will make it 44 straight.
“Is it deflating to see them get a rebound after forcing a difficult shot on defense? Yes, of course it is,” Thompson said.
Oh, and maybe get more than 2 points in the final seconds of a blowout from the bench. Hoya Paranoia has been, for the moment, it seems put in its place.
A bit later, JT III conceded what every eyewitness knew: “We have to get better. How? I’m not sure.”
Give the man high marks for candor. Seven consecutive wins against Maryland, American, UConn and a pastry box full of creampuffs perhaps raised unrealistic hopes among some of the faithful. With a roster composed mostly of talented underclassmen, the Hoyas could indeed be very good. They aren’t yet, but who cares? There is, after all, no such thing as January Madness.
It is a fair point. A team like Georgetown will very likely improve by the end of the season. While Pitt won’t see them in the regular season, let’s not forget the Big East Tournament. There will be plenty of teams like that.
Finally, someone at the game shot video and has their own highlights of the game. Thanks.
First, barring any shocks tomorrow, Pitt will be #2 and it won’t be in dispute. Pitt is off until the 11th.
The acceleration of news cycle. Bloggers and such, means that sports news orgs are now getting instant opinion stuff out on big games. There was little competition when Pitt-Georgetown was on other than Ohio St.-Minnesota or the International Bowl.
So it’s time to cement Pitt as the Big East favorite and biggest threat to North Carolina this side of Tyler Hansbrough jumping off a house, breaking his leg and ending his career prematurely, because the Panthers were fantastic at Georgetown, grabbing nearly as many offensive rebounds (18) as the Hoyas did total rebounds (20) thanks to a 20-point, 17-board effort from sophomore DaJuan Blair.
That’s strong.
That’s convincing.
That’s why the Panthers should be the unanimous No. 2 team in the country.
And just so we’re clear, it’s not that I ever doubted Pitt, because it’s always been clear that the Panthers have a great coach (Jamie Dixon), some great experienced talent (Sam Young and Levance Fields) and a developed habit of winning. It’s just that I have trouble pushing teams to the top of the rankings when they haven’t beaten anybody of note (that, by the way, is the reason I have UCLA ranked lower than the Bruins are in both the AP and Coaches poll), and entering this weekend the Panthers were 13-0 with their best win coming by single digits over a Florida State team that had previously lost by double digits to Northwestern.
Meantime: No. 1 North Carolina had wins over Michigan State, Notre Dame and Kentucky; No. 2 Connecticut had wins over Wisconsin, Miami and Gonzaga; No. 4 Oklahoma had wins over Davidson, Purdue and Southern California; and No. 5 Duke had wins over Michigan, Purdue and Xavier.
In other words, Pitt’s resume was less impressive than the other four teams in the top five of the latest AP poll.
The Pittsburgh players termed their game against Georgetown a statement game, a chance to disprove those who believed the Panthers’ No. 3 ranking was built on nothing more concrete than a cloud of underachieving opponents.
The Hoyas were the perfect foil. Just five days earlier, they went into Connecticut and stomped the second-ranked Huskies. Now they were gunning for No. 3 in a building where they hadn’t lost since January 2007, a stretch of 29 consecutive games.
The Panthers got their statement, a 70-54 victory that now stands as John Thompson III’s worst home loss since the first game of his Georgetown career.
Blair provided the exclamation point. The sophomore almost single-handedly outrebounded the Hoyas, pulling down 17 boards to Georgetown’s 21, and chipped in 20 points to cement the double-double.
“Of course that inspires me,” Blair said of the lovefest that encompasses Thabeet and Monroe but never him. “I always have to show people more. It’s been that way my whole life, so I don’t really care about what people say about them. I’d rather just prove what I’m all about.”
…
“We know people were saying, ‘Yeah but who did Pitt play?'” Blair said.
When the Panthers gathered in the huddle, they actually said “statement game.”
“Yeah I heard that,” Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said. “We didn’t bring a banner or anything along to practice but I heard them say that. We’re getting better. To me, that’s our statement.”
After months of playing second-fiddle to Big East powers UConn and Louisville, the Panthers weren’t ready to let the Hoyas become the new talk of the town after their surprising defeat of the Huskies on Monday. Instead, Blair and his frontcourt partner and roommate Tyrell Biggs dominated the game inside, leaving the Hoyas struggling for any chance at the boards. The two combined for 34 points in the paint while Blair pulled down a Hoya-heartbreaking 18 boards.
“That’s my roommate. We’re best friends,” Blair said after deferring some of the credit to Biggs. “We’re trying to be the best frontcourt in the nation.”
And as big of a statement game for Pitt as this win was, it was also a coming out party for Blair. The sophomore said he had been concentrating on proving that along with his team being the best, he, in fact, was the premiere center in the Big East — not Uconn’s Hasheem Thabeet or Monroe, whom he had played with at the Amare Stoudemaire Skills Camp in June.
At the end of the game, it was very clearly heard the contingent of Pitt fans in the Verizon Center. In the comments, the size was put as significant. The Hoya fans were aware of it as well.
(11:54 am) There are a whole lot of Pittsburgh fans here. A bunch scattered in the lower bowl, and then practically all of the upper deck. So far, they’re louder than the Hoya fans.
…
(1:52 pm) Summers gets his season high today with those free throws. Hoyas are still down by 18, though, and the Pitt fans are getting a bit obnoxious.
Maybe I’m just negative, but I am holding my breath to find out what the status of Gilbert Brown and his left shoulder is. Hopefully it’s just a stinger and they didn’t feel like risking anything. This and the Rutgers game, was showing how much better and confident he was feeling as he was coming back from various injuries.
It is no exaggeration to say that the only thing keeping Georgetown in the game for the first half was DaJuan Summers. 16 points on 6-9 shooting and 3-3 on threes. And he was doing that even with the defense on him. He was — as Dan Shulman put it — shooting over the defense. Not much you can do when a guy was that hot. The rest of G-town was shooting 3-18, 1-7. Well, the FT shooting helped them too. They went 8-10.
In the second half, even as Georgetown initially got closer and even, I was a little less worried. The refs were letting the teams bang a bit more inside. I was annoyed at first since Pitt was being hacked, but then it became apparent that the refs were calling it both ways, so that only helped Pitt with controlling the paint. Georgetown looked unwilling or unable to battle in the paint.
Georgetown went with the typical strategy of doing everything to keep Pitt on the perimeter. To try and deny the ball inside. The problem was that while Pitt shot poorly on 3s again, Georgetown was in no position to get rebounds. They had no answer for Blair. But Biggs, Young and plenty of Pitt players were getting right in there to grab the ball. Plus, while Pitt may not have made from outside the perimeter, the Panthers were 29-49 inside the arc.
I’m still waiting for Levance Field to come around on offense. His shot has no touch or confidence. Like those of us watching, it seems that he isn’t sure what will happen when he shoots.
It is a joy to see the light go on for players. It’s been that way for Biggs all season. For Brad Wanamaker it seems to have happened in the past couple games. He looks so comfortable coming into the line-up right now. He knows what he’s supposed to do and is embracing it. He doesn’t look intimidated out there.
Almost lost in all of this was Sam Young. He struggled a little in the first half — clearly trying to show friends and family — but was the team player he thrives as in the second half. He finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
You just know that they will turn out to be a minor part of the actual game today. The attention Greg Monroe is getting before this game is a little outsized. Don’t get me wrong, Monroe is a great young player already and shaping up to be the best freshman in a down one-and-done year. It’s just that so rarely when you have this many pieces written before one game does the game narrative match. There’s the AP piece.
If basketball doesn’t pan out for Greg Monroe – and it seems that it most certainly will – he should consider taking his wonderfully mellow, bass voice on the road in a Four Tops revival tour.
“Once he starts talking,†teammate Jessie Sapp said, “it’s like, ‘Dag, you’re a little boy with this voice?’ â€
Monroe, however, insists the only performing he does is on the basketball court.
“I never really got into singing at all,†he said. “I don’t know how my voice got this deep.â€
Nearly three decades ago, Patrick Ewing arrived on the Hilltop with a freakish athleticism that belied his size, beginning Georgetown’s love affair with talented centers. From Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo to Othella Harrington, Mike Sweetney and Roy Hibbert, Georgetown has enjoyed one of the nation’s most impressive parades of post players ever since.
And the whole, playing with a maturity beyond his years. Don’t get me wrong, Monroe terrifies me. He was not intimidated in the least going against Thabeet and UConn on the road. He’s an excellent talent. It’s just that the stories I’m seeing might as well be Mad Libs for pieces like this, that get written about any freshman playing real well. Last year it was Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, etc. The numbers are smaller this year and the impact on top teams smaller so the focus will mostly be on players like Monroe, Tyreke Evans before Memphis struggled, expect the same for Demar DeRozan at USC as they start to live up to the hype.
But top competition always seems to bring out the best in Blair. The 6-7, 265-pounder posted double-doubles last season against some of the top inside players in the nation, including Thabeet, Hibbert, Luke Harangody, David Padgett and Kyle Singler. In his three games against Big East 7-footers Thabeet and Hibbert, the Schenley High School product averaged 12.7 points and 10.7 rebounds.
“When you put another big man in front of DeJuan and challenge him, he takes on that challenge with the best of them,” Young said. “I think he plays better when the team’s focused around the big man, and it’s his job to … go out and outplay him all-around.”
That match-up will get overhyped during the game and don’t you know, it will likely be irrelevant.
I don’t know if the Beavers themselves are going to play as if the Sun Bowl is a letdown after being one game from the Rose Bowl. I do know it is a media obsession for the local coverage.
The 24th-ranked Beavers may in fact be excited to play No. 18 Pittsburgh, but it’s hard to dismiss a loss that figures to resonate for years.
Oregon 65, OSU 38. Beaver Nation wishes that was a misprint.
A 27-21 upset of then-No. 1 USC on Sept. 25 — the Beavers were 25-point underdogs — altered the landscape of OSU’s season. A third straight 2-3 start was followed by a six-game winning streak, and the Beavers were one win away from their first Rose Bowl game in 44 years.
OSU took momentum and home-field advantage into the Civil War on Nov. 29. What followed was a defeat that ultimately dashed the Beavers’ Rose Bowl dreams and sent them to El Paso, Texas, for the second time in three years.
T here seems to be a feeling among some Oregon State fans that the Sun Bowl isn’t quite good enough, which goes to show if you live long enough anything is possible.
Ten years ago, Oregon State was a college football punch line. The Beavers had wrapped up a 28th consecutive losing season. Mike Riley, considered some sort of miracle worker for guiding Oregon State to five wins in 1998, jumped at the opportunity to coach the San Diego Chargers.
The day Riley bolted, the idea of Oregon State ever being successful enough to reach a mid-level postseason game such as the Sun Bowl seemed as remote as a trip to the moon.
Then came Dennis Erickson, the Fiesta Bowl romp over Notre Dame, Riley’s return and four consecutive bowl victories. Now, this whole late December in west Texas thing seems sort of anti-climactic.
Two years ago, the Beavers brought somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 fans to El Paso for a memorable Sun Bowl victory over Missouri. This time there might not even be 1,000 Oregon State fans in the stands, if you don’t count the band members, the athletic department employees and their families.
If that underwhelmed feeling carries over to the football field, this could get ugly fast, because Pittsburgh is making its first bowl trip since the 2004 season. The Panthers want to be here.
Oregon State fans, meet Rutgers fans that feel offended that at 7-5 they had to go to Birmingham after years of not even sniffing the possibility of a bowl game by late September.
Plenty of people questioning the ability of Pitt to go deep in March with their offense. Specifically the struggles on the perimeter. One exception would be Mike DeCourcy. He points out that Memphis got to the national championship game shooting nearly the same clip. Pitt at least shoots less 3s than Memphis. Which means that the team is less dependent on them or necessarily doomed if it is a cold shooting perimeter night.
But typically you can find — even in the most supportive writers — this from Fran Fraschilla (Inisder subs):
Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon: One more outside shooter
I love a lot about the Panthers, most of all their toughness. The defense and rebounding will keep them in virtually every game this season. And Dixon’s “foundation” of DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and Levance Fields rivals anyone this side of Chapel Hill. If there is an Achilles’ heel, at the moment, it is their inconsistent 34 percent outside shooting. Freshman Ashton Gibbs, who hails from the same high school as former Panthers star Brandin Knight, might be the guy who can help the most.
Pittsburgh (12-0) — I’m not sold on the fact that Pittsburgh is the No. 3 team in the country, but the Panthers are certainly a team capable of making an Elite Eight or even a Final Four run. Jamie Dixon’s team is built around three players — point guard Levance Fields, versatile forward Sam Young and big man DeJuan Blair. Jermaine Dixon gives the Panthers a lock-down defender on the perimeter, but Pittsburgh still needs to find a consistent perimeter shooter. Notches: Siena, Washington State, Texas Tech Formidable Test: Jan. 3 at Georgetown Key Question: Will the Panthers make enough perimeter shots when it matters?
I’m not saying I’m not concerned. I’m just waiting to see how things play out after the first week or two of Big East play. That’s when we’ll have a better sense of how things are really going. Not to mention seeing the rotation really settle more.
Pitt started the second half with a 16-3 run to lead by as many 22 points, but Siena battled back and trailed by 10, 71-61, with 1:21 remaining.
“This was good for us because I think we learned something,” said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, who admitted that the Panthers didn’t play their best game. “We saw a team that just kept battling, battling, battling and fighting and cut down a 22-point lead to 10 at the end, so give them credit.
“It seemed like that last seven minutes was an eternity.”
Still there was the fact that Blair was a completely dominating beast. There was a concerted effort by Pitt to work the ball inside rather than just take the outside shots — like against UMBC. Blair responded with another double-double.
Plus, despite the late Siena run, Pitt had some numbers that as Coach Dixon said, “teams would die to have.” Only 7 turnovers, 25 assists on 30 field goals, +11 on rebounds.
This was the first ESPN telecast, and featuring Doug Gottlieb as an analyst. Which makes no one happy. I have found that for the most part, I don’t hear him anymore. Just a harmless buzzing. What is amusing, is that a guy who makes his living on ESPN as being the hateable one, is so stock as an analyst.
The 6-7 Blair is commonly portrayed as a round mound of rebound but in truth that’s just part of his arsenal. He shoots often and effectively, making 64 percent of his twos thus far, albeit against uneven competition. Most strikingly, he plays the 5 yet records steals at a higher rate than any of his teammates. Blair stands out, and that’s not easy to do on a team with featured-scorer Sam Young and assist-hoarding point guard Levance Fields. This is an outstanding offense, one that ranked among the top three in the Big East last year and looks just as efficient this year.
So please explain to me why so many people, most especially last night’s announcers, still insist on viewing Pitt as an all-defense no-offense team? (â€Sometimes it seems like they expend so much effort on defense they have trouble scoring.â€) One of the things about sports that really interests me is the incorrigibly durable power of branding seen within its precincts. Highly-paid MBAs would kill for their companies’ detergents or razors to possess the same kind of talismanic hold on perceptions that college basketball teams exhibit.
Take Pitt. I don’t mean the team I’ve just described, necessarily. I mean “Pitt,†the brand. What comes to mind? Rugged, physical teams, players from NYC, Carl Krauser, grind it out, tough D, annual success in the Big East tournament, etc.
Make no mistake, that perception was earned, not fabricated. As it happens, however, it no longer accords with reality….
Pitt’s defense has been very good this year, make no mistake. But the offense has actually been better.
I’m pretty sure that I can explain it simply. Pitt is a very efficient offensive team. They aren’t, however, a up-and-down the court team. They don’t run it down the court and take it right to the basket. They move the ball and look to get it for an open look or get it inside. They get back on defense and make an opposing team move and pass for the score. There aren’t many quick, one pass and score possessions against Pitt or by Pitt. That helps keep the pace slower. In too many lazy analysts’ minds, a slow-tempo team means defensive minded team that has deficiencies on offense.
Amusing article on Tyrell Biggs being Pitt’s best 3-point shooter by % to date. I’m not sold on a sample size of 8-15 over 11 games. I’m just happy that the sample size is that small. It also gets into the rest of Biggs’ game and his development.
Biggs, a big question mark for the team before the season started, has developed into a solid all-around player. He is the team’s fourth-leading scorer (8.5 points per game) and third in rebounds (5.1 per game).
For someone his size, Biggs always has leaned toward being more of a finesse player than a power player. That was not lost on Dixon, who implored him to focus on improving his rebounding skills and tenacity before the season.
“He’s gotten better at it,” Dixon said.
“His numbers are a little better, but defensively he is a far better player than he was last year. I just think he’s playing with confidence, and he’s giving confidence to other players on the team. I think that’s the biggest thing. His leadership has been tremendous for us.”
The perception of Biggs is rather hardened from his first three years. It will take a while for perception to start to change.
As for Blair, he hasn’t changed the perception that he is a force under the basket. It’s just that he’s even better at it this year. As Pitt moved to #5 in Luke Winn’s power rankings.
Some DeJuan Blair numbers for you to ponder: Pitt’s sophomore big man is rebounding at a superhuman rate thus far, pulling down 25.8 percent of available offensive boards (ranking first in the country) and 29.2 percent of defensive boards (ranking eighth). Offensive rebounding is regarded as more of an “effort” stat that defensive rebounding, and no other major-conference player was even close to Blair through Sunday’s games…
That play reminded Dixon of another 6-foot-7 frontcourt force who was known for averaging double-digit rebounds and whipping crisp passes.
“We really talked to him at the start of this year about Wes Unseld, a player he never heard of and what a great outlet passer he was,” Dixon said. “I thought DeJuan could be that.
“I think that’s the biggest improvement he’s made this year, in his outlet passing. He had a tendency to be somewhat not as protective of the ball and didn’t use his passing skills and his strength to get a good outlet to get us going.
“Now, he is.”
Never heard of Wes Unseld. Thanks. I needed to feel older.
So, I tweaked my right shoulder a couple weeks ago, and this week it has been killing me. Makes using the computer a bit difficult, so that hasn’t helped with posting.
January 3. I’m excited for that date, and not because of the International Bowl. It’s the day Pitt travels to Georgetown and finally gets to play a ranked team. I knowgo-to-guy Sam Young is a first-round draft pick, and I believe the Panthers are good, but how can I be sure when the best team they’ll play in the entire non-conference schedule is Washington State? It’s a shame that the Panthers’ non-league slate includes nary a sure-fire NCAA tournament squad. Wazzu might be in the Dance, and so might Texas Tech and Vermont, but none is a lock.
The lack of a marquee non-con game is something even Pitt fans have been a bit unhappy with it. With Florida State looking like the most dangerous game remaining in the non-con. I mean Siena will be desperate, but they haven’t been anywhere near as good as expected. Heck, the fact that I’m even pointing to the Siena game as a possible threat says it all.
The Panthers seem determined to show the America East who’s boss. They destroyed Vermont last week, and defending AE champ Maryland-Baltimore County is next.
In the ESPNpanelists, Fran Fraschilla and Mark Schlabach had Pitt at #2. Hubert Davis was the lowest, putting Pitt at #5.
The two games I saw illustrated the number one reason to like Pitt’s chances to finally break past the Sweet 16 and reach the Final Four. The semifinal against Texas Tech was an open-floor, run-and-shoot affair, and Pitt prevailed 80-67. The final against Washington State, on the other hand, was a nails-on-a-chalkboard halfcourt grinder. Yet Pitt still won, 57-43. Because this team is deeper and more athletic than any other Jamie Dixon has had, Pitt can beat good teams no matter the tempo of the game. That’s a critical asset to take into the NCAA tournament, because in the course of trying to win four or six games, you have to be able to prevail playing different styles.
This team will also improve as Levance Fields plays his way back into shape after gaining a lot of weight during an inactive summer spent recovering from a foot injury. Fields told me he still has another 10 pounds to go, and as we all know those last 10 are the hardest.
Even so, the one nagging question I have about Pitt is whether they’ll be able to score enough quick, easy points to win the whole thing. Yes, this is as good a defensive team as you’ll see, buy can the Panthers make up for their lack of outside shooting with offensive rebounding? More and more I see teams suffer during the tournament because they are not proficient enough at the offensive end. Sam Young is scoring a ton of points right now (20.8 through the first nine games), but this team lacks a three-point sniper like Ronald Ramon, who graduated last spring. Their starting shooting guard, Jermaine Dixon, is there primarily for his defensive abilities.
Obviously, no one would be surprised if Pitt makes the Final Four. But if you’re asking me, in the second week of December, to choose, yes or no, whether they’ll get there? My answer would be no.
2. Does Pitt deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as UConn and UNC?
That question presupposes UConn is to be mentioned in the same breath with North Carolina, and it’s not yet clear that’s the case. We’ve got to see some more development from the Huskies, and what they’ll look like when forward Stanley Robinson returns at the semester break. I continue to believe they will serve as North Carolina’s strongest challenger, but at this point there is a gap between No. 1 and No. 2.
The Panthers are a terrific team with the kind of toughness Pittsburgh loves to see. Given Sam Young’s development and the presence of DeJuan Blair, they might have a couple of the NBA-level talents that can make a difference in the later rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
One thing I’ve suspected would hold Pitt back is the absence of a great jump-shooting threat. Memphis was not a great 3-point shooting team a year ago and made it to the NCAA title game — but even at that the Tigers shot just short of 35 percent for the year. Pitt is at 33 percent and hasn’t begun to face the most difficult part of its schedule.
If the question amounts to whether Pitt is third in line to win the NCAA title, I suspect not. Gonzaga has more of those kinds of weapons.
We will see if some of that sorts itself out as Coach Dixon sorts out the guards in the rotation and/or there is some separation from an offensive production standpoint. Maybe it will be Brad Wanamaker, after all.
Dixon said Wanamaker is unselfish to the point where it has become a detriment to his game. He has the tendency to rush in transition, and that has led a bevy of turnovers. Despite averaging only 14 minutes per game, he leads the team with 17 turnovers.
Dixon has been stressing to Wanamaker to take the open shot when he has it. Wanamaker worked tirelessly in the offseason to improve his jump shot, and Dixon would like to see him show more confidence in that improved part of his game.
Wanamaker, who shot 16.7 percent from 3-point range last season, has made 4 of 7 shots from behind the 3-point arc this season.
“He’s a much improved shooter,” Dixon said. “It’s not even close. He’s shooting the ball well. We’re trying to get him to the point where he’s shooting the open shot rather than driving in and taking a more contested shot. That’s something he has to get used to. That’s a common thing going from high school to college, but probably more so with him because he was such an effective driver in high school.
“He is a far better shooter than he was. He’s put in the work. I thought he could become a good shooter because of his form and his release. He’s a good free throw shooter. It was building on that form and just getting more comfortable doing it.”
Of course, these discussions are whether Pitt can win the National Championship/Final Four. I’ll take that discussion any day over whether the team is a bubble or even if it can get to the Sweet 16.
The Panthers have played different styles of teams in the opening month — Texas Tech and Duquesne were more up-tempo, Miami and Akron ran deliberate half-court sets, Belmont was reliant on perimeter shooting and Washington State was a tough, hard-nosed defensive team.
“It’s been good so far,” Dixon said. “We’ve improved; there is no question about that. We’ve taken care of business. We’ve won by large margins in every game.”
About the only missing ingredient has been any sort of inside challenge for sophomore center DeJuan Blair, averaging 14.9 points and 13.4 rebounds. Florida State’s 7-foot-1, 241-pound Solomon Alabi probably will present the toughest non-conference test.
“We’ve played a lot of teams, as usual, that operate without a post guy inside,” Dixon said. “That’s something we always seem to face in the non-conference. It will be interesting when we play against a bigger post guy.”
UMBC can’t afford any injuries. All five starters average at least 29 minutes per game, led by workhorses Darryl Proctor and Jay Greene, who log as much court time as just about anyone in the nation.
Proctor, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, is playing 38.9 minutes per game, and point guard Greene, a 5-8 senior point guard, is averaging 37.6.
Take away the season-opening victory over Stevenson University, when starting forward Rich Flemming didn’t play, and sixth-man Chauncey Gilliam’s playing time, and the remaining reserve players on the Retrievers’ bench have played a total of 13 minutes all season.
Expect a bit of rust from Pitt, but this should still be a blowout.
With thirtysomething bowls, every one does these quick hit previews or viewing guides to the bowls. Now, virtually standard. There’s the snap evaluation of the matchup:
Oregon State will win if. . . it does as coach Mike Riley put it, “we can’t whine about that anymore.” He is speaking of Oregon State’s painful 65-38 loss to Oregon that ruined a chance at the Rose Bowl. It also would help to have a healthy RB Jacquizz Rodgers, who ranks 13th nationally at 114 rushing yards per game.
Pitt will win if. . . Running back LeSean McCoy has the ball in his hands–a lot. He steps up in Pittsburgh’s biggest games. McCoy rushed for 183 and 148 in two games against rival West Virginia. He had 169 against Notre Dame. But McCoy also needs QB Bill Stull to be on target to keep defenses honest. The Panthers’ offense has been inconsistent all season, although Pitt has looked much better since that 4OT win over the Irish.
Er, yeah. The offense has been the model of consistency in the final games.
10. Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. No. 20 Pittsburgh, Dec. 31: This game features the best match-up of great young running backs as OSU’s Quizz Rodgers will try and outduel Pitt’s LeSean McCoy. This is also a fascinating sideline battle where you have one of the coaches that is always touted as one of the more underrated coaches (Mike Riley) facing off with one of the guys who is often the most skewered.
11. Sun (Dec. 31): Pittsburgh (9-3) vs. Oregon State (8-4). You like watching really good running backs? Allow me to present Pitt’s LeSean McCoy (1,403 yards, 21 TDs) and the Beavers’ Jacquizz Rodgers (1,253 yards, 11 TDs.)
Sony DVD Handycam
Timely Watch Co. watch
Majestic fleece pullover, VP Sports cap
Armor Gear Dolly Llama luggage
Brut hair dryer
The cheapest remains the Motor City Bowl: a watch and a couple pieces of luggage. The max value on the gift packages is $500. A growing trend is to give a gift card or shopping spree — Best Buy seems to be doing a few of those.
It’s not the official Big East All-Conference team. Instead it is the Big East media version as voted upon by beat writers for the various BE teams. Pitt didn’t have the most players selected. That would be Cinci with 8 players selected. Pitt and with WVU each had 4 players selected. Two of Pitt’s players were unanimous selections. I’m pretty sure you can guess which from the list of players: Nate Byham, LeSean McCoy, Scott McKillop and Conor Lee.
Byham missed by one vote being unanimous, suggesting that it wasn’t the greatest year in the BE for TEs — not that Byham isn’t a very good player, but his numbers are 18 catches for 250 yards and 1 TD. Not exactly eye-popping.
McCoy and McKillop also were voted the Big East Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year by the BE media.
Belmont, which counts country music stars Lee Ann Womack, Brad Paisley and Trisha Yearwood among its graduates, is favored to win its fourth consecutive Atlantic Sun Championship. Last season, the Bruins beat a Big East school (Cincinnati) and an SEC school (Alabama), both on the road, before losing its upset bid against No. 2 seed Duke, 71-70, in Washington, D.C. in the NCAA first round.
Belmont, which went 25-9 last season, led the Blue Devils in the final minute, losing on Gerald Henderson’s coast-to-coast layup with 12 seconds to play. The effort earned the Bruins a standing ovation from the fans at the Verizon Center.
“I know how good they have been over the years,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. “They are a very good shooting team.”
Belmont ranked fourth in Division I last season in 3-pointers made per game (10.5). The philosophy hasn’t changed this season despite the deeper 3-point line. If anything, the extra foot has helped a squad loaded with sharpshooters. In two games this season the experienced Bruins are shooting 41.1 percent from behind the arc, making 11.5 per game.
In other words, Pitt’s perimeter defense will get a test. And if they get hot from outside, it could be a rough ride.
This is the first of three games home games not to be televised. Depressing. Big props to the Pitt Athletic Department for making the video feed available on their site. Especially the FREE portion.
Pitt’s three-game PantherVision Network broadcast package will include the matchup against 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Belmont (Nov. 25), City Game rivalry against Duquesne (Dec. 3) and contest against Vermont (Dec. 6).
Internet game broadcasts will include live game action, post-game interviews, statistic graphics, score updates, live play-by-play and color commentary. John Sanders along with former Pitt basketball standout Curtis Aiken will handle play-by-play and color analyst duties respectively. Director of PantherVision Production Paul Barto will oversee production.
A link to the broadcast can be found prior to each game on the www.pittsburghpanthers.com home page, Basketball Game Day Central, and Panthers on the Air. The new Panthers All-Access platform runs on Microsoft Silverlight technology making it faster and easier to navigate.
I really have to credit the athletic department for making it free. This would have been an easy way to push the subscription to All-Access, but instead they are making it available to all.
