Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pitt football beat writer Paul Zeise must have had a lousy weekend.

I’ve spoken with countless people at Pitt about this situation — and mostly because I am getting  bombarded with e-mails, voicemails, text messages and every other form of communication about it not because I believe any of it — over the last few days and this is the message I’ve gotten loud and clear —

There is no announcement planned (the phrases “total fabrication” and “absolutely 100 percent false” and “there is absolutely nothing to these rumors, nothing at all” have been used on more than one occassion) because there is nothing to this whole ‘Pitt to the Big Ten’ stuff. At least not right now and not in the near future. And to take it one step further, there have been no formal discussions (and I’ve been told there haven’t even been any informal discussions between Pitt and the Big Ten, in other words, there have been no discussions at all) between Pitt and the Big Ten and all of these rumors are just that.

He also points out that Pitt isn’t formally commenting because it is wiser to make sure the door is open if it ever gets to a point where the Big 11 expands.

How do you expect us to function in the world with this kind of message?

EJ Tweets the Big 11 Rumor

But I thought if it was on the internets it must be true?

Hold it, adjusting my paranoia and making it fit to the world view that the rumors are the truth. Ah, there it is.

“It’s not a denial…”

“Just a smokescreen from a Pitt assistant AD/sports information director…”

“He is being kept in the dark to allow deniability…”

Well, I guess it beats dissecting Pitt’s loss this afternoon in basketball. Sort of.

This has apparently reached “buzz worthy” status. That Pitt is heading to the Big Numerically Challenged Conference in the Midwest. It sure seems to have jumped beyond mere message board discussion. Lots of rumors. To the point where newspapers, while not directly reporting it in print, are into discussing the possible ramifications, and blogging it.

Speculation is heating up all over the Internet that Pitt has accepted an offer to join the Big Ten Conference.

Here is what popped up on Bleacherreport.com, normally a pretty reliable outlet, just a few hours ago:

——————————–

“According to several reports, including personal statements by student athletes on Twitter, Pittsburgh athletic department officials held closed door meetings with all of the University’s student athletes last week about the potential move.

Pitt message boards lit up with the news and the validity of the rumor, and though not verified by the University or the Big East or Big Ten, the rumor was somewhat reinforced when those Pitt athletes who posted about the meeting on their Twitter accounts were forced to remove the posts.”

Ahhhhhh. At the risk of sounding elitist… Oh, what the hell, Bleacherreport.com? That’s the source available?

I don’t know, that, well. Yeesh.

Eleven Warriors (tOSU blog) has doubts, and The Rivalry neatly encapsulates my thoughts on Big 11’s moves to progress.

Well first, there’s the extreme unlikelihood that the Big Ten Council of Presidents would act so quickly, little more than a month into an evaluation process tabbed to take a year to a year and a half.  Still, it is possible that COP had Pittsburgh — and its complimentary academic pedigree — in mind from the start.  With its top tier national rank (56th) and Association of American Universities affiliation, Pitt is a fair congener on paper.  Additionally, some commentators have suggested that a quick-strike could be designed to meet scheduling deadlines to get a Big Ten Championship Game in place by 2012.

Still, for a conference that has only added three members in the past century, an impulse buy is more than out of character.  Plus, it’s not clear how the addition of Pitt by itself furthers conference exposure.  (Penn State already brings Pittsburgh — the 23rd largest television audience in the United States — to the table).

The nail in the coffin of this rumor for me, is that the Big East appears totally in the dark.  The Big Ten made it more than clear when it announced plans to explore expansion that it would contact a prospective target’s conference before approaching an individual school.  Evan if the Big East is playing it cool, it seems far fetched that the Big Ten would have had the time to work through what OSU President Gordon Gee calls a “quiet kabuki dance” with a number of suitors at the gate.

A friend of mine totally gung-ho over the possibility disagrees and posits this:

I’ve always thought that the 12-18 month timeframe for a study was just a smoke screen to begin with, to give the impression that this was not as desperate of a grab as what the ACC did. My thinking is that the Big Ten likely had preliminary discussions already begun with the target school before they went public with expansion. Anything else would have been risking national humiliation.

I’m skeptical of this since the Big 11 made a show of how they would do things above the board and did not want to be perceived as staging a stealth raid like the ACC. Maybe that’s silly, but the Big 11 loves being seen as a blue-blood-like conference. Dignified and steeped in tradition.

I won’t prentend I haven’t heard some rumors, and gotten e-mails asking what I know.

Frankly, I really don’t know anything. I don’t claim sources, and I doubt the people I do know would know — or tell me.

The alleged announce date is supposed to be Friday — after NLI day for college football. I guess we’ll all learn something or nothing then.

Everything seemed to indicate the issue was dead. Plenty of reports said Dixon had quietly rejected the overtures. Reggie Theus was apparently lined up for the USC interview. The page had turned.

Then it hadn’t.

Pittsburgh basketball coach Jamie Dixon remains USC’s top choice to replace Tim Floyd and has not declined overtures from the university, according to sources close to Dixon.

Despite some media reports Dixon is not interested in the job, the Southern California native and USC were in contact during the past 10 days and discussions could continue, according to sources.

Dixon, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley and attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, is 162-45 at Pitt, the most victories in NCAA history for a Division I coach in his first six seasons.

“Why wouldn’t they want Jamie?” a source close to the 43-year-old Dixon said. “And why wouldn’t he want to listen?”
…
Sources said USC is not put off that Dixon would probably command a salary of at least $2 million per year or that his Pitt contract includes a $1 million buyout.

“The timing is not perfect but it’s not impossible,” the source said.

Just for the record, the timing is just about impossible. Can you imagine the distraction that would be to preparing for the U-19 games? You think USA Basketball would be happy about that? If the squad loses, the blame goes straight on Dixon because he was coaching and put himself in a position where it appeared he lost focus because of a new gig.

We are now in a world of dueling sources. Per Gary Parrish at CBSSports.

Obviously, I was surprised by this report because it contradicts everything that’s been written.

But just to be safe, I reached out to a source close to Dixon and asked about it.

I was hit with the following response:

“He is not going there,” the source said. “Not happening.”

When you start to get these mixed signals — claimed to be from “sources close” to the coach — it is an easy step for the present fanbase to be come agitated. To blame the coach for not ending the rumors at once.

I have had no problem with Coach Jamie Dixon not commenting on the USC job. I understand the business aspect of having his name floating out there, especially when it just won’t happen. Now, though, it is starting to get annoying. Whether it was Dixon’s fault or the “source” close to Dixon and the USC sources for the LA Daily News story.

So, Coach Dixon and the Pitt athletic department might want to think hard about putting something out there to end this stuff.

UPDATE (1:08): Parrish also has a full article explaining to USC why they need to forget the pipedream of Dixon.

The other thing worth noting is that there has been absolutely no other story backing up the LA one since this morning. None of the national college b-ball writers are offering any corroboration.

UPDATE (1:53): Thank you Andy Katz.

USC made another run at Pittburgh’s Jamie Dixon, but continued to be rebuffed, a source said Friday.

The Trojans targeted Dixon to replace Tim Floyd, who resigned last week. Dixon was in Colorado Springs coaching the FIBA U-19 USA basketball team this week and turned down another overture.

Dixon leaves with the Americans next Thursday for the World Championships in New Zealand. The competition runs July 2-11.

That Dixon’s name led the speculation is not surprising, as he is from Southern California and his wife, who is from Hawaii, went to USC. But a source said there is no family pressure to go to USC. The Dixons have been extremely happy living in Pittsburgh, the source said.

So USC apparently upped the starting point of money and possibly years to see if Dixon would bite. And again, not even a nibble. Please let this be the end. Hire Theus or someone else and just prepare for the NCAA sanctions.

So the fallout from USC will echo for a bit. Interesting bit, if true.

The university wasted no time searching for a replacement with Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon the top choice followed by former NBA coaches Jeff Van Gundy and Reggie Theus and Southern Mississippi coach Larry Eustachy.

Sources said last week USC started the process of contacting Dixon, a native of the San Fernando Valley and one of the nation’s top young coaches. But the Pitt coach is believed to have a buyout clause worth more than $1 million. Dixon did not return a message Tuesday night.

Only the timing of Floyd’s decision came as a surprise. Sources close to Floyd said USC was prepared to fire him but not until the completion of an NCAA investigation into whether former guard O.J. Mayo received cash and other benefits from his closest advisor, Rodney Guillory, who helped steer Mayo to the Trojans.

So if this information was to be true, they were pursuing the standard back-channel feelers to see about getting Dixon… eventually. If the other part of the story — that USC would fire Floyd after the NCAA investigation was complete — is true, well that end still does not appear to be near.

The NCAA has combined that investigation with the USC football side with Reggie Bush. Both have been dragging for some time and no one is predicting an imminent conclusion any time soon.

In other words, I’m a little hesitent to believe too much of this. Besides look at that list of potential. It’s apparently pipe dreams in Dixon or Jeff Van Gundy. Then it drops all the way down to Reggie Theus or Larry Eustachy. (Larry Eustachy? Really? They want to follow Floyd with another Iowa State coach that found a unique way to destroy his own career and toils down at Southern Miss?)

Give Andy Katz at ESPN.com credit for trying to put the early kibosh on the rumors of Dixon to USC. He was saying nay on that last night on ESPNews and in his story today.

They could make a play for someone like Pitt’s Jamie Dixon. But through sources, Dixon has said he’s not interested in making a move. He is currently vacationing in Hawaii and will be heading to Colorado Springs and then New Zealand for the next four weeks as head coach of the FIBA U-19 USA team.

As I said last night. There is no way Dixon or any quality coach that has a job right now would leave for USC at this point.The U-19 head coaching gig alone is reason enough. He can’t and wouldn’t pull out now. So he would not be able to actually start the job — recruiting, hiring assistants and all the other stuff until nearly August.

Also, this is not Indiana plucking Tom Crean from Marquette while waiting for the NCAA fallout from Kelvin Sampson. USC will not spend that kind of money for a coach that Indiana did. Nor does USC have the tradition or support for basketball.

There is already speculation that USC is acting to sacrifice the basketball coach and program to the NCAA to spare the football. Not many smart coaches in a good spot are going to jump into that mess without a big-ass payday — regardless of family and local ties.

If I’m correct, Dixon will be making somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.6 million dollars at Pitt. Given cost of living increases — housing allowance alone — plus the length of any deal they’d have to give him to come into this mess. Well, we are probably talking somewhere in the region of a 7-year. $21 million contract.

It would have to be something with a lot of money and a lot of security. USC didn’t even break $1 million with Floyd’s old contract (there is some uncertainty as to whether Floyd and USC finished his new contract before the resignation).

The names that actually make some sense if they want to hire now rather than have a 1-year lame-duck interim coach would be out-of-work coaches like Billy Gillispie or even Bob Knight. Or even Dan Monson at Long Beach State (who came and cleaned up Minnesota after Haskins — albeit without winning).

My first impulse would be that USC would just do the interim route, but they might think long and hard about how poorly that went for Cinci after the late firing of Huggins at Cinci. That would probably be the more comparable situation than the rosy-view of how things worked out at Arizona. Cinci had lots to deal with after Huggins was gone from increased NCAA scrutiny, to lots of talent leaving right away, and less money.

So we can expect the rumors and noise, but not much else.

I had the same reaction that Omar had upon the news that Tim Floyd had submitted his resignation. Here come the Jamie Dixon to USC rumors — again.

“As of 1 p.m. today, I am resigning as head basketball coach at the University of Souithern California. I deeply appreciate the opportunity afforded me by the university, as well as the chance to know and work with some of the finest young men in college athletics. Unfortunately, I no longer feel I can offer the level of enthusiasm to my duties that is deserved by the university, my coaching staff, my players, their families, and the supporters of Southern Cal. I always promised my self and my family that if I ever felt I could no longer give my full enthusiasm to a job, that I should leave it to others who could. I intend to contact my coaching staff and my players in coming days and weeks to tell them how much each of them means to me. I wish the best to USC and to my successor.”

Realistically, those rumors will have no truth. Even if, for the sake of argument, that Coach Jamie Dixon was interested/attracted to the USC job when it appeared Floyd was leaving for Arizona in April. The situation has changed. Beyond the potential sanctions looming over USC Athletics, no coach with the reputation and talent that Coach Dixon has earned would leave for a new job in June.

Especially when you consider that Dixon will also be involved in coaching the USA U19 team next month. He just does not have the time to even consider a move.

Right now, USC is screwed. Most likely they will have to go with promoting one of the assistants as interim coach for this coming season. No coach of any quality will go near the job until the NCAA violations are resolved. Couple in the fact that it is the second week of June, and there just aren’t many candidates out there.

Right now USC basketball is a sinkhole, few coaches would touch.

Here’s roughly what Dixon would have to balance, assuming Tim Floyd leaves USC for Arizona and USC comes after Coach Jamie Dixon.

Money: They would have to offer at least $2.5 million and a minimum of 5 years.

Family: If they did that, the other pros would be the proximity of his sister and parents in the area. Along with his wife being a USC grad (FWIW).

Local recruiting: Let’s face it, there is more talent to mine in LA and California than there is in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania.

Here are the negatives:

Less enthusiastic fanbase;

Leaving a trusted relationships with both the AD and Chancellor;

In a comfort zone and happy in Pittsburgh;

Unknown possibilities of NCAA penalties from the O.J. Mayo matters in 2008;

Competing regularly with good friend Ben Howland on the court and off for recruits. Given their similarities in what they like to do, they would be battling regularly for the same type of recruits in the same places;

Starting over and leaving well-built and more established recruiting inroads in the east;

Bigger rebuilding/reloading job even if Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett come back. He is almost certain to lose USC’s recruiting class and DeRozan would be certain to go pro.

What else?

So, let me get this straight. The coach who ended up being trashed repeatedly in no small part because he had to follow Phil Jackson in Chicago without Michael Jordan and a completely barren rebuilding team, is going to head to Arizona to follow Lute Olson and a completely barren and rebuilding team? Really? Did someone erase this guy’s memory of how well that worked last time?

Tim Floyd is a moron, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if he does take the Arizona job. It’s not a done deal, yet. He’s mulling, apparently. The speculative reasons as to why he wants to go somewhere for at least slightly better money is that there is actual caring about the basketball program by the fans. The other is that he knows some bad crap is about to come down the pike from the O.J. Mayo stuff last year.

I don’t know, but that will re-fuel the Jamie Dixon to USC stuff.

Matt “Money” Smith during Lakers Line on AM 570 KLAC said Ben Howland protege and current Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon is rumored to replace Floyd.

Dixon, with family in LA and such, will be a popular name tossed. Of course, the Trojans tried to get him to bite a few years back and he completely rebuffed them.

Still, as I cautioned, this sort of rumor stuff will be going for a bit. In fact, if Floyd does leave expect the intensity and rumors to really hit the fan. Why? All coaches and athletic directors will be in Detroit for the next several days for the Final Four.

That will mean breathless reports of clandestine meetings. Unsubstantiated rumors, sightings and pairings.

Just a bunch of Big East stuff, some not directly related to Pitt basketball that are worth linking.

This SI.com feature on following Syracuse for a spell to show how brutal life in the Big East has become, is excellent. What ends up jumping out at you though, is getting a picture of a beaten down Paul Harris.

But now it was three o’clock last Saturday afternoon, and a 98-94 overtime win over Georgetown before 32,000 orange-wearing loyalists at the Carrier Dome was a few minutes old, and Harris was smiling. Sort of. “To be honest with you, having Coach Boeheim on me all the time is hard,” said Harris, whose full-court inbounds pass to junior guard Eric Devendorf all but sealed the game with 18 seconds left in OT after the Orange had blown a 16-point lead in the final eight minutes of regulation. “It doesn’t do any good debating with him, because you can’t win. He gets me thinking too much about mistakes.” Harris paused. “But I’m going to keep going because that’s what you gotta do. This is the Big East, right?”

Copy that, as Jack Bauer says. The victory stopped an unnerving Syracuse skid — six losses in the previous eight games, all to Big East opponents — that showed how hard it is for a good but not great team to gain traction in a conference that offers precious few soft touches. Just ask Georgetown, the only team to have beaten UConn this season. The Hoyas, who were once ranked as high as ninth in the country, were in 12th place in the Big East at week’s end. Playing the nation’s second-toughest schedule, they had lost eight of their last 11 conference games and, at 13-10 overall, will probably need to win at least five of their last six to get an NCAA bid. Georgetown is spinning in what Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun calls “the washer, a cycle of losing with seemingly no way out.”

Over the last three weeks Notre Dame has gotten Maytagged too. Ranked as high as seventh six weeks ago, the Irish (11th- most-difficult schedule) lost six league games in a row, and chances are that its surprising 90-57 rout of then fifth-ranked Louisville last Thursday will not persuade the NCAA selection committee to award the Irish a tournament berth.

“Our bottom teams would be middle to top tier anywhere else in the country, including the ACC,” says Pitt point guard Levance Fields, whose Panthers are ranked fourth behind UConn, Oklahoma and North Carolina in the latest AP poll. “Quality teams like Georgetown and Notre Dame are struggling because of how tough the league is.”

When you stop and think about it — whether with or without sympathy — this season has to have been brutal for players like Kyle McAlarney, Luke Harangody, Jesse Sapp, DaJuan Summers and Paul Harris. Really good players with expectations and seemingly not able to catch their breath.

Continuing the brutal Big East theme, on the Big East Coaches call this week, Jim Calhoun railed against the 18 game conference schedule.

The big news on today’s Big East conference call was that UConn coach Jim Calhoun said the 18-game Big East schedule was unnecessary and could prevent a couple of teams from making the NCAA Tournament. Calhoun, whose team is 24-2 and could get a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, said the league should return to a 16-game slate.

“I really like the Providence team and I’m sure they’re on the bubble [because of the scheduling],” Calhoun said. “Providence is the third team after Notre Dame and Georgetown who I believe is NCAA quality.”

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi recently said that the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament included Georgetown, Providence and Cincinnati.

Several of Calhoun’s colleagues, including Rick Pitino of Louisville and Freddie Hill of Rutgers, concurred that a 16-game slate would be preferred.

Rick Pitino took a shot at Memphis in the process.

“I think if you were in Conference USA 18 games would be fine. I’m sure that Memphis enjoys that…But in the Big East 18 games is overpowering. I think every coach would agree with Jim [Calhoun]. They signed a contract with ESPN to play 18 games. It’s all money-driven. It is very difficult on the players and the coaches, all we are is beating up each other.”

One of the other reason for the 18 game schedule is to also to put less pressure on filling out the non-con schedule. Something that teams were struggling a bit as a lot of mid-majors were demanding return games rather than taking the guarantee.

Given the recession and increasing impact on athletic department budgets, I don’t see things changing. Speaking of cheap athletic departments, Seton Hall was actually going to skimp on sending their pep band and cheerleaders to the Big East Tournament. Apparently they felt the cost of chartering a couple buses to take the kids 18 miles was just not worth the money. At least until the negative publicity started.

Dick Weiss has a piece on the Big East being having the most elite, Final Four potential teams in years.

“I personally believe there are four, five, six teams in our league that could make the Final Four,” Calhoun said.

In most years, that might be wishful thinking.

But the Big East this year has been a beast. Maybe not as good as 1985, when Villanova won the national championship and the league put three teams in the Final Four. Maybe not as deep as some coaches – who feel the league deserves nine, even 10 NCAA Tournament bids – believe.

The ACC actually has a higher RPI conference ranking and might even produce more NCAA teams when the dust settles. The Big East, which got eight bids last year, could be limited to seven this time because teams such as Notre Dame and Georgetown – which were both ranked in the AP Top 10 earlier this season – and senior-dominated Providence are in the midst of being devoured in this carnivorous league. All three and surprising Cincinnati could still sneak into the NCAAs, but they could also be playing in first-round games in the expanded Big East Tournament.

This league is that unforgiving.

Having said that, this monstrous 16-team conference has so much quality at the top, the seven best teams – Pitt, UConn, Louisville, Villanova, West Virginia, Marquette and Syracuse – could all wind up with top-six seeds when the NCAA Tournament bids are announced March15. All seven are ranked in the Top 25 by the RPI and Sagarin ratings.

“Ultimately, you’re judged by what you do in postseason,” Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said. “But I clearly think, between Pitt, UConn and Louisville, we could have two No.1s and a No.2.”

Keeping that eye on Arizona for smoke signals on their plan for hiring a coach. The AD there has admitted that while he hasn’t hired a “search consultant” to put out feelers, he has put an intermediary to work.

Q. Where are you at in the hiring process?

“I’ve looked at a lot of people across the country and obviously I won’t be throwing out any names. I’ve had an intermediary talk to and visit with a number of people.

“I’m not down to a final pool, but we’ve got it down to a group of people where they would be a fit for us. As generic as that sounds as of (now), that’s the only place we can be . . . because most of them are coaching.”

…

Q. Are you using a third party to reach out to candidates?

“I’m going through C.M. Newton (former Kentucky athletic director). C.M. has been helpful on a number of fronts. There are a lot of people who want to help. But at this point, the confidentiality is much better with the fewest number of people involved. I trust him. He’s been a member of basketball organizations at a number of different levels. When he leaves a message for somebody, they’ll call back.”

Q. Is your biggest fear having the news be leaked out?

“It’s my only fear. . . . having somebody exposed who would have been a great fit. The best coaches out there can’t afford to have their name linked to this. They can’t afford it in their own community because they are not in good jobs but in great jobs and are being successful.”

We’ll see.

Nothing confirmed or proven. And honestly a little strange, but take this one for what it is worth.

On New Year’s Day we reported that Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy was leaning towards entering the draft despite public statements to the contrary. Yesterday Panthers head coach Dave Wannstedt said he believed McCoy would return.

We now believe we know the reason why.

Sources from inside the league have told us McCoy received his evaluation from the league today and was told by the advisory committee he would not be selected in the first three rounds of April’s draft if he enters the event. It will be shocking to some yet not others who feel McCoy really does not have the makings of a feature runner at this time.

I have no sense as to the voracity of this. I’m too biased to be fair, but I have a hard time believing McCoy would not be a first or at worst early-second round pick. This is not some RB in a spread or running in the MAC.

Then there is this one, via Jon from Bleed Scarlet on USC WR Vidal Hazelton looking to transfer.

Hazelton’s current list of schools includes Pittsburgh and several Football Championship Subdivision schools (Western Michigan, Florida International, Georgia Southern).

If he transfers to a lower-division school, Hazelton will be granted instant eligibility.

“The option is whether he wants to play immediately or sit out for one year,” said Hazelton’s father, Dexter Hazelton. “I’d like him to stay closer to home.”

Two weeks ago, Hazelton narrowed his choices to Missouri and Rutgers but his father said they decided to reconsider their options. “I think (Missouri and Rutgers) are out,” Dexter Hazelton said.

Two other possibilities are Syracuse and Delaware. Hazelton is friends with former Penn State quarterback Pat Devlin, who recently transferred to Delaware.

“He’s contemplating hard about going I-AA,” Dexter Hazelton said. “He probably make a decision by end of the this week.”

Hazelton — who is from New York — recently learned that his grandfather has been diagnosed with cancer. The junior has been rumored to be a possible transfer since early this season. He suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for several weeks and was actually interested in redshirting. He was not, but also found himself buried on the depth chart. He basically said he was transferring because of a combination of reasons which included a rift with Hazelton and the OC.

He seems more likely in my mind to go to Delaware and play right away. I just don’t see him coming to Pitt. I mean, has he seen Pitt’s passing offense? He’s got the talent to move to the top of Pitt’s depth chart — so I doubt the depth at the position would bother him.

I just don’t see it, and frankly Pitt has other needs than taking another WR who would have to sit next year and would only have one year of eligibility.

How desperate is Bobby Gonzalez at Seton Hall? This desperate.

Herb Pope has been granted a release from New Mexico State and is considering a transfer.

I think I’ll have more thoughts on this subject later, like on Friday.

But either way, it’s gonna be tough on second-year coach Marvin Menzies if he loses his most-talented player less than three months before the season. Pope averaged 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2007-08. But the most telling stat was that New Mexico State went 9-10 before Pope joined the team and 12-4 with him in the lineup.

For what it’s worth, Pope has already visited Seton Hall.

That will be fun for Seton Hall fans to spin. Talent, but a lot — a hell of a lot – of baggage.

UPDATE: Should this be a shock? Pope isn’t going anywhere. Apparently he wanted to get the NCAA to give him a waiver to play right away before any transfer. The NCAA doesn’t do that. You have to transfer first, then apply for the waiver. So, rather than risk denial, he’s staying (apparently and for now). Duquesne was also considered by Pope.

Hmm.

The Pitt Athletic Department did full denial of any GT-Pitt pairing being anywhere near happening.

I asked Steve Pederson — who in turn asked Chris LaSala — and both laughed as they said they have never spoken with Georgia Tech.

Steve Pederson then sent a text to one of the assistant basketball coaches to find out if maybe it was a deal to play in basketball – the response “no, though we did talk to them about playing a single neutral site game …”

In other words, this Pitt-Georgia Tech stuff is another example of how someone thought they heard something, put it on the Internet and it became the gospel …

Well, while this probably popped up on message boards as well, I did post about it.

The podcast with GT AD Dan Radakovich went up on Wednesday, but does not mention anything about future scheduling. It seems that the interview continued after a break, but the podcast did not. That doesn’t prove anything. So at the moment, there is apparently nothing contradictory in any available media to contradict the denial.

So, that’s where any GT game stands. Not happening.

Big hat-tip to Roman down in Atlanta.

On one of the sports talk, they had GT AD Dan Radakovich in for an interview. On the subject of scheduling, he said they were in the final stages of establishing a home-and-home with Pitt.

That means another go-round with Paul Johnson, the former Navy head coach. Makes it a greater shame that Chan Gailey was fired. I would have loved to have seen what Orson at EDSBS would have wrought with that news.

The podcast should be up tomorrow.

A local Fox station in Memphis reported that Memphis and the Big East were hot and heavy in negotiations to have the Tigers join.

Ever since the Memphis Tigers got left behind in the Great Bum Rush to leave Conference USA– also known as the Big East expansion in 2003– Tiger fans have had one singular goal. To follow their old rivals from Louisville, and Cincinnati to the greener pastures of the Big East.

And here’s where it gets interesting.

Sources have confirmed to FOX13 Sports that University of Memphis officials have been in serious talks with the Big East about joining the conference.

Of course the Big East is denying this story.

…Big East spokesman John Paquette to track down these rumors that Memphis might join the Big East and he categorically denied them.

“No truth,” Paquette said by phone from Rhode Island. “I saw the clip. It’s a TV report with no named sources. No one from the University of Memphis. No on-the-record sources. We’ve been down this road. We are not talking about expansion with any institution.”

Repeat after me, there won’t be any expansion until there is a split of the conference between the football schools and the basketball only schools.

Let’s be clear about something. In 95% of the cases (yes, a made up number) any player who completed his junior year does not “voluntarily” transfer or leave a D-1 program unless there are criminal, academic or personal issues. That player is stuck dropping down to D-2 basketball if they want to get a scholarship and play. Their eligibility at the upper-level is shot because at D-1 a transfer has to sit out a year. They can play immediately if they drop a level.

So, I’m not even going to pretend that Pitt coaches weren’t doing everything they could to convince Cassin Diggs to leave the basketball team. It may not have been with the direct coldness of a Jim Calhoun forced exit, but it was done. I can’t say I’m comfortable with it, simply because it means falling back on the old chestnut of “well it goes on everywhere else.”

At the same time, the rationalizing part of my brain that knows how this helps Pitt by freeing up that scholarship to a player who may be more productive and may fill that immediate need at shooting guard. It continues with the point that this is only the first time it has happened, and only the second transfer under Dixon.

To say nothing of a reflexive defense when Diggs unloads a bit.

Diggs said the split from Pitt was not amicable. He had wanted to remain with the team, but the coaches repeatedly encouraged him to transfer. After a while, he relented and decided to leave because it became obvious he was not wanted.

“They basically wanted me to leave because they wanted to sign someone else,” Diggs said.

Diggs, a Williamsport, Pa., native, went on to say the Pitt coaches were “manipulators” because they made it seem like he would receive more playing time during the recruiting process.

“The walk-ons were playing more at the end of the season than I was,” Diggs said. “[The coaches] made it seem like it was because of my injuries, but it wasn’t.”

Again, the defensiveness of the program screams, “The walk-ons were playing more because even they were better than you!” I also feel the need to dispute the “manipulators” accusation. Diggs is the first player leaving Pitt under Dixon to complain bitterly. Dante Milligan left because of a lack of playing time, but hardly went crazy about it (of course he still had plenty of time to his eligibility).

The final thing about this, from a planning standpoint is that it only leaves Pitt with 3 scholarships to offer for next year — Fields, Young and Biggs — rather than 4 (barring any other transfers). That’s a little frustrating, especially if Travon Woodall Darnell Dodson (remember him?) is still in Pitt’s plan after his JUCO stint. He would be part of the 2009 signing class.

On the plus side, Jermaine Dixon’s signing will give the team a scholarship opening in 2010 where at present there are none.