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.

Latest press release has the Big East TV appearances. They grouped them by networks so here are the relevant (Pitt) appearances.

ABC
Fri., Nov. 28 WEST VIRGINIA at PITTSBURGH Noon

ESPN
Thurs., Oct. 2 PITTSBURGH at USF 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 6 PITTSBURGH at CONNECTICUT * TBD (might air on ESPN2)

ESPNU
Sat., Aug. 30 Bowling Green at Pittsburgh Noon

CBS College Sports
Sat., Oct. 18 Pittsburgh at Navy 3:30 p.m.

NBC
Sat., Nov. 1 Pittsburgh at Notre Dame 2:30 p.m.

ESPN Regional/Big East Game of the Week
Sat., Nov. 22 PITTSBURGH at CINCINNATI or WEST VIRGINIA at LOUISVILLE

ESPN Regional
Sat., Sept. 6 Buffalo at Pittsburgh 6 p.m.
SportsNet New York/ESPN GamePlan

CBS College Sports is what used to be the  CSTV channel. They rebranded it during the NCAA Tournament and after CBS purchased them outright.

More games will be added, but this is what is known so far. For example the October 25 BE Game of the week is open — and just happens to be the day Rutgers-Pitt play. So that will likely get added.

Not bad for Pitt to already have 6 games on national (non-PPV/regional) distribution considering the last few years. As for the other schools: Louisville has 6 games, WVU has 5 games, USF has 5, UConn has 5, Rutgers has 4, Cinci has 4, Syracuse has 3

It’s not expansion per se, but a kind of interesting plan/negotiations that makes some sense. Army and Navy wouldn’t actually join the Big East, but they would each play 4 games each year against Big East teams.

For example, in a given year, Army would play Connecticut, Cincinnati, Louisville and Pittsburgh. Navy would face Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse and West Virginia.

So far the service academies have said no, but it strikes me as in the early negotiations. Working out the money and how the schedule would work.

It preserves Army and Navy’s independence. Gives them both two solid home games each year. Gives both sides some more set games and less travel issues with the geographic proximity.

It’s not a long term fix — the conference splitting is the ultimate end point — but it could be a good way to lessen the number of 1-AA games and ease scheduling issues.

At least, not until the Big East Tournament.

Pitt was supposed to try and play a game at Madison Square Garden on December 17. Unfortunately, no one was available of any name recognition/gate value/TV interest.

Instead Pitt will have a home game on December 18.

The addition of Pitt finalizes Siena’s 2008-09 nonconference schedule, expected to be the most difficult in school history.

In addition to playing Pitt, Siena will face defending national champion Kansas, Cornell, Boise State, Buffalo, the University at Albany and Saint Joseph’s.

The Saints are in the MAAC. Not quite a BCS quality opponent. Man does Pitt need something else for the non-con home slate.

The first couple games of the season finally have been set. The opening game against Bowling Green is getting televised on ESPNU so it has the dreaded 12 pm start. Good to land somewhere on the WWL’s opening weekend tv slate. Bad for a noon time thing. It also doesn’t help that the Pirates have a 7:05pm start to their game at PNC Park (like anyone will be there if there isn’t a bobblehead give-a-way). Bowling Green is actually a decent challenge to open the season. They are expected to be the team to beat in the MAC East with 17 starters returning.

The following week against another MAC East team, Buffalo comes in for a 6pm start and the chance to tailgate all day. The game has no TV coverage, so that’s why there is the strange game time. No word on whether Pitt’s “All-Access” will have the rights to stream the live video.

The Iowa game is still unknown. Likely because ABC/ESPN is still deciding which channel and when they want to show it. The choices are limited because naturally the Pirates have another 7:05 pm home game. AD Pederson is admitting as much.

“We don’t get into much wiggle room. Since I got here, Frank Coonelly of the Pirates and I have gotten to be good friends, and Frank’s terrific. We’ve talked about, in the future, us meshing schedules and working to do the very best we can for both of our fan bases to make sure we don’t end up with conflicts on the same weekends.

“I think we’re both committed to try to make all of that work for both of our fans. The problem was, to some extent their schedule was already set before Frank got here and our schedule was already set before I got here, so there just wasn’t much wiggle room there.”

By next year, we should have an idea as to whether that’s just words and both sides still do their own thing, or if ex-AD Jeff Long never grasped intermediate communications and planning with the Pirates.

As annoying as an early start for the first game is, I can’t disagree with Pederson’s point.

“Noon kickoffs can be tough, but, that early in the season, there is so much excitement for our team and such a buzz for our team that it is really going to be a great day,” Pederson said. “I think the excitement surrounding our team is the reason ESPN wanted to televise our opener because let’s face it people are talking about our team.”

The early opening game will still get fans this season. It’s purely selfish reasons on my part for wishing the opener was later in the day. Beyond simply not having to leave for the ‘Burgh by 7am, on the first game I love getting on to the campus just for a little. Then there’s wanting a longer tailgate as friends I haven’t seen since the end of last season gather for the first game. Doing all of that in the second week, just doesn’t seem the same.

We already knew the Backyard Brawl was going to be noon on Friday after Thanksgiving, but I guess it’s nice to know some of the backstory.

“I thought, wouldn’t it be unbelievable if we could get our game moved to national television?” Pederson said. “History would say that the Friday after Thanksgiving is a great day to watch college football. There aren’t as many games going on, so you really can captivate the nation that day.”

It still beats having it on Thanksgiving night.

Useless information that only I might find interesting: college basketball rosters for the 2008-09 season are supposed to be updated and available to the media starting on Monday. Why? Because of the preview magazine business. They have to start work in July to get them out in September and October. That means collecting the basic information, as early as they can.

It can also mean that the never-ending Mike Cook-NCAA-Eligibility saga should get a little more media attention in the next week or two. Someone will have their curiosity piqued if Pitt gives them a roster with an asterisk or a blank spot. That is unless the NCAA finally makes a decision today.

It’s also why Austin Wallace is getting his paperwork in order for a medical hardship application.

Pitt forward Austin Wallace is going through the paperwork for a medical hardship because of a serious knee injury he suffered last December practicing before Pitt’s game against Washington. The move will free up a scholarship for Pitt, yet allow Wallace to retain a scholarship to attend the school.

It’s not a surprising move since Wallace’s injury was known to require a good two-years of recovery. kind of a surprise they waited until now. His basketball career is still at risk with a fractured left patella.

Pitt’s troubles to find an opponent for Madison Square Garden continues. Maybe Stanford?

Odjakjian said it’s unlikely Pitt would play a smaller school at the Garden, even if it’s a New York-area school. The gate wouldn’t justify such a matchup at a 19,000-seat arena.

“It’s certainly up to the Garden if a lesser opponent would be acceptable,” Odjakjian said. “If the game is not going to draw a lot of people, they aren’t going to bother.”

Which is why they wanted a team from a BCS school. Even if they weren’t particularly good. As long as there was an alumni base of some size in the area to buy tickets. I’m guessing Pitt isn’t being picky at this point.

According to this report the Memphis deal fell through for more than just timing issues.

Pittsburgh Sports Insider has been told that Pitt has been trying hard to schedule Memphis, however, Tigers head coach John Calipari wants too much in return.

The obvious implication being a road game to Memphis next year and no true home game for Pitt.

If you are in Pittsburgh, have diabetes, or want to know more about diabetes there is the Diabetes Expo at the David Lawrence Convention Center this Saturday. Oh, and the Pitt men’s and women’s basketball team will be there signing autographs.

Also per Andy Katz, this annoying piece of info.

Pitt wants to play a high major at Madison Square Garden in December. But no one is biting.

Looks like the Memphis rumor has fallen through.

I guess that’s the problem when you’ve had the success Pitt has had at MSG in recent years. Everyone knows and is in no hurry to go there for a loss. Even with the exposure on ESPN and recruiting in NYC area.

Pitt still hasn’t listed it. Not everything is finalized. Still here’s what we know at this point.

Duquesene

Robert Morris

Legends Classic — 2 home games and 2 in Newark (Nov. 20-29)

Vermont (Dec. 6)

Maybe Memphis (Madison Square Garden, Dec. 17)

That’s 8 games, so that leaves about 4-5 left that are unknown.

Figure a couple more cream-puffs on the home slate. I have to believe at least an A-10 team to come to the Pete. Otherwise the home non-con is on the weak side as far as fans go.

Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Actual news that matters.

The Big East announced the conference match-ups in basketball for the upcoming season. Not the dates mind you, just who plays who, where and how many times.

Pitt’s Home-and-Home opponents: WVU, UConn and DePaul

BE Home games: Cinci, Marquette, ND, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse

BE Road games: Georgetown, Louisville, VIllanova, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Providence

I can’t say the schedule is unfair. Obviously 3 very tough road games with G-town, L-ville and ‘Nova. But home with Marquette, ND, ‘Cuse and Cinci (who I think will actually be better than people think).

Just a few quick thoughts.

The eyeball test, suggests that the hardest home-and-home for an upper-half of the Big East squad goes to Notre Dame with UConn, Louisville and St. John’s. UConn has Pitt, ND and Seton Hall. WVU has Louisville, Pitt and USF. Louisville gets ND, WVU and USF.

The easiest for upper-8 teams might be ‘Nova with Marquette, Providence and ‘Cuse. Marquette gets off pretty lightly with G-town, DePaul and ‘Nova.

Cinci looks to be the biggest schedule beneficiary. Home-and-homes with G-town, Providence and St. John’s. The home slate has L-ville, UConn, ND and WVU. With Pitt, ‘Nova and Marquette on the road.

Pitt is still trying to find a team to play at Madison Square Garden on December 17. How does Memphis sound? Levance Fields thinks that will be the team.

“They’re trying to work a game against Memphis in the Garden, like we played Duke last year,” he said. “So hopefully that works out.”

I think that would fit the bill. Of course, that is hardly conclusive at this point.

We knew Pitt was working to get a marquee game at the Garden once bumped from the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament.

Memphis would be a fantastic opponent. It makes sense for them as well, since Calipari likes to play at least one game each year in the NY/NJ area for recruiting. The storylines might grate a bit, but the game would be worth it.

Pitt is supposed to find out sometime this week if Mike Cook will get that 6th year.

“They’ve got all the material,” Dixon said. “The process has gone exactly as we thought it would. We’re going to know this week.”

…

“I haven’t really been thinking about it,” he said. “The toughest thing right now is getting my knee better. It feels real good. I’m running on it now. I will start cutting on it probably in the next week or two.”

Pitt has awarded all of its scholarships for the 2007-08 season, so if Cook is granted a sixth-year of eligibility, the Panthers’ next goal would be to find him one. A possibility would be redshirt sophomore center Austin Wallace, who is still recovering from knee surgery last season.

The other possibility is if one of the incoming players does not qualify. There are some rumors swirling that JUCO transfer Jermaine Dixon might have academic problems. I don’t know.

Meanwhile, despite all of Pitt’s scholarships filled and the possibility of Mike Cook returning as well. Iowa State free agent Wesley Johnson continues to consider Pitt.

SF Wesley Johnson, who averaged 12.4 points as an Iowa State sophomore, is scheduled to start making visits as he begins his transfer process. Johnson is expected to visit Ohio State and Pitt, and he’s strongly considering Syracuse. With his length and toughness — he averaged 7.9 rebounds as a freshman — Johnson can make an impact after sitting out a year.

In the same article there’s a bit on Sam Young and playing more at small forward.

Pitt’s Sam Young, three years into a career he expected to spend as a small forward, has played almost exclusively as a power forward. As a freshman and sophomore, he wasn’t comfortable with the offense while playing the perimeter and contributed inside because of his toughness and athleticism. Last season, he played up front because Pitt needed him there. But the Panthers hope to play a bigger lineup this season, making greater use of 6-10 Gary McGhee and 6-8 Tyrell Biggs, which could free Young to play more minutes at small forward. Young was scheduled to get a nice education in that art as a counselor at Nike’s Vince Carter Skills Academy this week in Orlando. The camp is designed for top young high school wing players.

Obviously for Young to get to the NBA he needs to develop more on the wing. The issue is not his offense, but his defense at that spot. To be honest, I’m not sure a camp named for Vince Carter would be much on defensive skill sets.

Finally, Pitt is still looking for a quality opponent (Insider subs.) to play at Madison Square Garden.

Pitt is desperate to get a Dec. 17 opponent for a game in Madison Square Garden. Only teams from the top six conferences need apply.

Um, actually five conferences (and Memphis). It’s not like Pitt will schedule a non-con with a conference team. Considering it’s at the Garden and ESPN would almost certainly televise, you would think there would be a lot more interest in the exposure.

We haven’t heard much about the Legends Classic in a few weeks. Just that Pitt was a likely participant. Jeff Goodman at FoxSports.com, has this today.

The word I’m getting is that the four teams in the Legends Classic will be Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, Washington State and Texas Tech.

Those would be the “host” teams for the opening round. The participating teams are not known. From a competitive standpoint, this actually looks like a great little tournament. From a buzz creator, well, no. Assuming Pitt makes it to the Prudential Center in New Jersey, they will be school most likely to travel well.

Looks like the campus rounds will be on November 20-23 and the games in NJ on November 28 and 29.

Brilliant. The Backyard Brawl is November 28. Hmmm. Looks like that noontime start may not be such a bad thing.

Pitt’s not ducking Robert Morris this year.

With RMU Head Coach Mike Rice now a year removed from being a Pitt assistant, the game is back. Apparently it might take place sometime in January. Seems odd to do it as the Big East portion of the schedule is getting underway. However, Pitt has some non-con road games and hopefully a tournament to take part — making travel and planning some games tricky. Last year the BE schedule was a little odd with some gaps and then a blitz of games. This might be Pitt’s way of trying to even out the game sched in the second half and giving greater flexibility in building the non-con.

So Pitt and Coach Jamie Dixon are going to host a Coaches vs. Cancer event in Pittsburgh this year. Along with the American Cancer Society and UPMC it will be the first ever Hoops for Hope Basketball Gala on May 31 at the Petersen Events Center.

How’s that working out for the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament appearance?

Rich (Pittsburgh): Andy – Coaches vs Cancer or Legends Classic for Pitt? I am hearing conflicting reports on which tournament they will play in.

Andy Katz: Right now Pitt is being moved over to the Legends Classic in New Jersey. This isn’t done but that appears to be their spot.

That noise started last week. Looks like the organizers want to have better odds of a Duke-UCLA meeting. From a marketing standpoint I can see it. Michigan is a likely non-factor to challenge, but is a name school. Adding Rutgers is reasonably safe to get that Duke-UCLA match-up.

I don’t like it as a Pitt fan, and if the goal is supposed to be to raise money for Coaches vs. Cancer it’s a mistake overall.

Pitt is hosting it’s first gala in support of the charity. Hopes were being raised that the basketball team was going to be a participant in the Tournament. That kind of synergy would really help the Pittsburgh event. Now, Pitt is being pushed to a one-game neutral site. Not nearly the same.

EDITOR CORRECTION: My bad. The Legends Classic is a not a one-off game. It is a mini-tournament like the Coaches vs. Cancer. Thanks to Bethlehemjohn for the correction.

Still not particularly happy since it does at least present a perception of being shoved down a tier for the profile of the event.

UPDATE (4:36): Per Andy Katz’s blog today (Insider subs.):

Pitt is no longer a lock to go to the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament in New York with UCLA, Duke and Michigan. The Panthers are more likely to land in the Legends Classic in Newark with Texas Tech. Five schools in the mix for the four remaining spots in the two tournaments are Pitt, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Washington State and/or Southern Illinois.

Yeah. Downgraded. Definitely downgraded.

The Backyard Brawl this year will be a national telecast on ABC at noon on Friday.

OK, so what’s the big deal about that? Well, since Big East Conference football was regenerated following the loss of three programs to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the league has had only one national TV date for a conference game on ABC.

One more excuse to skip out on any “Black Friday” crap.