All props to the Pitt Athletic Department for getting this info out right away. No time has yet been announced for the game, other than it being on Friday. I guess for me, the good news is that since it is Kent St., the game will definitely be shown locally.
The Pitt players all expressed surprise and disappointment over being a #5 seed. They also admitted they knew next to nothing about Kent State. Coach Dixon was diplomatic.
On where the team is seeded…
“A five seed is obviously a little bit of a surprise. Based on our RPI, I thought we might be closer to a three or a four seed. However, the committee can move you up and down based on location and based on other teams from your conference. With eight teams making it from the Big East, that probably had an effect.”
On whether the Big East tournament should play into the seeding…
“I think RPI is the committee’s primary tool. Even after our success in the tournament, our RPI didn’t change that much. Obviously it helped Syracuse out this year, but we got what we needed.”
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On whether he’d rather be a higher seed or play closer to home…“I think it’s different in every situation. It really all depends on which coaches you ask. It’s always a source for heated debates. It’s great for us to be in Michigan. Since playing at “home” in 2002, we’ve been sent around the country a lot, it’s nice that our fans are a driving distance away.”
On being in the same bracket as UCLA…
“It definitely caught my eye. I thought we might end up out west with Gonzaga, UCLA and some of the other teams. It’s nice because I’m very familiar with the coaches and the programs in our bracket.”
Assuming Pitt and Kansas win their first round games — big assumptions — the crowd should definitely be a little more Pitt partisan based on location. Another flaw in the system since the pod system was supposed to protect top-4 seeds from being exposed to likely partisan crowds. Last I checked, a Detroit suburb was a lot closer to Pittsburgh than Lawrance.
I have set up a free bracket group for those interested through ESPN.com. The group name to look for is “Pitt Sports Blather.”
