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March 3, 2006

Brief Thoughts

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 10:02 pm

What bothered me most about this game, was that Pitt looked soft. Too many times, players seemed to be complaining to the refs about no-calls. Imagine, Pitt players being bothered by physical play. The refs were strange but consistent. They let the players bang bodies and even let a couple shove or two get past. They would call the hand checks and grabbing. Essentially, you could body-up, but no clutching and grabbing.

The team just seemed flat, almost stunned after Seton hall didn’t wilt before Pitt’s initial hot start. Pitt got out to a 16-6 lead in the first 5+ minutes. Over the next 7 minutes, Seton Hall went on a 14-4 response. The Hall slowed the game down. On defense, they completely clogged things up, but had guards fast enough to prevent the guards from finding an open look.

I saw a Seton Hall team that wanted it more than Pitt. Pitt is a better team, deeper with better players. Seton Hall just had more heart in this game. I really don’t like typing that. It pisses me off to even think it. But it is true.

They didn’t panic. They didn’t make mistakes. They stayed in control. They needed the game, and did everything they needed to do to win it in the face of a better team on the road. They never let Pitt run. Their fundamentals were so sound. Staying in the passing lanes. Not turning the ball over. Just very smart play.

Their seniors, Copeland and Whitney, willed their team through.

Seton Hall-Pitt: Open Thread

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 6:03 pm

I think everyone knows what to do at this point.

FINAL: Pitt loses 61-65.

Seton Hall played a much better game than Pitt. They played faster and more agressive. Pitt just seemed tenative the entire game. Got nothing from the bench and the guards.

Krauser’s lack of scoring was essentially negated by what Kendall did offensively. Krauser did provide 11 assists as compensation.

Seton Hall just seemed to play defense faster than Pitt’s offense. They didn’t let the guards get free on the perimeter and were still fast enough to clog and make things difficult inside. I have to admit, they impressed me.

I don’t even want to talk about Pitt’s free throw shooting.

Assorted

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 2:25 pm

A few things. I was going to post on this story for the sheer absurdity, stupidity and egotism of Bob Huggins.

Former University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins is expected to be at Fifth Third Arena Saturday for pregame ceremonies honoring the Bearcats’ five seniors.

And if it’s up to senior forward Eric Hicks, Huggins, whose contract was terminated in August, will do more than sit in one of the luxury suites during the game against No. 16 West Virginia.

Hicks said Thursday he planned to walk onto the floor with Huggins, interim head coach Andy Kennedy and his family.

“I called him,” Hicks said of Huggins. “I’m going to walk out with him. I want to go out like everybody else went out. I came here to play for him and AK, and that’s who I intend to play for. If AK hadn’t been the coach here (after Huggins left), I would have been gone.”

Kennedy confirmed that Huggins plans to be at the game. He said Huggins called and asked if he had any objections if Huggins showed up. Kennedy said he didn’t.

But he said he hadn’t heard of any plans for Huggins to accompany Hicks on the floor before the game.

Hicks, though, was adamant in wanting Huggins to be part of the ceremony. He said he had called Huggins and asked if he would do it, and that Huggins agreed.

Hicks means well. And I understand him wanting Huggins there. Huggins, though is supposedly a grown-up. If he does this, it will be to screw his friend and former assistant Andy Kennedy. Well, I’ll just quote Greg Doyel (Mar 3 entry) because it pretty much mirrors what I was going to say.

Imagine the scene. Huggins, the coach who recruited and molded Hicks and (the injured) Kirkland, walking them onto the court before their final home game against West Virginia. Fifth Third Arena would go absolutely nuts. It would be fun, don’t get me wrong. But it would be wrong. Don’t get that wrong, either.

And then there’s Andy Kennedy. He’s the former Huggins aide — a loyal aide, we all know — who has done a remarkable job as interim coach. Against all odds, considering the Huggins-UC schism, Kennedy’s grace and obvious coaching ability have earned him a shot at the permanent position. The only drawback to Kennedy, in the eyes of the UC administration, is his connection to Huggins.

The last thing Kennedy’s candidacy needs is one final reminder — one final thumbing of the nose at UC president Nancy Zimpher — that Huggins remains the most popular person in town.

That Kennedy who has done such a job with an injury-riddled team, as a perceived lame duck, who wants the job yet has remained openly loyal to Huggins is actually a possibility for the job has been impressive. Just as impressive is the way Kennedy has won over the fans and students who get just what kind of job he’s done in what was thought to be a lost season.

If Huggins walks out with his former players, he screws Kennedy. No doubt in my mind. He has to know this. Just as he has to know Kennedy wouldn’t, couldn’t be the one to tell him not to do it. It becomes a question of just how much of a friend he is to Kennedy versus how much he wants to stick it to the UC President.

Sticking with Doyel, he makes his picks for the weekend games:

Seton Hall at No. 8 Pittsburgh: Most people think Seton Hall has no chance at an NCAA bid. Most people are so cynical. After beating Cincinnati, Seton Hall is back in business. Most small businesses fail, of course, but the Pirates have a great opportunity to get into the black here. Yes, Seton Hall loses four of five games before beating Cincinnati. But the Pirates have wins this season at North Carolina State and at Syracuse, and have beaten West Virginia. Add a road win against Pittsburgh, and Seton Hall is in. Unless Seton Hall loses to Pittsburgh. Pick: Unless.

Then Stewart Mandel nails the NCAA for its APR, noting how this works:

Big-time college athletics has always had a clear demarcation between the “haves” and “have-nots” (branded in recent years by the terms “BCS” and “non-BCS”) on its fields and hardwoods. Based on Wednesday’s NCAA report — which docked scholarships from 99 sports teams at 65 schools nationwide for failing to reach an acceptable rate of academic retention the past two years — the discrepancy apparently applies to the classroom as well.

None of the eight Division I-A football teams cited by the NCAA hail from one of the six BCS power conferences, while only one such program, new Big East member DePaul, was among the 15 flagged in men’s basketball. (Arizona, Arizona State, Kansas and Texas A&M are still appealing their results and could well show up on the final list.)

This peculiarity would seem to contradict the widely-held belief that the nation’s big-money football and basketball factories are the ones making a mockery of academics. If you believe this report, the real problem lies in places like the MAC (Toledo, Western Michigan, Buffalo and Northern Illinois underperformed in football), the WAC (Hawaii and New Mexico State) and, most notably, at historically black colleges like the MEAC’s Florida A&M, Hampton, South Carolina State and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

MAC commissioner Rick Chryst believes the playing field will be leveled once penalties become tied to the NCAA’s new Graduation Success Rate — an improved version of the old federal graduation rate, which didn’t take into account players who transfer and graduate at another school — in 2008. His league was one of the most heavily penalized Wednesday, and yet in the first GSR report released late last year, the MAC and the ACC were the only football leagues whose public-school teams all graduated at least 50 percent of their players.

“We’re supportive of the APR as a tool, but it’s still just a snapshot in time,” said Chryst. “Publicly, the dominant measure should be graduation.”

After all, isn’t poor graduation numbers what spurred this whole academic reform movement in the first place? It’s hard to remember much uproar about Temple football players flunking out last year. Cincinnati basketball’s poor graduation rate under Bob Huggins, on the other hand, became a national symbol for big-time athletics gone awry.

The cynic in me (the majority of “me”) sees most of the APR and the GSR stuff as just the latest variation for schools and the NCAA to provide cover from claims that when it comes to big time college sports: winning comes first and cash is a close second.

Unofficial Recruiting Days

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 1:08 pm

The Scout.com 2006 All-American Combine will be in Pittsburgh tomorrow. Can’t help but wonder/hope that at least some of the players might come in today, and catch the basketball game tonight.

Approximately 225 players will attend the Scout.com All-American Combine at the University of Pittsburgh‘s Southside Practice Facility. The event will feature a number of highly touted prospects from the classes of 2007 and 2008. The combine will be attended by players from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, among others.

Athletes will be tested in the 40-yard dash, 3-cone, shuttle, vertical, and the standing broad jump. They will then break into groups where they will be under the tutelage of an elite group of local coaches including West Allegheny head coach Bob Palko, Thomas Jefferson head coach and former Pitt Panther Bill Cherpak, Gateway head coach and former Penn State Nittany Lion Terry Smith and Johnstown offensive coordinator Brian Wright. The grand finale will be an hour of one-on-one testing where the proverbial men are separated from the boys. Here’s a look at some of the prospects who are expected to be on hand Saturday.

Many of them attended last weekend’s Pitt Junior Day, so this will be their second weekend in a row at Pitt.

Seton Hall-Pitt: More Stuff

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 12:15 pm

The Seton Hall blogger thinks that the way to beat Pitt is to follow the St. John’s game blueprint (that is apparently the only Pitt game he saw them lose). Boy I hope they do. Base your gameplan on one of the worst games the team played against a team that peaked at the same time.

Seton Hall players, coming off of their own senior night know they will have something extra to face.

Seton Hall (17-10; 8-7), currently in seventh place in the Big East, would finish the regular season above .500 in the conference with a victory. The Panthers (21-5, 10-5), undefeated in 16 home games this season, certainly won’t make it easy on their Senior Night at the Petersen Events Center.

“We have to understand and put ourselves in their shoes to know how emotional, how intense and how fired up they’re going to be,” said Pirates forward Kelly Whitney, coming off an 18-point, 11-rebound performance against Cincinnati. “We have to understand how big of a game it is because everyone on their team wants to win for their seniors.”

“You know what you’re getting from them,” coach Louis Orr said. “Their team revolves around defense, rebounding and team play. They’re going to be physical. There are no gimmicks with them. They’re not going to have any tricks.”

Pittsburgh, which won its first 15 games, is outscoring opponents by nearly 11 points per game and ranks third in the Big East in rebounding.

“Pittsburgh’s a physical team,” Copeland said. “They haven’t lost at home. We really have to bring our hard hats. By no means is it going to be easy.”

Seton Hall is 12th in the Big East (only stats) in rebounding.

Interesting that the last time Pitt lost the regular season finale, was in 1998 — to Seton Hall.

Seth Davis at SI.com thinks Louis Orr is really classy, and therefore should tell Seton Hall to shove it. Later in the article he compliments Sam Young.

Seton Hall-Pitt: Krauser Night

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 8:55 am

Let’s face it, it may be senior night and others are to be included in the honoring ceremonies, but this night is all about Carl Krauser’s time at Pitt coming to an end.

Krauser has been a polarizing figure for a lot of Pitt fans, and as this Joe Starkey column puts it,

Krauser-bashing has practically become an art form on talk radio.

It has been since he took over as the point guard at Pitt in the 2003-04 season. Mark Madden has long been happy to lead the charge. I have to admit, not caring about Madden regarding basketball. He only talks basketball when he absolutely has to. He’s not a fan of the sport and that’s fine, but it also means he isn’t particularly knowledgeable or interesting. Back to the Starkey column.

It’s amazing that this city has such a hard time with Krauser. You’d think it would revere an athlete who doesn’t so much play basketball as bleed it.

And he wins all the time. His home record is 64-5.

Krauser’s the only player in Pitt history to surpass 1,500 points and 500 assists in a career and needs just nine rebounds to hit the 500-mark in that category.

But, alas, he plays too much “street ball.” He’s “too fancy.” He’s only worried about the NBA.

Krauser doesn’t apologize for incorporating “street ball” into his game. How could he not incorporate some? He grew up fighting his way through the Bronxdale housing projects on Rosedale Ave. in the Bronx, N.Y., and you can find his latest tattoo – “City of Guards” – plastered to his shooting wrist.

“For the fans who think I’m a street-ball player, it’s OK with me, because I’m out here getting wins,” Krauser says. “I’m showin’ it, and I’m successful with my street ball.”

Some will be incensed merely having read those quotes.

Actually, though, there is no chance the Oakland Zoo will show Krauser anything but love tonight. Those fans have always enjoyed a special synergy with him.

I expect Krauser to have a great game. After the only other game this season where he was absolutely horrible (St. John’s) he responded by leading Pitt to a surprisingly easy win over Syracuse.

Krauser has always been proud of where he came from, but still shows some mixed responses when he realizes he has made it this far.

“I thought I was one of them strong kids that could make it out of the Bronx and go to a university,” Krauser said.

Today, he’ll be honored for his play, his commitment and his dedication to the Pitt men’s basketball team. But, more importantly, he’ll be honored for his enduring strength. Not only is he a star basketball player, he’s nearing a degree in legal studies.

He has indeed survived.

The No. 8 Panthers (21-5, 10-5) will meet Seton Hall (17-10, 8-7) for senior night at the Petersen Events Center (7:30 p.m., FSN Pittsburgh), which will be Krauser’s 55th and final game at home.

“I never thought I’d make it to this point,” Krauser said, “not with all that bad activity going on. When you come from a place I come from, you take advantage of every opportunity you have.”

Krauser while reflective of what has happened and appreciative is still aware of the game itself, and why Seton Hall will be playing with a fair sense of desperation.

“We have the pin for the bubble,” Krauser said. “We’re not going to let these guys come in here and ruin a Senior Night. You work too hard to lose on Senior Night.”

With that, Krauser launched into more monologue, covering a wide-range of subjects, including practices, teammates and playing basketball “the right way.”

“I don’t know if everybody else understands how much I appreciate being here,” he said. “When you come from a place where I come from and you don’t have too much opportunity out there, you take advantage of every opportunity you have at a place like this. It’s like paradise.”

I hope Seton Hall gets into the NCAA, but let them earn it with a couple wins at the Big East Tournament.

By the time Pitt and Krauser finish this season, he will have a singular record in Pitt history:

Krauser will finish his career among the top 10 in school history in assists, steals and more than likely points. Pitt has at least three games remaining, and Krauser needs 31 points to surpass Vonteego Cummings for 10th place on the all-time scoring list. With nine more rebounds, he will become the first player in school history to score 1,500 points, hand out 500 assists and grab 500 rebounds, a testament to his versatility.

What Krauser wants people to remember about him, though, is the attitude and way he played.

“I really want people to say Carl Krauser was a guy who really gave it all he had on the court,” Krauser said.

“I want people to say he was a guy who stuck up for his teammates and played the game to win and appreciated the game. I wanted to play for my teammates, the fans and anyone who enjoyed Pitt basketball. I just hope everyone out there appreciated how I play the game and how much I love the game.”

“I can’t believe it’s my last game,” Krauser said. “Once they call my name and I walk out with my family members, it’s going to be real emotional. I’m not going to cry, but I’m going to be happy to have made it this far.”

Wish I could be there.

Seton Hall-Pitt: Senior Night

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 7:47 am

Pitt is favored by 11.5, which seems a bit high. I guess no one really likes betting on the Pirates. For most of the country, this is an ESPN Full Court game. The game will be shown on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, of course, and in the NY/NJ area on the YES Network.

Game Notes for Pitt and Seton Hall (PDF).

If you are attending the game, Pitt is asking that you get there by 7:10 for the pre-game honorings. Senior Night is actually sponsored by the US Army. I’m amused and oddly happy by this, since it indicates Pitt is now getting to the point where individual nights can draw sponsorhips.

Friday’s contest marks the final home game for four Panthers: seniors Carl Krauser and John DeGroat and redshirt juniors Marcus Bowman and Charles Small, who will both graduate in April. The foursome, along with team managers Byron Allis and Lee Baierl, will be honored in a pregame ceremony.

There’s no assurances Bowman and Small will make it into this game, so it could be the last chance to give them the love.

John DeGroat will assuredly get some polite applause, and the start. That will be it, though. In his Q&A, Ray Fittipaldo echoes my assessment that Dixon just cannot put DeGroat in the starting line-up in the tournaments.

Q: This has to be the last straw for John DeGroat, right? Two possessions, two turnovers, all in 1:21 to start the West Virginia game. Hey, at least it wasn’t traveling. Coach Jamie Dixon should have adjusted this sooner because he’s going to have to make a change in the postseason. He got caught being a good guy by starting his senior rather than putting the right five guys on the court. This has not been one of Dixon’s swifter moves.

Fittipaldo: Dixon would be the devil reincarnated if he didn’t start DeGroat on senior night after he started the kid for the first 26 games of the season, Jeff. But I would not be surprised at all if Dixon made a change starting at the Big East tournament. It’s a deteriorating situation. I was sitting next to the Pitt bench at Marquette and the other players were laughing when DeGroat got called for traveling at the beginning of that game. It was as if they all placed bets on when his first turnover would occur. Here’s how far Dixon is going to protect DeGroat: Pitt was supposed to make its seniors — Carl Krauser and DeGroat — available to the media Wednesday in the days before the Seton Hall game, so reporters could ask them questions. Krauser showed up, but DeGroat was nowhere to be found. In a way, I don’t blame Dixon for not allowing DeGroat to be made available, or for DeGroat declining to participate. It would have put DeGroat in a bad situation. I maintain that DeGroat could be a valuable player for four or six minutes a game. He hustles and can get some rebounds, but he has failed to grasp that he should not, under any circumstance, attempt to make a move to the basket.

An interesting answer in support of Pitt doing well in Tournament games because of the neutral court, despite Pitt’s losses all on the road. I guess, arguably it’s the glass half-full/half-empty argument. Maybe.

Seton Hall is led by two Seniors. Guard Dave Copeland and Forward Kelly Whitney. The last time Pitt lost a home game to Seton Hall was in January 2000. Over the last 4 games against the Pirates, Pitt is only 2-2. Swapping wins and losses, winning at home last year.

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