Personally, I’m not operating under any illusions that the loss to Pitt played any part in Rich Rodriguez’s decision to bolt WVU for Michigan. That’s just a little too much hubris that frankly, Pitt and we fans haven’t earned. To consider the guy who coached the Mountaineers to the upset over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl when held in Atlanta as some sort of choker is just silly. If you want to claim that he’s reached the point where he thinks he can’t go any further and seeks a higher level, I buy that. He nearly bolted last season for ‘Bama, but stayed for less money but key improvements in facilities and assistants pay. Arguing that if he had beaten Pitt, and was playing for the national championship and would have ignored Michigan’s entreaties is something I doubt. He was perfectly willing to go behind his own AD’s back with Michigan not seeking the cursory permission to speak.
I don’t like WVU or whining Rodriguez. I do respect, however, from a pure football standpoint what he has accomplished. His approach on offense and schemes he has developed has been one of the significant changes/innovations to college football in the past 20 years.

I also can’t help but feel a little pity for WVU. To lose the coaches who brought back their basketball and football programs in the same year to the same school is just beyond belief. That has to come back on the Wolverines at some point.

That said, he’s arguably as bad or worse than the duplicitous Bobby Petrino. Rodriguez was happy to use back-channels to let Michigan know he was interested and helped/aided in avoiding even the courtesy of having Michigan seek permission to talk to him. Add in that Rodriguez was a WV native and WVU alum and how much more does it hurt, even with his past flirtations.

It should also be a reminder/wake-up for Pitt and Pitt fans — and almost any other school and their fanbase — that hiring a “Pitt guy” means nothing. Absolutely nothing with coaching loyalty. If there is a better opportunity, more money or any other reason/excuse a coach will at a minimum listen and use it as leverage for more money.

That Coach Wannstedt hasn’t been approached in his time at Pitt is not a reflection of his loyalty but his win-loss record to this point. In the past Miami and Nebraska have both at least talked to him about their programs before he came back to Pitt.

I’m not trying to be negative, but I do think the coaching carousel deserves hard, cold cynicism. It’s why, when there is a change in coaching or the athletic department, nothing pisses me off more than hearing about the need for some “Pitt guy” or someone who understands the area or a local connection. The most important thing is to find the best coach for the job and who will do the best job. Period.

The refs from yesterday’s game were calling everything in the first half. In the second half, they let up. 34 fouls called in the game. There was a sequence of flops by OK State and then Pitt that were both called. The last thing you would think is that a coach would be complaining that the officials let too much go.

“They did a good job on him,” Sutton said. “They got away with a lot of holding, a lot of grabbing and he hadn’t seen that kind of physical play yet. It hurt us because we depend on him to score points for us. He never got in any rhythm.”

Anderson was 2-of-8 from the floor and finished with eight points. He did not play the last five minutes of the game.

“He had eight points,” Pitt point guard Levance Fields said. “We can live with that.”

Much like Duquesne Coach Everhart decided to give the nod to WVU over Pitt as a better team they have lost to, Sutton gave the edge to Pitt over Marquette.

Sutton gave it serious thought and said the teams are pretty even.

“But I might give Pitt a slight edge based off (DeJuan) Blair,” Sutton said. “I think he’s good. I’m not sure Marquette has a guy in there that consistently scores. They both have great guards; they’re both tough.”

Those comparisons mean nothing. In both cases the edge went to the team that beat them last and was at home. As opposed to the road game or neutral site.

Sutton did think his team was better than they were against Marquette (to whom they lost by 30 in Maui).

“It’s going to be a process with a young team,” Sutton said. “I know we are a lot better team now than we were out in Maui. Hopefully we will make the same amount of improvement over the next two or three weeks.”

Why does Sutton think OSU is better than they were in Maui? His team fought back instead of folding.

To be fair, they really didn’t fold. Of course, I also find the oversimplification that but for that 1st half stretch where they let Pitt beat their brains in with a 20-5 run they were even with Pitt. That’s the sort of rationalization excuses the overall performance of a team.

Levance Fields, though, still said the one thing that Pitt fans should love to hear.

Pittsburgh couldn’t miss a shot in the first half, and then for a significant stretch in the second half the Panthers couldn’t make a shot.

Whether their shots were falling or not on Saturday, the No. 11 Panthers did not let up on defense in their 85-68 win over Oklahoma State.

It’s a lesson Sean Sutton hopes his young Cowboys picked up, and one that undefeated Pitt’s point guard was preaching after the game.

“If we make mistakes on offense we can’t compound it by making mistakes on defense,” junior Levance Fields said.

[Emphasis added — because it’s so important.]

I saw a subscription only headline at both PantherDigest and PantherLair that JUCO Center Robb Houser has verballed to Pitt. Yay. A center. Please, at least be competent.

Shayne Hale got the McCoy treatment from the Oakland Zoo. From Kevin Gorman:

Shayne Hale is making an official visit to Pitt this weekend and if his interaction with the Oakland Zoo is any indication, the Panthers could be close to receiving a verbal commitment from the Gateway All-America linebacker.

Hale was sitting in the front row (behind the basket) at the Pitt-Oklahoma State basketball game with Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, defensive line coach Greg Gattuso and safety Eric Thatcher. At the 7:27 mark of the first half, Hale joined the Oakland Zoo, where the students were waving signs that read: “Shady+Shayne=BCS.”

Please understand, that I am a late-30s guy, married with children. There’s no way I can pull off referring to McCoy as “Shady.”

The tip-off:

Hale might have tipped his hand by donning a gold Oakland Zoo jersey during a timeout at the 3:55 mark.

Given the posting time stamp, that was still in the first half.

Once more, paying homage to the DVR. Winter storm warning for NE Ohio, meant trying to get some errands and shopping done early today — along with much of humanity. As such, rather than getting back before noon as intended, I didn’t get back until nearly 1pm. Horrors, that I forgot to set it to record. However, I had left it turned off to ESPN so it automatically had backed up the last couple hours on that channel. Didn’t miss a thing.

Of course, that meant no live blog. I look forward to reading the comments everyone else left on the game as it was in progress and right after, but here are the notes I took during the Pitt 85-68 win. Other thoughts are posted at AOL FanHouse.
*The refs called a lot of fouls in the game, especially early. Against the Cowboys that’s a huge advantage for Pitt. The Cowboys still lack depth and it showed later in the game as they couldn’t attack on penetration.

*Ramon needs to have a little more confidence in his 3-point shot. He hesitates when he flashes free too much, especially when someone is running out at him.

*I can’t believe how comfortable Keith Benjamin looks out there. Yes, the team runs more which suits him, but he isn’t out of control with his play. He looks like a man who knows who he is and his role on the team — and has embraced/accepted it. A huge change, that makes him so much more valuable when he isn’t trying to prove something everytime he touches the ball.

*I was actually happy Pitt didn’t race out to a big lead. It kept them from getting complacent. They knew they had a real opponent and treated them like it.

*Much like his shooting at times, Ramon is too deliberate in his passing. It isn’t that the passes are lazy, it’s that they are so obvious and telegraphed to the defense.

*Oklahoma State, as not surprising with a young team, is a very hot-cold shooting team. They started hot for the first 8 minutes (7-10 shooting) then went cold. Especially when they get out of tempo. They really let themselves be forced into shots. That’s a credit to Pitt’s defense and the control of the tempo, but it is also on Oklahoma State and Coach Sean Sutton to recognize and deal.

*Out of the half, Oklahoma State did pick up the defensive intensity, but more importantly they did start running plays on offense rather than hoisting shots. That allowed them to start to make the game closer.

*What really allowed the Cowboys to close, though, was Fields going out with 3 fouls early in the second half. Blair has huge potential, only being scratched and Young is an exciting dynamic player. Fields, however, is probably the most important player for Pitt in a game. Witness the Duquesne game, when Fields was horrible. Bad decisions, not seeing the court, mistakes galore. Then look at this game when he went out. The offense became tentative, passing was slow and just the open man being missed. Once he returned Pitt surged back out in front by double digits.

Oklahoma State likes to hoist 3-point shots. Not that they are particularly consistent. In three games they shot below 30%. Twice they shot 50% or better. James Anderson is their best shooter. He’s shooting 25-52 on 3s. The rest of the team shoots 44-139 (31.7%).

So, yeah, Anderson will and should be the focus of Pitt’s defense.

Anderson, a 6-foot-6 swingman, is one of the top freshmen in the country. He is averaging 20.8 points per game and ranks among the top 30 scorers in NCAA Division I.

“We knew he was good. He was a McDonald’s All-American,” said Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton, whose squad will play No. 11 Pitt today in a non-conference game at the Petersen Events Center. “He’s got a great knack for scoring. He plays with a lot of poise and confidence. He just makes plays. He’s one of those guys who wants the ball when his team is struggling.”

Gary Parrish at CBS Sportsline, doesn’t want to predict this game due to the unpredictable nature of the Cowboys.

Game worth driving to see in person: One team demonstrating multiple personalities (like that hot chick Nikki/Jessica from Heroes) this season is Oklahoma State, which lost to North Texas by nine, Marquette by 30 and Illinois by 16 before beating Washington by 25. This is worth noting because OSU is playing at No. 11 Pittsburgh on Saturday, and that’s the same Pittsburgh that last weekend barely escaped with a 75-74 victory at … wait for it … Washington! So good luck making sense of this game or trying to figure out which version of the Cowboys will appear. If it’s the one that lost to Illinois by 16, get ready for a blowout. But if it’s the one that beat Washington by 25 then Sean Sutton’s team might just have a chance.

ESPN.com doesn’t really see a problem in predicting this one.

Oklahoma State is young and without an identity yet, while Pitt is solid and experienced. The Panthers know exactly who they are, and they should have enough experience and depth to take Oklahoma State at the Petersen Events Center, a difficult place to play.

Trends are funny things. Oklahoma State hasn’t won a true road game since February 11, 2006. A span of 13 games. At the same time, they have beaten Pitt 3 straight times. Oklahoma State Game notes (PDF).

Pitt is at home and has only lost one home non-con game at the Pete since it opened. Winning 26 straight home non-cons and 54-1 overall at the Pete in non-conference games. Pitt Game notes (PDF).

Interesting how Pitt got the game at home in exchange for playing in Oklahoma City rather than Stillwater last year. Seems a bit of good negotiating, leverage and ESPN helped make it happen.

In previous years, All-College games played in Oklahoma City have been returned in similar venues, like last year’s game against Tennessee in Nashville.

“I think Pittsburgh bargained last year that the All-College needed a quality team and they leveraged ‘Hey, we’ll come play, but we want the game on our court coming back,’” OSU coach Sean Sutton said. “I said, ‘We’ll do that if you start a series with a quality opponent that starts in Gallagher.’”

ESPN, therefore, owes OSU that game next season, Sutton said.

Not Pitt’s problem, though. Really, what could Pitt have offered that would have been equivalent? The closest would have been a tournament with Duquesne at the Civic Arena or something with Penn State up in Erie. Just not seeing it.

There seems to be some confidence that Pitt will win this game over at ESPN.com. This week’s Power 16 has Pitt at #9.

Like Texas, the Panthers are a “Ewing Theory” candidate, as the replacement of Aaron Gray with DeJuan Blair has made this a much more athletic and flexible team. We’ll find out a lot more about the Panthers (and Duke) next Thursday at MSG.

Already skipping ahead to Duke.

Andy Katz in his chat was asked a couple things regarding Pitt (Insider subs.).

Brian (Pittsburgh): Andy, Any thoughts on this weekends Oklahoma State/Pitt matchup?

Andy Katz: Pitt handily.

…

Fosheezy, Pittsburgh: Andy: I love your work. You are the best college basketball mind on ESPN. Does Pitt and Duke go into their matchup next week both undefeated? Pitt has a tough one against Oklahoma State this Saturday. Who do you like in the Pitt-Duke game?

Andy Katz: I didn’t know I had relatives in Pittsburgh. I do think Pitt and Duke will be undefeated going into the game. I’ll stay away from a prediction at this point but I will say that I’m looking forward to seeing how the Blue Devils guad Sam Young and how Pitt defends the Duke 3-point shooters.

There was also the weekly chat with P-G beat writer Ray Fittipaldo. It seems everyone already wants to look ahead to the Duke game. Hopefully the players aren’t. Oklahoma State still offers enough of a challenge.

I’m a bit late on this.

Linebacker Scott McKillop was the leading tackler in the nation.

He was a unanimous 1st team Big East player.

Sports Illustrated put him as a second-team All-American.

The Associated Press had him as a third-teamer.

Scout.com had named him a 1st teamer.

CollegeFootballNews.com (which is affiliated with Scout.com and FoxSports.com) named him the Big East Defensive Player of the year.

In the Big East, LeSean McCoy was named the Rookie of the Year in addition to being named to the 1st team All-Big East. McCoy also merited “honorable mention” in the Sports Illustrated All-American teams.

Jeff Otah was also named to the first team All-Big East and made the Sports Illustrated “honorable mention.”

Joe Clermond made second team All-Big East.

Man, looks like Austin Wallace’s injury is very bad (Insider subs.).

Dixon said the patella (kneecap) injury to freshman backup center Austin Wallace could be a two-year injury since it will require multiple surgeries. Wallace, who had played only 12 minutes so far this season, injured his left knee during practice Friday in Seattle.

[Emphasis added.]

Good luck to Wallace in the surgeries and the long hard rehabbing ahead.

Oklahoma State has a youthful team in transition. Like Pitt they have a very big and raw freshman player who isn’t going to see a lot of time. They also have a star freshman player leading them in James Anderson.

James Anderson is a month into his Oklahoma State career and the freshman wing player has already scored at least 20 points five times this season, been named the Big 12’s Newcomer of the Week twice and reached double figures in all eight games.

The Junction City, Ark., native has hit 25-of-52 3-pointers (48 percent) and is 53-of-102 (52 percent) from the floor.

“He is hot,” OSU coach Sean Sutton said, adding that every time Anderson shoots the ball “you expect it to go in.”

There are a bunch of interesting statistical nuggets about the team. They gamble defensively on steals, but are not particularly good with rebounding. Not much of a passing team with 99 assists to 129 turnovers. They can shoot the 3 well, and are at 72% on free throw shooting.

The Anderson-Blair matchup could become the theme for Saturday.

2. James Anderson vs. DeJuan Blair. The top 25 schedule is especially bleak this weekend, with several teams off because of final exams. One intriguing matchup has Oklahoma State at Pittsburgh. Each team has one of the nation’s best freshmen. The Cowboys feature Anderson, a former Rivals four-star prospect who leads the team in scoring at 20.8 points. That’s third among the nation’s freshmen. Blair, the most recent Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week and another former four-star prospect, is one of the Big East’s steals leaders and is tied for eighth nationally among freshmen in rebounding at 9.0 per game.

Interestingly enough, Oklahoma should be a good match-up for Pitt since they don’t play with a lot of size. Or at least their best players aren’t their biggest.

Before the season started Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton said it might make fans nervous, but there would be times he would play four guards and Marcus Dove.

Sutton did that for the final stretch of Saturday night’s win over East Tennessee State, and it was undoubtedly the least nerve-racking period of the game for OSU fans. When Sutton made his last substitution of the game, with 6:20 to play, the score was tied 65-65. The five players on the floor were Byron Eaton, Obi Muonelo, Terrel Harris, James Anderson and Dove. Over that last 6:20 OSU held the Bucs scoreless and poured in 13 straight points.

It’s true that a small lineup can’t work all the time, and against dominant big men like Texas A&M’s Joseph Jones and 6-foot-11 Kansas center Sasha Kaun, fans have a right to be uneasy if the wiry, 6-foot-9 Dove, a great perimeter defender, is the biggest Cowboy on the court.

But at this point, with OSU’s young post players (all three are first-year players), putting the best five players on the court probably means going small. And to put the most experience on the court, Sutton will have to play a bunch of guards and Dove.

Noon on ESPN this Saturday for those unable to be at the Pete.

It really is remarkable how much of a bounce Pitt and Coach Wannstedt seemed to have gotten in recruiting with the contract extension and upsetting WVU. Up until then, there had been only a couple commits (and one reneged shortly thereafter I think) during the season itself. The speed with which players committed after the season almost seems to suggest that while Pitt was in on all of these players (and others); the players while interested, were looking for something to show that, yes the team and the coach are heading in the right direction.

Beating WVU was the spark needed. That has to be exceptionally galling for WVU right now. Not only did losing to Pitt cost them the national championship game, but it also reignited Pitt’s recruiting in what had appeared to be the point where Pitt’s on the field performance the last couple years was catching up to them. Scout.com and Rivals.com have had Pitt shoot up the recruiting rankings past WVU in the past week to #22 and #21 respectively while WVU is at #30 and #27.

Here’s a little on JUCO QB Commit Greg Cross from Rivals.com.

“I just got back from Pittsburgh, and I wanted to let you know that I committed to Pittsburgh on the visit,” Cross, the nation’s No. 49 junior college player, said. “I love Dave Wannstedt. He really helped me feel at home. He was telling me the truth about how I can come in there and compete.

“He said none of the jobs are given to the kids there and that I’ll have to earn it. He told me how it was really, and I appreciated that. They want a hard worker, and that’s what I wanted to hear.”

…

Cross, who was offered scholarships by Kansas State and Louisville, said he isn’t expecting to come in and get the starting nod right away, but he also felt like there is a chance for him to compete.

“They told me it’s open,” Cross said. “Whoever comes in and takes over will be the starter. I know I have to come in and learn system. I don’t expect to get anything handed to me. I know I’m going to have to work hard and compete.”

ESPN’s recruiting blog was impressed with the haul in the last week and the overall class being put together. Obviously the focus was on Jonathan Baldwin, who was listed at #24 in their ESPN Hot 150 (Insider subs.).

In fact, coach Zmijanac stated that many college coaches were comparing Baldwin’s exciting size-to-speed combination to New York Giants wide out Plaxico Burress during spring evaluations. We see the similarities, but also see a 6-foot-6, 230 pound athlete whose lean body should explode in a fulltime college strength training program. The hands, athleticism and straight-line speed after the catch are evident, but so is the good initial pop and strength as a drive blocker. He will need to continue building up his body to produce in the trenches at the next level, but the surprising power and physicality are there to mold.

Aside from possessing good — potentially great — blocking skills, we do not see the sharpness and fluidity as a route runner or the speed and elusiveness needed to consistently separate from Division I cornerbacks as a potential college receiver. His game resembles the play of a basketball forward (his winter sport), which in our analysis is more suited for matchups in the passing game on linebackers. Regardless of position, Baldwin’s great versatility and rare blend of size and speed as an athlete should help him develop into a great college football player.

Pitt is quietly assembly a good class despite coming off a disappointing 5-7 season.

They highlight Chris Burns and Lucas Nix who are ranked #106 and #119 in their top-150 (and by coincidence as the 13th ranked RB and OL respectively). They also seem to like Tino Sunseri who they say is “right outside the ESPN 150.”

Sam Young is getting attention nationally. It’s not full puff pieces right now. It’s more nugget material right now. Even if it is somewhat headscratching at times.

Pitt’s Sam Young and UCLA’s Luc Richard Mbah a Moute: both are high-level athletes who have always been solid defenders, and now are now vastly improved on offense. Don’t be surprised if those guys are playing against each other in the Final Four.

Um, uh, yeah. Okay. Right. Solid defender.
NBA Draft.net includes him in a list of breakout players.

Power Forward – Sam Young, Pittsburgh junior

Going into last season, a friend of mine told me Young would be a huge factor for his Panthers. One year later, that prophecy has finally come true. Young has a world of athleticism and his tenacity and defensive skills make him a perfect fit for coach Jamie Dixon’s system. And he provides the Panthers with a top-flight scoring threat that the team lacked last year. With his range on his jump shot and sky-scraping hops, Young has blossomed into a legitimate star.

Pitt doesn’t play Dayton until the end of December. Of course, the Flyers are hot now, so they are getting plenty of love, headlining the ESPN.com Weekly Watch.  Not that Pitt was ignored.

Pitt: The Panthers’ true road wins at Duquesne and at Washington may not be over NCAA teams but still came in hostile environments. Pitt should get plenty of credit for playing true road games and has a tough stretch coming up against Oklahoma State at home, Duke in Madison Square Garden and then at Dayton.

Andy Katz has an interesting little bit about Dayton and Pitt working out the change of date for the game which was close to conflicting with the Duke game at Madison Square Garden (Insider subs.).

So just think how crazed Dayton will be for Pitt on Dec. 29? The Panthers stroll in after Christmas, following a pre-holiday game against Duke in Madison Square Garden. The Dayton-Pitt game was originally slated for Dec. 22, two days after the Duke game. But Pitt didn’t want to go from New York and Duke to Dayton, so the Panthers tried to push it to Sunday, Dec. 23.

But Dayton was smart enough to keep this on a Saturday night and was willing to work with the Panthers, as long as it stayed on that night of the week. “I wasn’t worried,” Gregory said of Pitt dropping the game. “Jamie [Dixon, head coach of Pitt] isn’t that kind of guy.”

Gregory said the game will likely be the biggest nonconference game he’s seen in his five years at the school.

Back to the Weekly Watch and the) game looming on Saturday. Oklahoma State is listed as a potential upset.

Pitt is experienced in the backcourt with Levance Fields and Ronald Ramon, but forwards Sam Young and Mike Cook — both above-the-rim athletes — are benefiting from the more up-tempo emphasis this season. Freshman Dejuan Blair is a powerful scorer and rebounder with double-double talent. The boys from Stillwater, in transition mode this season with seven newcomers, are led by 6-6 freshman swingman James Anderson, powerful point guard Byron Eaton, and returning double-figure scoring wings Terrel Harris and Obi Muonelo. Coach Sean Sutton has more depth to play up-tempo and create turnovers with the pressure defense the Cowboys are known for. Sutton has enough talent, and if the newcomers continue to improve, a huge road win is possible.

Of course, Oklahoma State has struggled on the road. This includes an early season road loss to the Mean Green of North Texas.

Interesting Q&A regarding Jamie Dixon’s end-of-game strategy with three-point shots.

Redshirt Freshman Center Austin Wallace will be out for the season with a  fractured patella in his left knee. He is still eligible for a medical redshirt, but here’s hoping he has a full recovery.

Slightly basketball related, is that Pitt football commit Jonathan Baldwin is leaving the door open to walking on for Pitt basketball (Marquette had been recruiting him, though I think they gave that up a few months ago when it became obvious that he was focusing more on football).

DeJuan Blair enjoyed his first road game. He started off shaky in the game but got more confident and aggressive as the game went on. He does have to remember that until the refs blow the whistle, he can’t assume a call or held ball.

Really, this just seems silly. No profanities were used, yet somehow the messages some members of the  WVU Band had on their instruments offended.

It wasn’t immediately clear what the messages said or how they were displayed, but Ms. Neil said they were derogatory. She did say, though, that no foul language was used.

Under the positive participation section of the band’s code of conduct, the students’ grades will drop two letters, she said.

Also, one of the band members will not be allowed to travel to the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl. Ms. Neil declined to reveal what that student did to receive the additional punishment, citing privacy issues.

Fans at the game, which WVU lost 13-9, had complained about the messages.

Who knew WVU fans were so easily offended? You would think this message from the band that night might be more bothersome in hindsight.

So, um, I’m guessing the recruiting weekend went rather well for Pitt.

Yesterday JUCO QB Greg Cross verballed to Pitt.

Today it is Tino Sunseri, Mike Shanahan and Jonathan Baldwin.

Baldwin was the headliner, as the blue-chipper of this group, but it seems there could be a few others coming soon.

“Pitt’s about to come back on the map,” said Baldwin, who has been selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl next month. “We’re about to explode. For the people talking bad about Pitt, they’re about to see us bust out.”

That’s the word going around the WPIAL, as seven of Pitt’s 13 recruits from the Class of 2008 are from Western Pennsylvania, and more could be on the way after Pitt’s upset victory at No. 2 West Virginia on Dec. 1. The Panthers could be close to adding Gateway All-America linebacker Shayne Hale and Central defensive end Dan Vaughan and cornerback Andrew Taglianetti.

This will be interesting to see how the roster shakes out. Pitt has 13 verbals at this point. Possibly 3 or more still to come.

According to the Pitt Media Guide roster, there are 12 seniors and fifth-year seniors. Derek Kinder will be back due to medical redshirt. So that’s 11 spots. Marcel Pestano was a redshirt junior, but won’t be back with the team (12). Redshirt freshman QB Dexter Davidson was medically ruled unable to play because of his knees (13). Freshman Kyle Hubbard backed out to play basketball instead (14). Kevin Hughes never got eligible so if they were holding a scholarship for hime (15). Greg Webster is still not medically cleared because of his treatment for Crohn’s Disease — but I don’t know if he’s been pulled from athletic scholarship.

Have to watch closely for gray-shirting and whether any of the present players decide to transfer. I know there have been some hints at that, but that’s something you can’t count on happening. Looks like it will be close.

Let’s see, last week Pitt made it into the ESPN.com Power 16 at #11.

Don’t discount Pitt’s win last night at Duquesne. The Dukes are more than competitive for the first time in years and the Panthers were pushed to the limit. I’m looking forward to seeing Pitt against the real “Duke” on Dec. 20 in NYC.

In the individual rankings, Pitt was ranked as high as #8 and unranked in a couple other ballots.

Sam Young got a puff piece from Jeff Goodman at FoxSports.com.

“The kid just works so hard,” Panthers coach Jamie Dixon said. “He’s earned everything he’s gotten.

“I have never seen a guy be so determined to be good a player,” added Pittsburgh assistant and former Panthers player Orlando Antigua. “We had to tell him to stop working out and let his body rest this past year. We are now seeing the results of his sweat equity.”

Pitt is still feeling pretty good about winning in Washington.

When officials finally waved off Justin Dentmon’s basket at the buzzer and their 75-74 victory at Washington became official Saturday, the Panthers knew this much:

It was one to celebrate.

“You would have thought we won a championship or something,” Pitt junior point guard Levance Fields said. “It was important because it’s a big win for us just because it’s early in the season, it’s a road win against a great opponent and a great conference this year. Everybody was excited.

“It was a great experience for us.”

Not only did Pitt (9-0) snap Washington’s 31-game winning streak against non-conference opponents at Bank of America Arena, but the Panthers showed signs of maturity in overcoming a halftime deficit by adjusting their play.

Apparently Coach Dixon was rather blunt to the team in halftime, in addition to the adjustments.

After watching his team play its worst half of basketball this season, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon wanted to let his team know that their performance was not acceptable.

The half was uncharacteristic of a Pitt team. The Panthers gave up 37 points and allowed Washington’s top 3-point shooter, Ryan Appleby, to get free for four 3-pointers. The Huskies made six as a team. In addition, the normally efficient offense was stagnant as the Panthers missed seven of their first 25 shots from the field.

“He came in with all the fire he had,” freshman center DeJuan Blair said.

Rarely does a coach raising his voice solve a team’s problems, but the tongue-lashing, coupled with some keen second-half adjustments, led to a fantastic final 20 minutes in which the Panthers not only stormed back for a 75-74 victory, but firmly put in place an important building block in the development of the team.

I read that and thought a little of Bull Durham where Crash Davis reminds the manager that they are children, and they need to be scared.

Pitt would have been in a bigger hole, that they might not have gotten out of, if Levance Fields hadn’t been hot in the first half. He kept Pitt in it until things got going for the team in the second half.

Hilarious quote from Ryan Appleby after finding out the shot came too late.

“From where I was sitting, if I was the ref, I would have called it good,” said UW guard Ryan Appleby.

Replay and evidence be damned. To be fair, I think he was referring to the initial call. Not actually that the refs should have called it for the Huskies on replay.

No Huskies strongly disagreed. No one said they were robbed. But that didn’t stop the sting.

“It’s like somebody stepping on your chest,” Dentmon said. “You figure that you’ve done something good, and you’re happy. The moment they take it away it’s like everything went bad – everything.”

The Huskies did make progress from where they had been, even as they fell short and are in deep s**t with regards to making the NCAA. There was the claim that UW made defensive progress. Afterall, Pitt didn’t finish with 50%+ shooting. Reality was something different. Pitt started out with poor, poor shooting — 7-25 — but then hit 7-8 to finish the half. Plus Pitt shot nearly 61% in the second half (14-23).

Obviously that replay was the dominating theme of stories on the game.

If you think I’m going to bitch about Pitt managing to get a 1 point win on a trip to the Pacific Northwest against a team with potential and just doesn’t lose at home — especially in non-con games — then you are crazy. Washington may not be a great team, or even a ranked team. They are, however, a good team and got back their sharp-shooting 3-point threat in Ryan Appleby who helps stretch any defense to free up Brockman and their front court.

There was a bit of deja vu in watching Washington when they would play their game. Especially watching Brockman kick it out on a double team to an open shooter on the perimeter. Thankfully Pitt was able to take them out of that game in the second half by getting them to play too fast.

The first half was painful. It simply looked like Blair, Young and Biggs were just tossing the ball up around the basket. Not actually taking shots. Way too many wild shots, by getting trapped too far under the hoop and looking for calls to bail them out. I’m not complaining about the officials. I think they had it right not to call those. Slightly more personal fouls may have been called on Pitt (16-13), but Pitt still got to the line more (20 to 10 on attempts).

Late in the first and through most of the second half, Pitt played and shot a lot better. Their selection improved and they really worked the ball better to the open man — even as they increased the tempo. The pace/tempo by Pitt to this point has been great to watch. Not because they speed it up, but because so far they have shown an ability to play at any pace — when they can’t impose their own on the opposition.

As bad as Fields played in the Duquesne game, he was excellent in this one. He shot well and made a lot of good decisions. Ramon is definitely missing the old style and having Aaron Gray to free him up for spot-up threes. He’s still struggling with that change.