Chas handled all of the media views and opinions but here are a few more after yesterday’s loss.

I’ll start by asking a question open to anyone and everyone; does Aaron Gray have blocks of cement for hands? He has the hardest time grasping the ball firmly and pulling it in. Generally he tries to tip it up to himself or just has it bounce right off and go to a defender or out of bounds.

And then there’s the unlucky aspect to yesterday, quoting commenter JLA in the game open thread.

What drives me nuts is watching a team bury deep threes OFF THE BACKBOARD. Banked 3-pt shots are a sign of bad luck for Pitt.

Was anyone able to hear what Dixon said to warrant the technical foul? Perhaps someone was there and sits somewhere relatively close to the Pitt bench? Usually Jamie is able to keep his cool under the most frustrating situations at times when I would have taken a chair from the scorer’s table and assaulted the ref.

It also seems there might have been some sort of problems down in the Zoo according to the Oakland Zoo Blog.

To everybody who threw their towels on the court you realize in basketball they give out technical fouls for s*** like that. Thats two free points to the other team. I was pissed too but I don’t want us to give up two points for it. Say whatever you want I’m not going to be the one who gives you crap for that but when the Zoo is putting us in danger of losing points on the court it has to stop. It stopped for the most part in the second half but it shouldn’t happen at all.

The headlines after the game were stupid, as pointed out over at Cracked Sidewalks. For example, ESPN went with “Marquette blows big lead but stuns No. 6 Pitt in OT.” Yeah, losing to a team ranked 24th in one poll and 29th in another and with a top 30 RPI is a complete stunner. So if we were to lose to South Florida then what it that called? A “suicide inducer”?

As Chas stated earlier, Levance Fields played well below where he should have been yesterday. Add Mike Cook to that list, mainly for the fact that he’s our best guy driving to the hoop but he looked reluctant to do it yesterday.

Since I am not able to read Ronald Ramon’s mind (at least not yet) I believe he was on his way up to shoot a three pointer and therefore should have been awarded three foul shots instead of the two on the double bonus. I doubt he was going to try to pass it with that little time left on the clock and we could have won right there in regulation if he hit three FT’s.

After all of that, being down for so long then finally forcing overtime, we had a one point lead and the ball with 20 seconds left in the OT. On top of all that, we were coming out of a timeout with something drawn up, but as Dixon claims, “It just didn’t go the way we wanted it to.”

Lastly, it would be impossible to not say “great job” to both Ramon and James for their clutch foul shots.

For Marquette this was another road win. Their third and their biggest in the Big East this season. They may be one game back of Pitt in the wins-and-losses within the conference, but they only have 4 road games left while Pitt has 6. The Golden Eagles are feeling good about things after their shaky conference start. With 3 of their next 4 at home and the only road game to USF, they have an excellent chance to be 8-2 going into their game against Georgetown.

Pitt has to be frustrated despite a 2-1 homestand that saw them beat Georgetown and UConn. Despite poor 3-point shooting, turnovers and so many other things they did wrong, Pitt made a comeback.

Aaron Gray, playing with a sore right wrist, had 16 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes. But the Big East preseason player of the year went 2 for 8 from the free-throw line, the most costly a pair of misses with Pitt leading, 72-71, and 2:20 to play in overtime.

Antonio Graves had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, but he went 1 for 7 from 3-point range. Mike Cook scored 11 points, but he had four turnovers and fouled out with 1:52 to play.

Kendall had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists, but he shot 3 of 8 from the field and turned the ball over with 25 seconds left in overtime.

Sophomore point guard Levance Fields had two points and four assists, fouling out with 12.9 seconds to play in regulation.

To some the script was all wrong for the game, at least in the OT. The coverage of the game from Aaron Gray’s hometown paper was quite Gray-centric, and makes for some bemused reading (Minor annoying factual error/gaffe. Pitt outrebounded Marquette 39-29. The article says, “The smaller Golden Eagles also outrebounded Pitt, 28-26.” That would be a comparison of the fouls called on each side)
In what can only be considered some frustration with the way the game went and not wanting to answer questions about the wrist, Aaron Gray didn’t comment to the press. I do think Marquette overestimates their impact on Pitt by doubling down on Gray for most of the game.

“We did a great job of taking away the easy pass,” Marquette guard Jerel McNeal said. “In the second half, we really took him out of the game, and it threw their offense for a loop.”

I credit their defense for the way they covered the perimeter and contesting the 3s, that was really what made a bigger difference. A large bit of the problems passing to the fact that Levance Fields suffered some serious foul problems to play only 27 minutes in regulation and none of the OT. When the starting PG struggles, to even be in the game it stands to reason that passing the ball — especially getting it inside — is going to suffer.

Gray’s disappearance during the game and afterwards was noted by Gene Collier.

“We tried to get the ball down to him, but they were kind of double-teaming him,” said Ramon, whose clutch free throws finally pulled Pitt even with 3.5 seconds left in regulation, ending a quest through which Marquette held the lead for more than 33 minutes. “The fact is, we weren’t getting open ourselves.”

Ramon rallied this team repeatedly with his 3-pointers, going 4 for 6 (he has converted eight in his past 10 attempts). Everybody else shot 1 for 12 from long range. With Levon Kendall shooting 3 for 8 from the floor and committing the final and most lethal of Pitt’s 18 turnovers, the Panthers had no inside game to go to.

“You can’t give them a steady diet of anything defensively because they’re too good at figuring it out,” Crean said of Marquette’s approach. “Plus, Gray is such a good passer. He’ll find the cutters, and he and Kendall — there can’t be two inside players many places who work so well together. Gray rebounds his misses so well — he did that to us six times in one game last year.

“It was really important that we focus on him.”

Yes, there’s a feeling Gray will be getting his share of the focus the next two months. How he handles it will be fairly crucial.

Collier also wrote a piece the day of the game about the team shooting with confidence outside of Ronald Ramon.

There’s no question that Dixon’s patterned multi-set offense is generating enough quality opportunities — it’s generally evident from that 17-2 record and the No. 6 national ranking. I’m just wondering what Pitt will do when it’s down by nine with 90 seconds left. It will have to have Ramon in the game. It will have to have Antonio Graves in the game. Probably Cook as well.

“I’m confident we can win that game,” Cook said. “I think this team can create a lot of good shots. I have tremendous confidence in our shooters, and I think our big guys can step out and hit a big shot too.

“It’s only January. There’s a lot of things we can work on, a lot of things we can get better at.”

It may not have been 90 seconds, but down 9 with 4 minutes left in the game Pitt went on a 13-4 run to tie the game. Cook, Ramon and Graves were the guys that scored the points for Pitt. The loss definitely overshadowed another excellent game from Ronald Ramon who played a very good game. Not just for making shots, but really doing a great job with the perimeter defense in the second half.
There were a lot of fouls called in this game, and 67 total free throws attempted. Pitt attempted more, but made less. Unlike in the UConn game where Pitt hit FTs at a 70% clip and UConn struggled.

Sitting on the newly assembled couch some Bell’s Hopslam Ale (it’s a double IPA with 9.5% ABV) in hand, ready for this one. Should be a very good, very close game. I expect Gray to be forced outside a lot on defense, so it will be up to the forwards to help on rebounding.

Can’t believe a second straight week of Pitt’s game going opposite an NFC playoff game.

3:13: Pitt leading 10-9 13:33 to the half. Gray looks very aggressive on the offensive side and is 4-4. Only a couple double teams so far. As expected, Marquette is trying to bring Gray as far out on the perimeter on defense as possible.

Forward Hayward already on the bench with 2 fouls, meaning the ineffectual Fitzgerald in. Some early flops from Marquette against Cook one worked the other didn’t.

3:24: Now down 15-10 and Marquette is looking very sharp. They are pestering Pitt’s offense now that they seem to have some confidence going right at the hoop. Pitt seems a little stunned to be put back on their heels.

3:30: Pitt now down 24-17 with 7:39 left, but Ramon heading to the line. I’ve seen and read their struggles shooting the 3. So naturally they are burying some really deep ones right now. Sigh. Pitt’s shifting to the 2-3 zone to keep them from penetrating was correct. It’s just that with those deep 3s, it’s hard to stop.

3:40: Well the crowd is fired up by some very questionable calls going against Pitt. The tech on Dixon and an offensive foul on Gray for backing down Barro were both stunners to even the CBS play-calling crew. Usually on coaches techs, the play-callers are talking about how a coach needs to chill. Apparently these refs have a short fuse. I’m still confused about the offensive foul call against Gray. Frustrating, as Fields then (legitimately) picked up his 3d foul.

Mike Cook has been very sloppy with the ball. 3:55 29-23 Marquette.

3:48: Pitt down 32-27 with 55.2 seconds left. Graves and Ramon are doing a very good job. Starting to get some calls on the inside as Marquette keeps shoving in the back. No, I’m not frustrated.

3:51: Halftime. Marquette leads 32-27. I am not ready to be overly concerned yet. Marquette has done what I expected. Just that their 3s have been falling 5-11 (technically 5-12, but the last one was an attempt before the buzzer) and a 5-6 FT shooting for a team that shoots about as well as Pitt. Dominic James has been the story with 14 points on 5-9 shooting (4-6 on 3s).

Kendall has 4 assists along with 3 rebounds and 5 points. Gray hasn’t had many more opportunities as the Golden Eagles have been double and triple teaming him.

The second half, Pitt needs to bury a couple 3s (only 2-7) and do better with the ball. If you are wondering about Sam Young, well when he was out there briefly, all he did was keep the ball and turn it over because he never even pretended that he was passing. I’m guessing Dixon wasn’t going to let him do that. Aside from Fields (3 fouls) the starters are going to play a lot in this tight of a game.

4:14: Pitt down 40-35, 15:33 in the game. Gray heading to the line. This is just going to stay tight the whole way. Hayward and Matthews for Marquette have 3 fouls.

4:20: 44-37. Pitt not hitting free throws for this game. Oy. Benjamin’s ball handling against Marquette is not exactly inspiring for earning more minutes.

4:35: Pitt still down 50-45, 8:48. Just not able to finish closing the gap. Got to within 3, but then Marquette got another spurt. 4 fouls on Mathews.

4:38: Does CBS actually have instant replay? I’m just curious.

4:47: Pitt still down 54-51. Got it within 1, but again, couldn’t get the lead. Marquette is doing a great job at denying many good looks from outside.

4:53: WTF? Fitzgerald for Marquette draining 3s? This is a Bryan Butch nightmare repeat. A guy who has been a bitter disappointment finally comes up large when facing Pitt.

Fields has received a harsh lesson this week about where he really stands in the Big East with the top guards.

Graves has been good on defense, but only 1-7 shooting 3s. A credit to Marquette’s guards that they have the speed on defense to keep Pitt from getting good looks on the perimeter.

 5:31: Crap. Lost in OT. 77-74. Marquette suddenly shoots lights out from the FT line. Pitt shot like it usually does at the line. That’s it. Frustrated by the loss.

Gray was 2-8 from the line, to unfortunately be the big goat. When he doesn’t even come close to his season average of somewhere near 60% from the line, that kills. Especially with the misses in OT. I don’t know if it was the sore wrist or not, but that killed Pitt. Hate to say it about the guy when he had 16 points and 9 rebounds. The fact is, though, he only shot 50% and had 4 turnovers. It wasn’t a particularly strong game from him despite the hot start.

I think some of why Pitt didn’t get him the ball as much in the first half was that Fields was forced to sit with foul issues early. The point guard and guy who gets it inside to Gray — or at least starts things.
Pitt’s inside game suddenly looked weak when the guards from Marquette were keeping Pitt from getting good looks at 3s.

Some more stuff on the Golden Eagles who will be visiting our Zoo.

ESPN provides a little more info on the Golden Eagles.

Marquette is 3-1 against Top 25 teams this season, and used back-to-back victories over ranked squads last week to climb back into the poll. The Golden Eagles dropped out of the Top 25 after losing their first two conference games, but have since won three straight, including a 74-65 victory over Louisville on Monday.

Marquette allowed an average of 72.0 points on 46.1 percent shooting in its two conference losses, but is giving up 65.7 points on 37.3 percent shooting during its win streak. “The most important thing is we’re starting to get better, we’re starting to learn how to play.” coach Tom Crean said. “Our team is building confidence.”

Dominic James, averaging a team-high 16.5 points, scored 18 to lead four Golden Eagles in double figures on Monday. James had 32 points and 11 rebounds in two games against Pitt last season as a freshman.

Marquette, which joined the conference last season, has never won four straight Big East games.

Marquette has no problem with knocking off Top 25 teams and ranked or not, they’re a scary team. Jay Bilas says Marquette has almost looked like a new team in the past few weeks (Insider subs.).

Marquette has really refined its playing style the past two weeks. In its past few games, Tom Crean’s team has taken 10 fewer 3-point shots per game, has shot 10 more free throws per game and has made more 3-point shots. The Golden Eagles have moved the ball better, attacked in transition better and attacked off the dribble more efficiently. Ousmane Barro has been more active; Dan Fitzgerald has been more of a threat; and the Marquette guards have benefited from both improvements.

The defense has been up all year as well. Jerel McNeal could be a defensive surprise of sorts and could make a bunch of small but solid defensive plays that in the end will add up.

Meanwhile, Marquette remains one of the best and most active defensive teams. The Eagles average 51 deflections per game, and Jerel McNeal averages 12.5 of them. As a comparison, Dwyane Wade averaged 12.2 deflections.

The Warriors Gold Golden Eagles come for a visit. An article yesterday pointed out how much trouble Pitt has had against athletic guards like Marquette. Of course, earlier in the season, there was an article about how forwards capable of going inside or out (Boggans, Tucker) give Pitt trouble. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter the position, if a team has a top-flight talent at a position, generally he will give opposing teams trouble.

Having said that, yes Marquette has 3 excellent guards that will be another challenge for Pitt. Especially since it means better defense on the outside.

The three guards dominate the Golden Eagles’ statistics. They rank 1-2-3, in no particular order, in scoring, assists, steals, minutes played, field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made and free throws attempted. James leads the team in 3-pointers. McNeal and Matthews rank 2-3 in rebounding.

…

Marquette ranks first in the Big East in forced turnovers, and second in steals.

“We have to make them pay for pressure,” forward Mike Cook said. “If they want to pressure us, we have to make them pay. … Levance is really looking forward to the challenge and everyone on the perimeter is looking forward to the challenge.”

Dixon said the key to guarding James is to keep a defender in front of him, similar to the effort the Panthers used to hold DePaul’s Sammy Mejia to 10 points two weeks ago.

The big thing will not be the 3s, it will be preventing the penetration. Marquette has gotten hot as it stopped settling for the outside shot.

Four players have scored in double figures in victories over Connecticut, West Virginia and, most recently, Louisville as 24th-ranked MU (16-4 overall, 3-2 Big East Conference) has bounced back from a 0-2 start in league play largely by sharing the basketball and working for high-percentage shots.

“The more we can space the floor, the better off we’re going to be,” coach Tom Crean said after practice Friday. “It’s going to open up the way we play, whether it’s man or zone. Getting the ball spread so we can drive it will create drop-offs and great post-ups out of it, drive-and-kicks out of it. When you’re moving the ball like that, a lot of people are going to be recipients of it.”

Not surprisingly, the Golden Eagles’ sophomore trio of guards – Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews – have been front and center in the resurgence.

Should be a great game.

Sorry to go dead yesterday and to date. Had to drive to Pittsburgh to pick up a new futon couch at IKEA. I might get it assembled this weekend. The wife decided it was what she wanted, and I know better than to argue with a pregnant woman. That essentially wasted most of the day. Things just seemed to conspire to keep me away from the computer that evening. Let me clear a few things off the browser as I spend the entire day immersed in basketball (and beer).

The Seth Davis piece on talking to scouts was interesting.

On Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh senior center: “I know a lot of people don’t like him, but I do. People don’t give him credit for his skills. He’s not athletic, but he’s really big. He’s a legitimate five.”

On the Pittsburgh players outside of Gray: “I don’t see any definite pros there. Maybe Sam Young in a couple of years, maybe Tyrell Biggs. Maybe [Levance] Fields, though he has to address his body. I talked to a coach who played them, and he said they’re really good but they just don’t have that one perimeter guy that puts the fear of God into you.”

I see Gray a lot like Chris Kaman of the Clippers when he gets to the NBA. It’s true, though, there is no one guy.

Luke Winn moved Pitt to #8 in his power rankings. I don’t take Winn’s rankings personally. At least he’s trying to look at the rankings with at least an eye on statistics and not just traditional teams.

An article on Barry Rohrssen in his first season at Manhattan. I admit to not following the Jaspers too closely after they dropped some early games. Turns out they are challenging for the MAAC title in what was supposed to be a transition/rebuilding year. Lots of credit in the story to being from the Howland/Dixon/Pitt coaching tree.

The University of Pittsburgh has some more Big East titles to win and maybe some Final Fours to get to before it feels truly comfortable in the most elite class of college basketball. But, clearly, the 17-2 Panthers are getting there.

Along the way, they’ve made a name for a coach or two. Or perhaps, it’s time to say three.

…

Rohrssen worked under both of them. And while he’s at a different level, with different talent – the Jaspers obviously won’t soon be in the Top 10 with Howland’s Bruins (No. 3) and Dixon’s Panthers (No. 6) – the similarities are striking.

“If you look at the practices at UCLA, at Pitt and here, from Day One all the way to the last day of the season, everything is the same,” Rohrssen said. “The letter is the same, you just have to change the letterhead.”

Dixon isn’t surprised.

“He had such a firm grasp of what we were doing and we figured he’d stick to the things he knew best,” Dixon said of Rohrssen. “We talk, but there’s no advice being handed out. He knows the system, feels comfortable in it, and he’s turned it around there.”

Moon Township Guard Brian Walsh saw his stock soar at the basketball shoe camps this past summer.

St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli, West Virginia’s John Beilein and Pitt’s Jamie Dixon are just a few of the dozen or so coaches who have ventured to Moon High School with hopes of luring the three-star prospect. Brian has 15 scholarship offers, highlighted by full rides to Maryland, Pitt, St. Joseph’s, West Virginia, Xavier and Memphis.

So you can expect Mike Rice, Jr. to be at a lot more of his games as he has hit the ground running in recruiting for Pitt.

“My first year is going well because of the assistants and head coach, the previous 7 to 10 years, have been successful,” Rice said. “It’s easy to sell the University of Pittsburgh nowadays.”

Rice combines with assistant coach Orlando Antigua to give the Panthers another formidable recruiting tandem. They replaced Rohrssen and Joe Lombardi, who took head coaching jobs at Manhattan and Indiana (Pa.), respectively.

“We’ve always had good assistants,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “They’ve both done a very good job.”

National scouting services are taking notice. The first recruiting effort, the Class of 2007, is ranked among the top 20 in the nation. The early commitments for ’08 put Pitt tied for No. 5 among all recruiting classes.

On Thursday, Rice did something that no other coach — head or assistant — has accomplished in three decades at Pitt. He convinced a player from St. Anthony in Jersey City, N.J., to play for the Panthers. The 6-foot, 185-pound Woodall, considered one of the top junior point guards in the East, will be the first from the national prep power to commit to Pitt.

Let’s hope Pitt can end a very good homestand on and off the court with that final win on Sunday.

Looks like Aaron Gray might be feeling a little more pain and discomfort from than injury than he originally had and it could be a bit more serious than originally believed. Dixon played it cool though and he comes in to calm us all down.

Two X-rays and a magnetic resonance imaging did not show any structural damage to the wrist, and Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said he is hopeful that Gray will be able to practice today and play against Marquette.

“I would say he has more discomfort than pain,” Dixon said. “We’ll see how it goes [today]. He was able to play with it Tuesday, and he did pretty well. I don’t see that it is anything serious. But we’re going to see how it is [today] and go from there.”

The final decision is to be made later today or tomorrow.

If he were to sit this one out, Levon Kendall would move over to center and Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young would play more at power forward. We might find out the hard way that sometimes we don’t appreciate Gray’s presence until he’s out.

You know, I really do want to let the whole McCoy thing fade. I get the whole Penn State frustration and, “well if he doesn’t want to come here, we don’t want him” thing. Frankly I and many Pitt fans have been guilty of the same attitude. The character assassination disturbs me, but again, it happens way too often with everyone to think of it as unique to PSU fans. The one thing I think worth pointing out is that the RB position at PSU is not exactly loaded at the moment to believe that Penn State ever pulled the offer.

Unless redshirt freshmen Brent Carter and Evan Royster emerge as quality replacements for Tony Hunt, the coaching staff will have to choose between seniors Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw to carry the load for the offense.

If you think that running combination is going to strike fear in the hearts and minds of Big Ten defensive coordinators, you’ve swallowed way too much blue-and-white propaganda.

Joe Paterno, a master at manipulating his players through the media, continually praised Scott, who was redshirted, and Kinlaw, who played sparingly, during the latter part of the 2006 campaign. At his season wrapup press conference the morning after the Outback Bowl, the veteran coach said he has big expectations for both players next season.

His reasoning: Their performance in practice – Kinlaw as a backup to Hunt, and Scott as the demonstration team’s tailback.

Frankly, I’m not buying it.

Kinlaw, who’s ran for 326 yards on 80 carries in his collegiate career, has shown little at the position, certainly not enough to convince anyone that he can be a big yardage-producing, durable back.

The mercurial Scott, meantime, has been a colossal disappointment at Penn State. And, after his mysterious departure from the team during bowl week in Tampa, some insiders even question if the former Parkland star will be back next season.

Interesting. I suppose the PSU hope is to still get Broderick Green to renege on his USC verbal. You know, because that’s the kind of character that does fit.

Meanwhile, ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. took a look this week at recruiting in all the conferences. Capsules of each team in each conference. This one is from the Big East (Insider subs.).

Selling point: Lots of history, led by former NFL head coach Dave Wannstedt.

2007 class highlights: With the departure of starter Tyler Palko, the Panthers added a top-15 quarterback prospect in Pat Bostick (Lancaster, Pa. / Manheim Township). Pitt struggled to move the ball on the ground on offense, so several running back prospects will look to pick up the slack, led by , LeSean McCoy (Harrisburg, Pa./Milford Academy), one of the top running backs from the Class of ’06, who has reportedly committed, and Xavier Stinson (Hollywood, Fla. / Chaminade-Madonna). Also, don’t forget No. 6 fullback Henry Hynoski (Catawissa, Pa./Southern Columbia) to help open holes.

The offensive line has also been addressed, and Chris Jacobson (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks) is one of the more physical guards in this class.

Pittsburgh was one of the worst in the nation in defending the run in 2006, so DEs Myles Caragein (Pittsburgh/Keystone Oaks) and Tony Tucker (Washington, D.C./Saint Johns College) have been added. Pitt also went to the junior college ranks to try and get some immediate help by adding Tommie Duhart out of Coffeyville Community College. Safety Maurice Williams (Erie, Pa./Strong Vincent) gives Pittsburgh an excellent athlete in the secondary.

Could see on the field in 2007: Bostick, Williams, Jacobson, Stinson, Duhart.

Rutgers has had a great recruiting season. WVU has been solid and USF is likely to be full of sleeper talent. USF could be poised to do even better in the closing weeks as the way too early 2007 top-25 are including USF at #25. It can’t hurt their profile. Especially while FSU and Miami are still overhauling their coaching staffs.

Storrs, Connecticut. Named “America’s Best Place To Avoid Death Due To Natural Disaster.” Also the home to the UConn Huskies and professional whiner Jim Calhoun. I never thought Jim was one to give a pile of credit to another team and then this comes up.

“Pitt can get to Atlanta and I think you’ll see them there,” Calhoun said. “They’re the best team we’ve seen in the league.”

Why thanks, that was very nice of you. You sure you’re not just saying it to make the 19 year old kids who just lost to them feel a little better?

“[Aaron Gray] is a difference-maker. It’s great when you have an ‘out’ pitch,” Calhoun said, dropping in a baseball analogy. “And they have a great out pitch when he can score like that.”

An “out” pitch? I would suggest staying away from any more baseball terms. And he’s not the only one to throw some good words our way, especially the guards. Some fo our own guys get into the love fest which was joined today by Andy Katz and Seth Davis.

“If you focus on Gray it’s a mistake, because he’s surrounded by some great shooters and passers,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said.

“We have depth,” forward Mike Cook said. “Aaron Gray is great, but we have so many players on this team capable of scoring 20 points.”

“We have tremendous depth and a lot of guys who can score, but I think it’s our perimeter shooting that really sets this team apart,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “We’ve had other teams that were good at that, but none that were quite like this.”

And if you missed it before the game against Calhoun’s Huskies on Saturday, Aaron Gray had some of pain in his wrist after a dunk in pregame warm ups.

Gray said he was in some pain when he caught the ball Tuesday night, but after the game he said it hurt only “a little bit.”

There was no additional swelling or pain as of yesterday afternoon, Pitt officials said.

“I’m not too worried about it,” Gray said. “I was real happy with my play.”

At least Tony Allen has no room to laugh.

And finally, the team we’ll duel on Sunday, Marquette, is Ray Fittipaldo’s choice as the toughest team we’ll play the rest of the regular season.

pastorcarl: Who is Pitt’s toughest opponent the rest of the regular season

Ray Fittipaldo: That’s a good question. I’d say Marquette. The Golden Eagles won at UConn and have been playing well lately. That’s going to be a very tough game Sunday. Dominic James is one of the best point guards in the country. If Pitt had trouble protecting the ball against UConn, they’ll have similar problems against James and Co. After Marquette, I’d say West Virginia. The Mountaineers will be very tough to beat again.

James, who is only a sophomore, is one of those guys who we might have to end up labeling a “Pitt killer” if he can score on our guards and keep them from seeing open shots. I can be he’ll see his own open shots if we hand the ball over to him as much as we did to Connecticut.

Both Andy Katz at ESPN.com and Seth Davis for SI.com had little bullet point love notes to a different Pitt guard this week.

Is there a better 3-point threat off the bench then Pitt’s Ronald Ramon? His 3-point shooting has been key, with a trey to help beat Georgetown and then burying four more in the win over Connecticut.

and

The more Levance Fields tries to take over games the way Carl Krauser did, the closer Pitt will come to winning a national championship.

Add in Dick Weiss for the NY Daily News throwing the hometown love to both Fields and Ramon.

“We weren’t thinking about getting a point guard in that class because we had Carl (Krauser) and Ronald,” Dixon said. “As things went on, we went and saw him play, we realized you can never have too many point guards and we said, ‘This kid is too good.’ We felt Ronald could play (shooting guard) and Levance could play the (point), just like we’re doing right now.”

That really worked out well for Pitt, as Ramon is so much better along the perimeter looking for a shot, rather than trying to always bring the ball up court and distribute.

I’ve been trying to get to this, but it has fallen to the sidelines for an extra day. Pitt got its first verbal for 2008 (well, technically Terrelle Pryor gave a verbal at some point but…). Nasir Robinson from Chester, PA.

“His personality is parallel to Pitt’s program,” said Ray Carroll, who coached Robinson at American Christian High School last season and is Robinson’s mentor. “He’s a workhorse, a natural floor leader. He’s relentless just like a lot of Pitt players.”

Carroll said Pitt had been the front-runner for the past two years and that Robinson simply wanted to end the recruiting process early because he had come to a firm decision. He said Dixon has been to Chester to see Robinson more than most coaches and that was an important part of his decision.

He was also recruited to Pitt by Mike Rice, Jr. Looks like the Philly-area pipeline has also opened up a bit more.

Scout.com only places him as a 3-star. Rivals.com is much higher on him with 4-stars, and considers him the 8th best shooting guard nationally and 45th best overall recruit in the country.

Now, on to that “other” verbal that Chris Dokish alluded to. He’s a North New Jersey kid at St. Anthony’s coached by the New Jersey HS Coaching legend Bob Hurley — you might be interested in this book from Adrian Wojnarowski on Hurley and St. Anthony’s (yet another book I have sitting around that I haven’t gotten to reading). Travon Woodall.

The 6-foot, 186-pound junior combination guard from St. Anthony gave a verbal commitment to Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon, and will play in the Big East.

“I thought it was the perfect place for me,” Woodall said by phone. “It’s not too far from home. It’s not too close, where I can’t grow up as a man and be out on my own. Me and (assistant coach) Mike Rice have known each other for a long time. We have a good relationship.”

Woodall is averaging 10.9 points, 4.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds for undefeated St. Anthony, ranked No. 1 in the state in one poll and No. 4 nationally by USA Today. He was an All-Star last summer at Reebok Camp Next and 5-Star Camp, and also competed at the prestigious Reebok ABCD Camp.

“He’s a really good physical defender, which Pitt really likes,” St. Anthony head coach Bob Hurley said by phone. “He can score out of the point. He really needs to think more like a point guard. He’s played so much with (St. Anthony junior) Jio (Fontan) growing up that he would move to the wing and let Jio handle the ball. Travon is not as natural at the point. He’s got to get more comfortable with the ball.”

Woodall opted to declare as a junior because he was confident in his decision and wanted to get the complicated recruiting process out of the way.

“It takes a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Woodall said. “I don’t have to worry about any college coaches calling or text-messaging me. I don’t have to worry about any of that stuff anymore. I can worry about my schoolwork and not have any distractions in front of me.”

Woodall chose Pittsburgh over offers from Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Penn State, Iowa State and Florida State. He said Rutgers was his second choice.

I should note, that he’s either gained an inch and put on a lot of weight from the summer (which at least with the height is possible) or there is a bit of a discrepancy somewhere. Rivals.com and Scout.com list him at 5′ 11″ and between 165-170 pounds. Both sites list Woodall as a 3-star recruit.
Mike Rice, Jr. has been busy on the recruiting trail.

I said it last night at the end of the game, and I still feel this way: I’m not thrilled with the way Pitt played, but the fact that Pitt had a bad game and still notched the win makes me feel pretty good.

There were struggles for Pitt. Especially on the offense. Cook’s shot wasn’t falling, Gray was missing a lot of close looks, being bothered by the inside guys for UConn. Pitt wasn’t doing a good job on the boards — Gray excepted. Levance Fields struggled against tight physical defense on the perimeter. Fields couldn’t get a shot to go and it effected him even at the foul line (1-4). The other guards had major struggles getting open for looks.

Kendall got himself in early foul trouble, limiting his ability to help inside on rebounding and just to box out, as he spent a lot more time on the bench. The bench was disappointing as Biggs was physically outmatched, Young looked lost again (and I’m not prepared to say that it was the lack of playing time in this game, he just looked unsure of what he was doing) and even Benjamin was unable to provide the instant spark of offense that he usually brings.

And with all of those issues Pitt beat a young but talented UConn team.

Gray kept fighting on the boards as a solo act and in the second half went 4-4 shooting — responding to the situation with some aggression rather than hanging his head. I think he has played very well when facing another big man straight-up this year (Wisconsin the obvious exception). Clearly he hasn’t forgotten how Patrick O’Bryant of Bradley abused him.

Ronald Ramon was so clutch with his threes in the game. I know, there is some sentiment that he should have had more than 5 shots when he was that on, but the UConn defense was keeping rather tight on the guards and Fields was struggling to find the open perimeter. Not to mention a clear gameplan by Pitt to go inside a lot for this game.

Fields despite a bad game (probably his worst since the BE Championship game), still fought through things. While not getting a lot of assists (in part because of all the missed shots in the first half), was getting the ball inside effectively more often than not.

Cook realized after the first half of 0-4 shooting that he was not shooting well. Instead he changed his offensive approach and made the inside pass to notch 6 assists (4 coming in the second half) and take advantage of the fact that UConn was playing him on the assumption that he would shoot first. Pitt may not be having any luck with JUCOs the last few years panning out, but the team hit a homerun with Cook’s transfer.

The defense and control of the tempo was fantastic. Let’s face it, Pitt was not getting shots to fall in the first half. A lot of shots looked good and were just off. Instead of forcing it, the team made sure to keep the intensity going on defense. UConn’s guards were not a factor. The perimeter defense kept UConn from finding open looks (2-13 on 3s) and while Dyson got 11 points it came on 5-16 shooting.

Free throw shooting was UConn’s problem, not Pitt’s. The Panthers shot 70.8% (17-24), which I will take with Pitt almost any time.

So, yes, it is okay to agree with Smizik’s column today.

Can Pitt win like this all the time? No. Will they win many games playing like this on the road? Hardly. This is basketball, not football. There are going to be off-games and bad nights. Nights where the team just isn’t all there or has a less than A game. No team can bring the max effort every game (compare OK St. losing by 30+ last week to Kansas and it’s triple-OT effort against Texas — which the only reason I am bothered by that game is it totally eclipsed the Pitt-Ok St. 2OT game earlier  as one of the best of the year, and how do the Cowboys get to win both?). It isn’t the end of the world or the end of all championship hopes. Naturally there’s a lot to do if they want to accomplish the goals, but there would be regardless. This is only January. They know they still have to get better.
The very good thing about this was how much better Pitt played in the second half. They adjusted. The whole way, they never let UConn get control of the game or play the way the Huskies wanted. They ground it out. They did coast in the final couple minutes — and I bet they will pay in practice for that.

LeSean McCoy ended the non-suspense by officially declaring that he will be going to Pitt.

Daphne McCoy said her son had seriously considered attending Penn State but said a trip to State College, scheduled for last Thursday, was canceled.

The Pittsburgh trip was also scheduled, and Daphne McCoy said her husband insisted LeSean honor his intent to visit. Once there, Daphne McCoy said, LeSean quickly warmed to the possibility of a Pitt commitment.

“We had to postpone the trip to Penn State and I was going to go there this weekend, but now there’s no need to go,” LeSean McCoy said.

It’s been a rumor for some time that McCoy’s father was really in favor of LeSean going to Pitt — even last year. There have been some sour grapes of course, which is typical (I know I was less than pleased at the time when Morelli made his final switch). The grousing and unconfirmed reports regarding McCoy’s academic status and that PSU pulled his offer, actually was something McCoy had to address.

McCoy also disputed rumors that Penn State hadn’t offered a scholarship because he hasn’t qualified yet or that the Nittany Lions pulled their offer off the table.

“Of course they offered me,” McCoy said. “That’s crazy for people to say that. That’s nuts. Anybody who believes that, they’re nuts, too.”

Or bitter.

It provided a huge boost to what had still been a very good recruiting class.

He becomes one of the most prized prospects in Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt’s 2007 recruiting class, which is on the verge of another top-10 national ranking by scouting services.

“From a talent perspective, he’s a fantastic talent,” said Allen Wallace, Scout.com national recruiting editor and SuperPrep magazine publisher. “We’re talking about the kind of guy who was getting recruited by BCS bowl teams. This is the kind of player Pitt needed to improve its stature.

“They have to get guys LeSean McCoy if Dave Wannstedt wants to get to the next level.”

Scout.com now ranks Pitt’s class as #8 in the country. Rivals.com puts Pitt at #21. The always quirky Scouts, Inc./ESPN.com (Insider subs.) moves Pitt to #26 (behind Kentucky?).

So much to discuss and so little time. There’s recruiting in both football and basketball, game analysis and just some media matters on the game. I’ll start out easy – media matters. Especially since it gives me a chance to mention that I’ll be gone for most of the day tomorrow. In a sign of true strangeness, I’ll be on a panel discussion at the City Club in Cleveland talking about journalism and media criticism. The City Club usually has podcasts of these things up a few days later. A local station also airs (and streams) the things the next day. I still shake my head when I think that there are people that actually think I know what I’m doing.

Let’s start with Jim Calhoun. What can I say, I love prickly, acerbic, sarcastic coaches. They provide great quotes. Guys who over time can say anything and people look for the backhanded swipe, and in a press conference can merely arch an eyebrow and people look for the meaning. The Pittsburgh media isn’t used to it. They aren’t used to a guy who seems more critical of his own team at times than complimentary of the winning foe. Most never have and never will forget the “I don’t think they’re the most talented team in the league, but I do think they’re the best team in the league.” comment.

Last night, Calhoun again labeled Pitt the best team in the Big East but added he was sorry the Huskies only play Pitt once during the regular season.

“I wish we’d play them in February and have (7-foot-3 freshman center Hasheem Thabeet) healthy,” Calhoun said.

That left you wondering just how impressed Calhoun was with the performance of Pitt center Aaron Gray, who had 22 points, 19 rebounds and four blocked shots.

See to me, that’s as much about the confidence that Calhoun has in his own team to keep getting better and improve. I don’t take that as much of a slight. Come February, the team will be improved and much better. Plus, it seems Thabeet was never quite right the whole game.

Thabeet took an inadvertent elbow to the nose from Pitt’s Mike Cook while he was trying to grab a rebound just a minute-and-a-half after the opening tip. The freshman big man was stunned and had to be helped into the locker room but returned with 6:48 left in the first half.”That was the third hit he got,” said Calhoun, adding that Thabeet’s eyes wouldn’t stop watering. “I think the idea was to take it right to him. I don’t mean intentionally, but take it right at him and see if he can block shots.”

Jonathan Mandeldove filled in admirably for a time, but the Huskies clearly missed their shot-blocker.

“I got dazed. I couldn’t see. I lost my vision,” said Thabeet, who didn’t attempt a shot in 21 minutes of action. “Even when I came back, a couple times I lost my vision.”

You can always find the disrespect. Calhoun, to the Connecticut media was actually quite willing to praise Pitt.

Jim Calhoun isn’t shy to talk about how good he thinks Pittsburgh is.

The UConn men’s basketball coach seems to embrace this rivalry, which has grown into one of the Big East’s biggest in this decade. The close competition, combined with a commitment to both playing a physical style, has also led to similar interests on the recruiting trail.

He was frustrated more about the performance of his team.

“Every team that loses games finds a reason to be happy,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “I haven’t got one damn reason to be happy, to be honest with you. What should I be happy about?”

…

Asked what Thabeet might learn from a game like this, the coach offered, “Duck.”

It was fitting of a night that ended with Calhoun finding himself short on explanations or information worth holding onto. He was brief with the media, even briefer with his players and looked to be running low on tolerance.

“I’m not taking anything away,” Calhoun said. “I don’t want to find new ways to lose.”

In the rivalry thing, you could argue that Gray took a swipe at the present UConn players when asked about the UConn players that left.

Pitt center Aaron Gray was asked how it is not seeing those guys anymore.

“It’s kind of a relief,” he said. “They had so many good players go through and so many players that could do so many different things. Obviously, through the draft last year, you saw how good they really were.”

It wasn’t actually a swipe at the present UConn players — especially with their potential — but it could be construed that way. As if they don’t measure up to the talent before them.

4:30 Eastern tomorrow, Coach Jamie Dixon will be the interview on “Jim Rome is Burning” on ESPN. It’s expected that  he brings up UC-Santa Barbara in the final 30 seconds of the interview. Discussing Ben Howland should come about halfway through. The loss of his sister Maggie should be just after the Howland portion. That leaves maybe a minute to actually talk about the team.