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March 9, 2006

Pitt-WVU: Open Thread, Third Time

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 7:08 pm

Comment about Rutgers-‘Nova then carry right into Pitt-WVU.

HALFTIME UPDATE: Pitt losing 31-24.

Lucky in a way to be down only that amount. Decent defense, but offense has been horrible. Trying to get the ball inside but Gray started 0-6 before getting something going.

Kendall being out with lower back spasms is a big loss for this game. Actually being forced to play DeGroat in some spots.

On the perimeter, only Krauser looks like he knows what to do against the 1-3-1. Fields, Ramon and Graves hold the ball too long and let the pressure isolate them.

Pitt can’t gamble on defense. They have to adhere to the strict man-to-man if they want to have a shot in the second half.

On offense, Ramon needs to shake free for some looks. They need to hit some 3s to start extending the defense and opening things up some more. Gray is having enough trouble without the entire defense collapsing inside.

FINAL UPDATE: Pitt wins 68-57!!!

I don’t go blue very often but…

FUCK, YEAH!!!!

This was something special for Pitt.

Pitt played a tremendous game in the second half. Overcoming not having Kendall and some of the worst officiating I’ve ever seen. I mean, I try to leave the officials alone, but this crew was something wretched.

That’s neither here nor there. Pitt beat the Hoopies. The whole team stepped it up in the second half. They took advantage of Gansey not being in the line-up with his abdominal (or was it menstral?) issues.

I’m hyped and stoked. The semis of the Big East are total old school. Georgetown and ‘Cuse. Villanova and Pitt. 3 originals and the 1st of the expansions.

Gut Predictions

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 11:22 am

2-2 yesterday. I can go 1-3 as long as I get the Pitt game right.

UConn buries Syracuse. Georgetown over Marquette. Villanova runs over Rutgers. Pitt gets past WVU.

What Does It Mean?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 11:16 am

For an opposite, but just as befuddled view on the game, what do they have to say in Louisville?

At the end, you were just confused.

It was the most awkward game of extremes that didn’t end with a successful comeback. The University of Louisville men’s basketball team suffered through a start so bad that the Madison Square Garden crowd mocked the Cardinals after they scored their first points. Of course, the simple feat took them eight minutes and 45 seconds. By then, the deficit was 16-2. Later, it ballooned to 33-5.

Then, down 27 points with 16:21 remaining, Louisville made a rally that had most of the lingering crowd standing during the closing minutes. Has a 61-56 game ever been stuffed with so much mayhem?

What to think? Louisville looked like the worst team in Division I and then turned into inspiring non-quitters all in the same game. It left you not knowing what to think about them.

Sadly, that will be their legacy.

I mean, really. We Pitt fans are alternatingly: inspired, hopeful, excited, nervous, dreading, bitter, angry, and so on regarding this team. But at least Pitt won. At least Pitt is going to the NCAA. Pitt raised the expectations in the season before bringing them down again. Louisville never met expectations. All they did was show brief flashes.

Consider the high point, apparently, for them was playing UConn tough. For Pitt, I can think of several and they are all wins: beating the living snot out of Auburn and PSU; New Years Eve over Wisconsin; beating Louisville in Louisville; beating WVU; and others.

In this game, Louisville did show heart, I’ll give them that.

Pitino said the comeback might have been born of humiliation.

“I think we were highly embarrassed about our play,” he said. “We had one rebound from the whole starting unit. Guys were embarrassed at halftime and tried the best we could to come back and win it. And I thought we took care of the basketball better in the second half and actually could have won the basketball game.”

A lot of other teams, not only would have folded, but you have to believe someone might have lost his cool and done something extreme. They never did anything like that, so you have to give props to Louisville and Pitino for that.

You know, the way Cinci struggled at times, now Louisville going down. Marquette’s the last C-USA team. You have to wonder if the players are a little awed by the step up in class to the Big East.

In the Big East Conference Tournament for the first time, U of L and its fans moved into prime time last night in Madison Square Garden. Every game is on ESPN or ESPN2, but that’s just the start of the differences.

Gone are the nearly empty afternoon sessions that generally featured blowout games. Yesterday’s first session here was a sellout, and the actual attendance was around 14,000.

Cincinnati dominated the C-USA Tournament since its inception. Despite the early exit here, coach Andy Kennedy said the Bearcats definitely got a taste of the big-time nature of the Big East tourney.

“You’re in Madison Square Garden, playing Syracuse on national TV at noon and you’ve got nearly a full house,” he said. “This is what it’s all about. It may be the best tournament in the country this year. Think about it. Villanova is seeded lower at its conference tournament than it might be in the NCAA Tournament.”

Players could tell the difference from Tuesday’s pretourney banquet. The 90-minute event featured a video of past Big East championship games during dinner, and it was topped off by a plaque presentation to every senior on every team.

“They really did a nice job on the plaques,” U of L sports information director Kenny Klein said. “They ask you for pictures, and then they do a really good job with the graphics and engraving. You can tell that a lot of work goes into it. It’s a first-class thing.”

When you are bubbly over nice engraving on plaques, well…

You know, between the sheer schizo-ness and lateness of the game, everyone seems to be struggling with an effective recap. Do you focus on the positives or negatives? How do you strike a balance?

It was, in a word, surreal.

Pitt 16, Louisville 0.

Pitt 22, Louisville 2.

Pitt 33, Louisville 5.

Finally, the Panthers went ahead by four touchdowns (35-7) before falling asleep in the second half of what eventually became a 61-56 victory Wednesday night in a Big East first-round game at Madison Square Garden.

It kind of resembled Pitt’s season: great for a while, then real shaky.

Still, it was a quality win, even if Louisville played without 6-foot-11 center David Padgett. This was the same Louisville team that beat Marquette a week ago and played to the end with UConn before losing, 84-80.

Beating Rick Pitino in a pressurized situation is always a quality win, but if the Panthers had blown a lead of such proportions — and, oh, how they tried — it would have gone down as one their worst losses.

I have to admit, I was surprised that Benjamin was given the start. Not shocked that DeGroat didn’t, but I figured Pitt would go with Sam Young. Benjamin rewarded the Pitt with strong play, and his best defensive effort. He missed his 3 shots, but played solid. I think they did miss one or two opportunities to give him some better looks — reward him for playing good defense and not chucking shots.

Who’s Fault

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 9:54 am

I’m having a hard time getting too worked up over this, now that I got some sleep. I stressed quite a bit at the time, but I expected Louisville to pull within single digits at some point in the second half. Admittedly, I didn’t think they’d get to within 3, but there you go. I mean, looking at the final score isn’t far from what you would have expected before the game.

Louisville not only played a lot better in the second half, they were perfect from the line — 11-11 in the half and 14-15 overall. A team that averages .696 for the year shot .933 in this game. That helped a lot.

It also seemed very clear that the refs were not going to call anything but egregious and obvious fouls against Louisville a few minutes into the second half. A blowout has an effect on a lot people in different ways. Pitt was whisteled for 2 charges in the first 15 minutes of the second half. There were 6 fouls called against each team in that period. Then there were 2 questionable (I thought) foul calls against Graves on Dean. Things they let go, that they suddenly called.

Ultimately, I blame the usual person for this sort of thing. Shawn.

Pitt was cruising in the second half, when Shawn called me with around 14 minutes left in the game. Then Louisville began their comeback in earnest. I don’t know how he did it, I just know who was responsible.

The Big East Tournament doesn’t seem to be providing any individual splits online. Just the overall splits in shooting. Kind of annoying because that might help a little more in understanding some of this. My notes are a little sketchy, but Pitt shot only 1-16 on free throws in the final 2:24 — when Louisville had pulled to within 9.

Pitt won despite a bad game from Gray. Especially late, he just did not want to finish. He wanted to hook and fade on his shots — avoid contact and a foul. I don’t think he’s soft. He’s just got it in his head that he fears going to the line. That Marquette loss and those missed free throws really seems to have messed with his head. The Seton Hall game reinforced it. That mental part is going to be the hardest thing for him to overcome.

Coaching Stuff

Filed under: Uncategorized — Chas @ 7:32 am

Starting with the sidebar stuff. Apparently there were reports that Pitt was already negotiating an extension with Coach Jamie Dixon. AD Jeff Long, via a spokesman, denied that. Saying nothing would happen until after the tournaments. Rather traditional stuff.

Arizona State flopped out of the PAC-10 Tournament last night (blowing a 15 point lead), and their coach expects to be fired.

An official decision on Evans is expected within days. Meanwhile, the search for his successor will come out from behind closed doors and back rooms.

According to sources within ASU’s athletic department, Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon is the Sun Devils’ leading candidate. Dixon has declined comment because Pitt will play in the NCAA Tournament.

Former ASU All-American Lionel Hollins, a Memphis Grizzlies assistant, also is high on ASU’s list. Hollins has told ASU boosters he would be interested if the job opened up.

Hollins plans to be in Los Angeles on Saturday for a luncheon honoring him as ASU’s newest inductee into the Pac-10’s Hall of Honor.

But hold everything. There are now rumors that Lon Kruger, UNLV’s head coach, might be a top candidate. That would set up the perfect, almost too good to bother verifying coaching domino.

Former University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins, rumored last week to be taking over at South Florida, is now being linked to the head coach’s job at Nevada-Las Vegas.

Sports reporter Ron Kantowski wrote in a column for today’s Las Vegas Sun that one scenario being floated in the gambling mecca has UNLV coach Lon Kruger leaving – possibly for Arizona State, to replace Rob Evans – and Huggins filling Kruger’s spot on the Rebels’ bench. Such a move would require a $1.5 million buyout of Kruger’s contract, Kantowski wrote.

Huggins could not be reached for comment. Kantowski wrote that he was seen on a flight from Las Vegas to Cincinnati Wednesday.

The column isn’t online at this time.

I mean, how perfect would that be for Huggins to be head coach at UNLV. Does it make any better sense?

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