Mostly just the quick and dirty link round-up. I’m doing better, but the 10-month old has the dreaded ear infection — clinginess and things no one wants to read.
Two big talking points in the stories: Ronald Ramon’s game-winning 3 (obviously) and the free throw reversal.
The 3-pointer by Ramon was also a way to contrast what happened at Villanova last month.
The victory set off a wild celebration at sold-out Petersen Events Center, which had never witnessed a Pitt buzzer-beater, and ended a string of near-miss, last-second losses for the Panthers this season.
Among them was a one-point loss at Villanova in which Ramon turned the ball over on the team’s final possession.
“That Villanova game was a bad feeling,” Ramon said.
This time, Ramon, a senior and one of the campus’ most well-liked athletes, was the hero.
As for the free throw reversal.
During the timeout, the officials reviewed the foul and took Alexander’s two points off the scoreboard. They then made freshman Cam Thoroughman go to the line for the one-and-one opportunity.
It turned out to be a four-point swing in favor of Pitt. Thoroughman missed the front end, and Pitt rebounded. Brad Wanamaker made a jumper for a 50-45 lead.
“The assistant coaches saw it from the very beginning,” Dixon said. “They told me it was the wrong guy. I was very surprised that they checked it after they were made. But we were saying it the entire time.”
The officials were able to review the play because Huggins called a timeout. If one second had ticked off the clock they would not have been allowed to make the review.
The writers at the game, never saw the replay or telecast. So they didn’t really learn that Blair was the one being held by Thoroughman as Alexander went over his back — which is why there is no mention of that in the stories. That’s probably why Huginns and Thoroughman after the game did admit that Alexander shouldn’t have been shooting free throws.
Interesting version of Huggins feelings after the game.
“I think it’s pretty apparent that we can beat anybody, we’ve got to suck it up and go play,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “The reality is we’re depending on people we shouldn’t depend on. We just don’t score. We’re supposed to be a good shooting team, at least that’s what I was told.”
During the game, Huggins vented frustrations on junior forward Joe Alexander, arguably the team’s best athlete. Alexander finished with five points on 2-for-22 shooting.
After the game, Huggins continued to criticize Alexander.
“Pitt’s a good defensive team but I don’t think they’re so good that Joe can’t hit the rim on his first three or four shots,” Huggins said.
He also had hard words for Smith, who left Ramon open on the game-winner.
“We had four guys switch and one guy decide he was going to push up. Wellington thought he needed to go help and (Ramon) hit a big shot,” Huggins added. “That was one guy we talked about that we couldn’t let beat us – him and Sam Young.”
Huggins, in his first year at West Virginia and coaching players recruited by current Michigan coach John Beilein, looked anxious to get his own talent in after this loss, the Mountaineers’ third in four games.
“I need to play guys that will listen,” Huggins said.
I’m not totally surprised that WV media and some WVU players are saying that they lost the game more than Pitt won it.
“Pitt didn’t beat us. We beat ourselves,” said sophomore guard Joe Mazzulla, whose best scoring game at WVU went for naught. “That’s not to take anything away from them or to say they didn’t play well. They did. But it was just out mistakes that beat us, mental and physical both.”
After all, if Pitt had been the one to miss over 50% of the free throws on top of the lousy shooting from most of the team, how many of we Pitt fans would be saying the same thing?
I read Vingle’s semi-hatchet effort on Pitt was more about pointing out how badly WVU blew an opportunity. I would counter only that with the way both teams shot, it would be a highly frustrating loss for either side.
WVU partisans see the missed looks by Alexander and Butler. Pitt fans see the numerous open lay-ups by Blair, the missed 3s by Benjamin and Ramon. WVU had the amazing number of missed FTs — though that was balanced out by Mazzulla having a career game.
So, yeah, it seems like whining and not wanting to give Pitt the due for winning. It’s just that I’ve been guilty of it enough times and will be plenty more times.
Huggins was ripping into that Alexander kid for a good minute in front of the team. Then the game cut to commercial break as he was yelling at him.
After the commercial break ended, low and behold, Huggins was still laying into the kid.
I looked over at my buddy who was watching the game with me, and I said “That is one thing you will never see Jamie Dixon do.”
Consider how big a deal it was the Dixon ‘questioned’ the effort by Pitt against Rutgers. The newspapers acted with such shock like Dixon had ripped his team a new one. That was just for commenting that he felt their effort was lacking. For that much hype about his comment over an obvious lack of effort, it just drives home the way Dixon does not let frustration with his players seep into the media where he is trashing players by name.
But I think it would be false to assume that the only two coaching styles are to either rip your players or get walked on. I think Dixon has shown a great respect, concern, and support for his players. But I don’t get the feeling that he isn’t in charge of the team. We have no idea how much yelling goes on behind closed doors. But I do respect how much he supports the players in the media. I think the hardest thing for many of us to remember is that some of these players are as young as 18 years old. Heck, my brother was playing college baseball at 17. We can often be harder on these guys as fans than we should.
and
Lower tickets prices, trying to make it an event, all home games on saturday (after 3.30pm), and guaranteed parking – although its not clear what they mean (if you get to park anywhere in your lot with your friends)…
It’s not necessarily the maturity of Dixon as head coach, but the completion of his takeover of the team. Krauser and the last of Howland’s kids did not leave until two seasons ago. I agree with you that something changed in the last year or two as you say, and it was Dixon finally taking over the team instead of trying to be Howland to those last recruits.
Thuggins will have WVU on probation. The man is no good for college basketball. Cincinnati was waiting for him to screw up and he did, he will wear out his welcome, rich the fraud was a saint compared to thuggins.
AA, you are right that Huggins is a major goon. The problem is, he is also a good coach. And he coaches at a school in a state where marrying your sister is not only allowed, but encouraged. I am not certain that the infractions that would get him fired elsewhere will have any bearing on his employment at WVU.
