Sporting News ranked Pitt #26 and has their preview (which is the same that appears in their print preview) and 4th overall in the Big East. UConn is listed as 3d in the print preview for the BE, but #50 overall for their online preview. Huh? USF is #21 and WVU is #8 (which matches the online and print).

In the three seasons since he returned to his alma mater as head coach, Dave Wannstedt has a losing record and no bowl games on his resume. But after producing a third straight consensus top-25 recruiting class — the only Big East school to appear in the 2008 rankings — Wannstedt’s stable of talent should be ready to blossom.

No shock that the area they note that needs to perform this year is the O-line.

Must step up: The offensive line. True, the O-line deserves some of the credit for McCoy’s success. But Pitt ranked next-to-last in Big East rushing as a team last season, and the line breaks in three new starters in 2008.

Now if you like your previews a little more upscale, The Quad from the NY Times reached Pitt a couple days ago and put them at #32. Sadly I didn’t even notice a bump in traffic or any hits from them despite the link at the bottom of the preview.

Credit, though, for having the temp set about right for Wannstedt with regards to the “hot seat.”

Calling 2008 a make-or-break season for Wannstedt may be extreme – barring a monumental collapse, he’ll return in 2009 – but the talent is there for the Panthers to win the Big East. Fans will not be happy with anything less than a bowl appearance. Seat temperature check: baking.

That seems about right. There are expectations. But even if Pitt underachieves Wanny won’t be going anywhere short of a 3-9 type season. Paul Myerberg is expecting 8-4 from Pitt.

Could Pittsburgh be better? Absolutely. There is a great amount of talent: on offense, Turner, Kinder and McCoy; on defense, McKillop, the heart and soul of the unit, is one of the best defensive players in the nation. So why fourth, especially when most publications have Pittsburgh as high as in the top 20 in the nation? For one, I have concerns about Pittsburgh’s schedule, which, while not too difficult out-of-conference, forces the Panthers to go to U.S.F. and Cincinnati, two of the top teams in the Big East. In addition, despite the depth at the position, the Panthers must get more consistent play at quarterback. Though Bostick and Smith showed promise, the pair combined to turn the ball over way too much, leaving their defense in precarious predicaments. However, Stull’s return may alleviate some of the concerns at quarterback. While I like Pittsburgh to take a step forward this season, I think they are a program on the rise for 2009, as the underclassmen who dot this fall’s roster continue to gain experience on the college level and in Wannstedt’s system.

In the famous alumni section they include Ron Paul. Sadly Dr. and Rep. Paul is only a Pittsburgh native. He went to Gettysburg College and Duke Medical.

So, Dan Jennings signed verballed to WVU. Grumble, didn’t want him anyways. Grumble, Pitt got Dante Taylor, so there. Yeah, that means Pitt will be pushing even harder to get Thomas Robinson.

Silly lists? You bet. SI.com does “Fearless predictions” with Luke Winn.

15. Under-appreciated soph most ready to become a household name, Part II: DeJuan Blair, Pitt. Local boy was quietly a beast last year in a league full of quality big men. He might be the best offensive rebounder in the country.

Taking things too seriously? How about complaining about a ridiculously early top-25 poll and maybe a 3 spot difference? A Pitt fan e-mailed Gary Parrish at CBS Sportsline about putting Pitt at #8 rather than at least #5.

So we’re essentially arguing over three spots in my Ridiculously Early But Still Kind of Fun Preseason Top 25 (and one) that was published last month, correct? If so, wow. And God bless you! Because it’s folks like you — folks who care about this sport 365 days per year and to a somewhat questionable degree — who keep me going 365 days per year (and provide potential editions of Dear Gary for every single one of them).

Anyway, back to Pitt.

You saw that I have the Panthers eighth, right?

That means we’re pretty close in our assessments, though I fully acknowledge a reasonable person could place the Panthers higher because I agree with you that Pitt is “primed for a huge year.” In fact, I’m starting to wonder when Pitt won’t be “primed for a huge year” considering Jamie Dixon’s track record and the way he’s recruiting.

Dixon is now five years in at Pitt, for those unfamiliar.

He’s made the NCAA tournament every season.

He’s won at least 20 games every season.

And now he has a Top 10 (or perhaps even a top five) team ready to compete for the Big East title, and recruiting is also going well considering Pitt just picked up a commitment from Dante Taylor, a 6-foot-8 McDonald’s All-American candidate who chose the Panthers over Syracuse, Kansas and Connecticut. In other words, Dixon has continued what Ben Howland started and made Pitt one of the more stable programs in America, and it’s comical in hindsight that the school was at least exploring the possibility of hiring anybody other than Dixon when Howland moved to UCLA in 2003.

Let’s, uh, keep the sanity somewhere near the keyboard.

In case you missed it, Stuart Mandel at SI.com listed his top-5 teams to markedly jump in number of wins this year (roughly 4-6 win improvement).

This is the season Dave Wannstedt has been building toward with three straight top 30 recruiting classes. It’s not surprising that last year’s extremely youthful team struggled, but even so, they knocked off 10-win teams Cincinnati and West Virginia. With the return of two potential All-Americas, RB LeSean McCoy and LB Scott McKillop, as well as two key players (QB Bill Stull and WR Derek Kinder) who missed last season with injuries, I expect the Panthers to contend for the Big East title.

Including Pitt on the list tells you just how high on Pitt he is. Except for UNC none of other schools have the wiggle room (SMU 1 win, ND and Ole Miss 3 wins, UNC 4 wins) to have the 4-6 win jump without it being a major impact on their conference and the top-20. (Okay, anything that happens with ND is treated by the media as having a major impact, but you know what I mean.)

Now the gamblers are hedging a bit more on Pitt with regards to winning the BE. Here’s how they see it to win the conference:

• Cincinnati +800
• Connecticut +1000
• Louisville +1400
• Pittsburgh +500
• Rutgers +350
• South Florida +200
• Syracuse +5000
• West Virginia +175

It’s interesting. Prognostications about Pitt seem very optimistic, but when it comes time to lay out the Big East order, Pitt has been coming in at 3d or 4th. Which actually says something about a bit of depth in the Big East this year.

As for Pitt, specifically.

Pittsburgh has a shot to have a lot more offense than it did last year, especially if quarterback Bill Stull, who missed almost all of last season with a broken thumb, can come back and perform. But this former Western Pennsylvania high school hero is still unproven. He gets help, though, from another player coming back from injury, WR Derek Kinder, who was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award two years ago. And sophomore running back LeSean McCoy is a stud, setting a Big East frosh record with 1328 yards. Seven starters return from a defense that ranked fifth in the nation in defense (298 ypg). This is a good darkhorse possibility.

There are two things I am very sure of, the defense will be as good if not better, but will not be ranked as highly as last year. And the offense will be better than last year — statistically and reality.

The defense will be much more consistent and (hopefully) will not have games like that Navy performance. It will also, most likely, not be prone to being unable to hold at key times like last year (Louisville and Rutgers come to mind — and heck, they nearly gave it up to Syracuse at the end).

The offense, can only be better with Kinder back and presumably Stull under center. Even if it wouldn’t be Stull (injury or being beaten out for the job) Smith, Bostick or even Cross have experience which was sorely lacking last year.

With UNC presently the prohibitive favorite in July to win it all in April, the next step is figuring out which teams could derail that plan. Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News considers some teams. He groups them as “contenders,” “sleepers,” and “pretenders.

In the contenders category he has UConn, Louisville and Arizona. I can buy into UConn and Lousville. Not Arizona. The “me” culture at Arizona has passed? Brandon Jennings is all about that that culture.

Yes, they have Budinger back, but even if Brandon Jennings comes that won’t be enough. Their depth has suffered. Their defense still is lacking and they won’t have enough offense. After Budinger the only main cogs returning are Nic Wise and Jordan Hill. I guess Lute Olson could have a Joe Paterno type surge like a couple years ago, but in NCAA Tournament terms, that will likely just mean the Sweet 16.

Really the whole contenders section could be subtitled, “teams with hall-of-fame coaches that have top future NBA talent and have shown they can coach that potential.”

In the pretenders, it’s Notre Dame, Duke and Arizona State. I don’t see any of those teams having a deep March run so I guess I’ll agree.

In the sleepers it is Texas, Wake Forest and Pitt.

Some consider the Panthers national title contenders, but the lack of dead-certain NBA talent makes them a better fit in this category. Winning four straight Big East Tournament games requires a vast reservoir of toughness; we know they have that. Winning six NCAA games in a row requires a level of firepower that might be beyond their reach. One thing’s certain: Pitt will not go down without a battle.

I’d say he’s a little down on Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. If he meant dead-certain first round draft NBA talent, then it wouldn’t seem like such an odd statement. I would still disagree about Pitt being a “sleeper” — and not just because of blind optimism — because I think there is more talent on this team heading for the NBA. Gilbert Brown is a year or two away from that. I also think McGhee will eventually become an NBA Center — he has the frame for it as much as anything else.

NBE Basketball also has a snapshot of Pitt for the upcoming season. The questions about the players arent’ about Young, Fields and Blair — other than continued normal development. The questions are about Gilbert Brown improving his range. Gary McGhee getting more confident and finishing shots. Bradley Wanamaker finding his court vision. Whether Mike Cook comes back. Who will be the shooting guard? The questions about the team are for the players around the trio.

Via press release, this week the USA Today Sports Weekly will be a college football preview.

LeSean McCoy will be the cover boy for one of the 6 regions. (Dammit, Laurenitis is one of the others, so I know which will be the cover in Ohio.)

I know. His power rankings in the season always seem to suggest a slightly dour view to Pitt. Maybe there’s bias. Maybe Pitt is a team he simply won’t give as much credit towards until it has a bigger March impact. It’s also possible.

That said, he’s also been there with praise after the Big East Tournament. His pre-pre-power rankings for the upcoming year starts Pitt at #6. I happen to like Winn, since he is one of the few basketball sports writers willing to look deeper at numbers and statistical information.

So, yes, I saw his story talking about potential effects of moving the 3-point line back 1 foot for the upcoming season. In his final section it looked like Pitt got singled out as being at risk.

But the most interesting case study will be at Pittsburgh, which was seventh-worst on that list. Last season, defenses were kept honest by the shooting of junior Sam Young (38.3 percent, 44 threes) and seniors Ronald Ramon (37.2 percent, 67 threes) and Keith Benjamin (37.0 percent, 51 threes). The Panthers’ overall percentage was dragged down by the abysmal aim of point guard Levance Fields (27.7 percent, 28 threes) and Gilbert Brown (24.4 percent, 19 threes) — both of whom will likely be in the starting lineup now that Ramon and Benjamin are gone.

If defenses sag down against Fields’ penetration, and use help to double super-sophomore DeJuan Blair in the post, can Pitt make them pay? The Panthers are finding their way into plenty of preseason top 10s, but they won’t be a contender without being able to pose some semblance of a threat from beyond 20-9.

The point, though, was he was looking at numbers from NCAA Tournament teams. In that final section — those  Tourney teams that had the lowest shooting % on 3s — Pitt was not just the only preseason top-10 team for this coming season, but the only consensus pre-season top-25 team. That makes Pitt the team with that question mark. On a national level, who cares if UNLV or Georgia is going to struggle with the transition if it isn’t even a sure thing if they’ll even be in the rankings? I take it as a bit of respect and a note on the expectations that Pitt merited the discussion.

Really, even in if the line wasn’t moving back a foot, it would still be the big question mark on  the team going into the season — and a concern for Pitt fans. A literal change of guards. With Ramon and Benjamin gone. Especially Ramon. For all his struggles through injuries last season, Ramon was still the guy expected to take and be consistent on 3s. This is why there is some thought as to Ashton Gibbs coming in right away to help Pitt with that, and why the signing of Jermaine Dixon seems a little curious considering he isn’t exactly a 3-point marksman.

As I noted earlier in the week, with the final draft decisions made, there will be updated rankings for the in advance of college basketball for 2008.

There are 3 things that seem to be consistent. UNC is now #1. There are 3 teams from the Big East in the top-5. Seven Big East teams in the top-20.

Rivals.com has their list updated. Pitt is #3.

The Celtics have the “Big Three” in the NBA. Pitt has its own version in the college ranks with guard Levance Fields, forward Sam Young and center DeJuan Blair. Each ranks among the best at his position. The Panthers could get a boost if guard Mike Cook receives a medical redshirt. Cook was averaging 10.4 points when he tore his ACL in the 11th game last season. But with or without Cook, the Panthers have enough firepower to reach their first Final Four since 1941.

UConn was ranked #2, ND #5, Louisville #8, G-town #11, ‘Nova #17, Marquette #20 and WVU #24.

Gary Parrish at CBS Sportsline puts Pitt outside of the top-5 at #8.

Sam Young and DeJuan Blair up front form a formidable tandem built around size and toughness. So the Panthers will be good even if the NCAA doesn’t grant Mike Cook another year of eligibility.

Louisville was #2, UConn #3, ND #5, Marquette, G-town and ‘Nova nos. 14-16.

ESPN.com has a story on seniors in college basketball with Sam Young as one of the poster boys for a senior class that will be the headliners going into the season. The quote from Young that will have Pitt fans feeling real good about him.

“I decided the best thing for myself would be to go back to school, get my degree and have something to fall back on,” he said. “Become a man. My mom always preached about getting a degree and stuff like that, so I definitely wanted to do that for my mother. Just becoming a Pitt alumni, that’s priceless.”

Couldn’t agree more.

Pitt didn’t have much to worry about yesterday, but it was a busy day regarding the final decisions of lots of underclassmen regarding the NBA Draft. Kept me busy over at FanHouse. Something I’ve learned after yesterday is that the one-and-done rule hardly stemmed the flow of freshmen and sophomores to the NBA as optimistically thought last year. Last year there were 8 freshmen and 5 sophomores in the NBA Draft. This year, it is 14 and 10. A couple late returns to college kept it from being higher. This includes a rather old freshman from Lincoln University — JuJuan Robinson who is 24 and was with Providence back in 2004.

What that means is it triggers the latest in pre-pre-season polls. Just the thing to fill in the blanks. Almost universally, you can expect UNC to be given advanced #1 billing.

Andy Katz got things going with his latest, he keeps Pitt at #2.

he hint of Mike Cook coming back for a sixth year (after tearing his ACL in December) makes the Panthers even more formidable. Sam Young and DeJuan Blair are big-time bigs, and Levance Fields might be as good a floor leader as anyone in the country. This Pitt team could win the national title.

Of course, getting through the Big East will be a big challenge this coming season. Katz has ND and Louisville at Nos. 4 and 5. That’s 3 Big East teams in his top-5. All with legit claims on the top of the Big East. Then there’s UConn, WVU, and even Villanova and Marquette. Syracuse, Georgetown and Cinci will all be tough teams. All told, he put 7 BE teams in the top-20.

That said, with UNC as the top pre-pre-season team and arguably the ACC not losing a lot of underclassmen (like the Big East) there will be plenty of East Coast arguing over which conference is superior in the coming year. Look at just the freshmen and sophomore entry lists. It’s predominantly from the Big 12 (5 players) and Pac-10 (8 players).

Ever since these pieces confidently predicting Pitt to be very good this season, I’ve been nervous. I think it is just my nature. Everyone starts predicting great seasons, and I start to worry. Of course there are other reasons (*cough* O-line *cough*).

Last time Matt Hayes of the Sporting News was predicting a big season for Pitt, well, it was the same year everyone else was. So, when I read this after spring practice, it made me a little edgy.

“Pitt,” says Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, “is going to be very good.”

Why take Kelly’s word for it? Because Kelly’s team, ranked and rolling late last October, lost to Pitt in a game that became the turning point in Wannstedt’s shaky tenure at his alma mater. The point where a program that had stumbled and bumbled through 29 previous games and lacked any semblance of an identity found itself and finally won a meaningful game. Cincinnati went on to finish 10-3 and in the top 20 in both polls.

Just how big was that win? The answer came a little more than a month and three tough losses later. Wannstedt loaded the entire team — including all the redshirts in a highly rated freshman class — on a bus and made the 75-mile trip to Morgantown for what those outside the program believed would be a beatdown from the opening kick. Instead, it became an epic game in the history of the bitter series.

Hayes doesn’t actually say why he thinks Pitt will be good this season beyond the defense and being close in some games last year. Guess that’s why he titled his story “A gut feeling.”

Then there was Smizik’s post-spring practice story.

Such is the depth on the team that two starting linebackers from last season, Shane Murray and Adam Gunn, will be challenged for their jobs by Greg Williams, a converted running back with outstanding speed; Tristan Roberts and Brandon Lindsey.

No one will challenge middle linebacker Scott McKillop, who is among the best in the country.

Quarterback remains a question, with Bill Stull and Cross likely to get the most playing time. But Pitt doesn’t need excellence, only competence, at quarterback with the brilliant LeSean McCoy returning at running back.

It’s a formidable array of talent. Wannstedt has arrived at Pitt. It took longer than expected but the wait figures to be worth it.

A disturbingly positive piece that had many unsure who really wrote it. Of course, the flipside was that he assigned an “easily within reach” number of wins for Pitt this season of 9. That means anything less and he can comeback with another column in the season on how the team has disappointed.

So Pitt must win over Bowling Green, Buffalo, Iowa, @ Syracuse, @ Navy, Rutgers and Louisville. Then the team needs to go 2-3 @ USF, @ ND, @ Cinci, WVU and @ UConn.  In Wannstedt’s 3-year tenure, Pitt is 4-11 on the road — with 3 of those wins coming in 2006. To get to 9-3, Pitt will need to be at least 3-3 on the road this season.

So, yes, Lindy’s came out yesterday. Pitt’s Athletic Department was ready. Not surprising. They receive advanced copies of these preview guides for a reason.

That helps in getting out the press release the same day as the newstand sales begin.

The Pitt football team will feature two of the nation’s finest players this season according to Lindy’s 2008 College Football Preview.

Senior linebacker Scott McKillop has been named a first team All-American by Lindy’s, while sophomore tailback LeSean McCoy was named a second team All-American. McCoy additionally was named the Big East’s Offensive Player of the Year, while incoming freshman receiver and Aliquippa High product Jonathan Baldwin was named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year by the magazine.

In its preseason Top 25, Lindy’s rated Pitt No. 23 and wrote, “Given how strong the defense should be, if the offense comes together quickly, the Panthers could challenge for the Big East title.”

What they don’t mention in the press release was the overall theme on Pitt.  It is pretty much summed up in their capsule take in listing the top 25. For Pitt:

OUR CALL: No excuses. No excuses for anything less than a 4-0 start. No excuses for not going to a bowl. No excuses for nothing less than a full-hearted effort at the Big East title. The pressure is on Wannstedt.

As much as there is a lot of national, positive press for Pitt. A lot of “darkhorse” tags being put on this team. There is still the question of whether there will be a payoff.

To me, that is not at all unfair. I think we can expect to see a lot of that theme in the previews as the counter-balance to the expectations being put on this team.
The recruiting has been almost everything that could be hoped to see. The adjustments to the college game from the pros is long past. The development of depth and a team has progressed. All the injuries from last year are over. There was even a significant shake-up to the coaching staff with the DC and 3 assistants taking new jobs. It is time to start actually winning the games.

The good news about the passing of the Memorial Day weekend, it is the point when the previews for the 2008 college football season starts. Lindy’s will kick things off on the magazine previews this week, followed by Athlon. Sometime in June, will be the Holy Grail of college football previews — Phil Steele (who has Pitt listed at #25). There’s actually one less preview mag this year as Street & Smith’s was bought out by Sporting News (also late June).

As for online previews and punditry, they are already happening. Sunday Morning QB has his preview for Pitt.

If you want one big, optimism-fueling, over-the-rainbow moment, though, it’s obviously the season finale over West Virginia, a sudden display of ball-hogging physicality and defense that set the Mountaineers a-cursin’ their coach right out of town. This was a B12 shot not only for turning the tables on a rival set to play for the mythical championship, but for turning them with defense after a pair of unholy beatings the previous two meetings – White and Steve Slaton alone had 440 total yards in 2005 and an unseemly 639 in 2006, back-to-back 45-point efforts by WVU that could have been much worse. It was, you know…

He’s got some skepticism, and I keep thinking it is warranted. As much as I want to believe this is the year, and the idea that the WVU game will be the springboard, the defense will remain as strong, that the O-line will come together, and the QB issues will be solved. If I was saying this about another team other than Pitt, objectively I’d probably have a lot of doubts.

One thing I can say that SMQ got dead wrong — but I think we will read a lot of this summer — that if Pitt doesn’t deliver Coach Wannstedt is on the hot seat. Not true. There will be fan discontent and anger.

But hot seat to me means job in jeopardy. That isn’t happening. Not with his new contract. Not with the administration and wealthy alumni in his corner. It just won’t happen.

Interestingly enough, 2004, the year Harris took Pitt to the Fiesta Bowl in a very bad year for the Big East might play out again this year. No team in the conference looks particularly dominant or starting from a position of strength. Every team has questions. New coach (WVU), loss of key players (Rutgers and Louisville),  was it smoke and mirrors/can they do it again (Cinci and UConn), who will fail to qualify academically (USF). So, I have to agree with Stewart Mandel at SI.com when he says the Big East is wide open.

That said, if you were to ask me, “Who do you predict will win the Big East,” I would say … probably not West Virginia. Much of that is based on my aforementioned lack of faith in the Bill Stewart regime and the entirely realistic possibility of that program suffering a Louisville-type implosion (though that would more likely come next year), but it’s also because there are a whole bunch of other Big East teams sitting on the verge of a breakthrough. I’m just not sure which one it will be.

Pittsburgh is certainly one of those teams. As inexplicable as the then-4-7 Panthers’ Championship Saturday upset in Morgantown seemed at the time, the result wasn’t entirely fluky. (Remember, Pitt also beat 10-3 Cincinnati prior to that.) The Panthers’ defense was tremendous all season, finishing No. 5 nationally in yards allowed, and anyone who’s watched McCoy knows he’s an All-America-caliber back. The problem, as Pete noted above, was the absolute lack of a passing game. It’s no guarantee, but the return of last year’s opening-day QB Bill Stull and All-Big East WR Derek Kinder from injuries could help solve that.

More later.

So in one of the latest too soon to be taken seriously pre-season rankings, Pitt came in at #19 by Mark Schlabach at ESPN.com.

Bill Stull, who injured his thumb in the 2007 opener and missed the rest of the season, moved ahead in the battle for the starting quarterback job. Stull came back with a stronger arm and better mobility. If the Panthers can establish a passing game to balance LeSean McCoy’s running, the offense could be pretty explosive. Linebacker Scott McKillop, the top tackler in Division I-A in 2007, leads a defense budding with confidence after upsetting West Virginia 13-9 in last season’s finale.

Which he essentially repeats in his list of things to wait and see with the Big East this season as counter point to Ivan Maisel.

Can Pittsburgh parlay its stunning 13-9 upset of West Virginia at the end of 2007 into a bowl appearance this coming season? Dave Wannstedt hasn’t led his alma mater to the postseason during his four-year tenure, but the Panthers might be among the country’s biggest surprises. If Bill Stull can produce a consistent passing game, Pittsburgh will be well balanced with LeSean McCoy running the football.

Um, it’s only 3 years so far.

In a quickie review of all the BE teams, Pitt is listed as having answers at QB (Bill Stull), the O-line (with Malecki moving to Right Guard form the D-line and Joe Thomas over to Right Tackle), and the Defensive End (well one side with Greg Romeus anyways).

The questions remain at linebacker depth, experience at QB and whether Pitt can continue the momentum.

Is there nothing else right now?

I think some cautious skepticism about the football team is still warranted. It’s hard with so many pieces starting to look like they are coming into place.

The defense looks strong overall — even if there are some areas with thin depth. The defensive line appears to finally be a point of strength. The linebackers have a hard-nosed, aggressive guy in the middle with more depth than at any point in years. Safety, while not deep, has talent.

On offense there is a stud running back. The receiving corps while not flashy is deep and talented. The QB situation looks a bit better. Even the offensive line has some hope with players coming back from injury, a center that looks like a great find from JUCO ranks and a blue-chip freshman who should be able to grab a starting job immediately.

The coaching staff was overhauled, and seems to be on the same page.

Add in the strong finish from last year that raises the optimism. As further proof of how close Pitt might be, I have seen many cite that Pitt lost 4 of its games by 7 or fewer points. That just a couple bounces, a couple less injuries (or better officiating *cough* Rutgers *cough*) and Pitt would have been at least 6-6 or even, possibly 8-4. Suggesting how close Pitt might be.

On the flip side, though, Pitt also won 3 games by 7 or fewer points. Meaning that a 3-4 record in tight games suggests Pitt was very close to where they should have been, record-wise.

I was thinking about that as I kept coming back to this look at the Big East and team’s schedules.

Two things struck me right away. First, how unsure people are about the Big East after the assumption that WVU will be good and Syracuse will suck. Second, upon reflection I can’t disagree.

The eyeballing of schedules where you pick out almost certain losses or wins for the Big East teams yields a lot more toss-ups than usual. In large part because the teams in the Big East have improved and there is more parity.

UConn had a great season last year, and they didn’t lose much. USF and Rutgers have shown stability and are establishing themselves as consistent top-25 or right around there teams. Cinci is on their way there with Kelly as coach and especially if Mauk gets that 6th year at QB. Louisville is just a big question mark — they could implode with all the JUCOs brought in or could gel like a K-State team.

Then there’s Pitt.

This might be the strongest Panther team yet under Dave Wannstedt, but the schedule could make it a challenging year. There’s a chance for a big start with a home win over Iowa in mid-September, but the Big East slate starts out with two road games against Syracuse and South Florida. Going to Navy and Notre Dame will make it four road dates in a five-game span, and then there’s the finishing kick. After getting a mid-November week off, the Panthers have to play at Cincinnati, West Virginia, and at Connecticut. That could be just tough enough to ruin Big East title hopes.

They don’t give Pitt any “Likely losses” but after the two MAC warm-ups there are also no other “near certain wins” either. And I can’t argue too hard against that. Even the Syracuse game being in Syracuse does make that closer to a toss-up than a lock right now.

The Tom Herrion media appreciation continues. Jeff Goodman at Fox Sports lists his top-20 assistants at “high-major” programs. Herrion comes in at #11.

Herrion jumped on Jamie Dixon’s staff prior to last season and was recently promoted to associate head coach. He was previously the head coach at the College of Charleston for four years and averaged 20 wins per season in his tenure. The 40-year-old also worked for Pete Gillen for eight years at Virginia and Providence.

Goodman moved Pitt to #11 in his updated early pre-season top-25 after the declarations of early entry.

The Panthers lose senior guards Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin. While both are replaceable, Jamie Dixon will need to find someone who can shoot the ball from the perimeter. Pittsburgh has point guard Levance Fields back and healthy and Sam Young and DeJuan Blair are a force up front, while guys like Gilbert Brown and Tyrell Biggs showed flashes.

From the Big East, UConn #3, Louisville #5, ND #7, G-town #13, ‘Nova #17, Marquette #18, WVU #21.

The meme that — the Big East is a loaded beast of a conference this year — has already started will only get stronger after the summer and the draft returnees. That of course will create the backlash and contrarian arguments for the ACC or Pac-10.

Rivals.com, has Pitt way up in their really early poll (#2). One of their writers has Pitt as his #1 pre-season team.

Here is what Pittsburgh has returning: one of the nation’s best point guards, one of the nation’s best forwards and one of the nation’s best centers, not to mention one of the nation’s best coaches. And that’s just for starters. The Panthers also hope to have back a fourth starter, swingman Mike Cook, who suffered a torn ACL in the 11th game last season. Cook was a senior, but he has applied for a medical redshirt.

…

When Connecticut beat Pittsburgh 60-53 last season in the teams’ only meeting, in Hartford mind you, neither Fields, who was out with a broken foot, nor Cook was available. When Fields returned after a 12-game absence and regained his stamina, the Panthers ripped through the Big East tournament to claim the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They beat Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown on consecutive days.

That’s the Pitt team I expect to see this season. From November into April.

Here’s hoping the players don’t start buying into the hype and their own press-clippings.

I regularly try to praise the NBE Basketball Report for a good reason. It is one of my daily reads and has gone beyond being the best link round-up on Big East Basketball. The site also features regular and original recruiting news of Big East targets provided from the fine writers at Pittsburgh Sports Report, CAA Insider, Northstar Basketball and others. So if you want to follow the Pitt and other Big East recruiting make sure you read it daily.

Here’s a sampling of some key stuff from the past few days.

I never got around to linking to a Q&A done with Dante Taylor from Pittsburgh Jam Fest.

Chris Dokish provides a look at Pitt recruiting 2008 through 2010.

There is also a look at 2009 big man target, Aaric Murray.

A couple other big man targets include Zeke Marshall and Mouphtaou Tarou. Brian Crownover of CAA Insider has a look at how they, Dan Jennings and other BE targets did in the King James AAU Tournament.

One of the AAU teams, DC Blue Devils provided a specific report on how some of their players did. Not to mention that another member Talib Zanna — a 6-9 BF/C — is getting interest from Pitt.

Meanwhile, looking at the 2008 NBA Draft, Chad Ford lists players who are in, who aren’t really in and who should have. Sam Young makes his list of players who should have declared this year.

Young is 23 years old and coming off a breakout season. He should’ve struck while the iron was hot.

Louisvlle’s Earl Clark also falls in that category.

The Big East as Andy Katz at ESPN.com writes will be an especially brutal conference.

The Big East had only three players declare early — West Virginia junior Joe Alexander, Marquette junior Jerel McNeal and Syracuse freshman Donte Greene.

So far none have signed with an agent, meaning they all retain their amateur eligibility. Alexander and Greene are projected to go in the first round, with the chance that they could still slide to the second round. That means they may ride it out until the June 16 deadline to withdraw from the draft. McNeal is likely going to return to Marquette.

Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet stayed in school, a decision that Villanova coach Jay Wright said amazed him. So, too, did Louisville’s Earl Clark. Pitt’s Sam Young decided against leaving. Marquette’s Dominic James and Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn opted to remain as well. Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, the Big East’s Player of the Year, didn’t give leaving much of a thought.

“We could have easily lost two or three more guys,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “We’re not losing guys. It’s going to be a superstrong league again.”

Of the 15 underclassmen on the first two All-Big East teams last season, 12 are coming back. Seniors accounted for only four of the conference’s top 25 scorers and three of its top 20 rebounders. And there were no seniors among the top nine leaders in assists.

The projected favorites of the league — Connecticut, Louisville, Notre Dame and Pitt — are all potential Final Four teams.

This is why Marquette has to have extra anxiety with the loss of Crean and hiring an assistant. The way the conference is stacked right now, it is really easy to get buried in the conference. Really easy.

Given the depth and number of returning players and teams nearly intact –UConn, ND, Marquette, Villanova and Pitt all only lose a couple players who seem replaceable –  it is going to be real easy to have a good season and finish 5th or 6th.

Just look at this Rivals.com top-25 projection. Pitt is 2nd. UConn 1st, ND 4th and Louisville 8th. 4 of their top 8 from the BE. Along with G-town Marquette and Villanova in the top-20. WVU is left out for now (probably pending Joe Alexander’s decision).
As you look at that depth and the fact that this season the 3-point line moves to 20-9 — a foot further out — and you do at least get why Coach Jamie Dixon decided he needed to bring in a new JUCO for the shooting guard position rather than risk relying on a freshman to be ready.

While the women’s BE schedule was announced, the men’s won’t be until after June 16 — when the conference will know about which players are staying in the draft. The TV contracts and slightly unbalanced schedule demand waiting. I do expect Pitt to have one of the toughest conference schedules this year.