As expected, Pitt is one of only two unbeaten teams remaining now since Wake Forest knocked off Clemson in a battle of the other two unbeatens to start the day.

In today’s other notable result, Syracuse CRUSHED Notre Dame, getting double digit points from 6 different players, including all five starters.

Post your running comments on the game here.  I am covering a high school hockey game at  7:20 p.m. so I am going to miss the finish. I expect I’ll know the course of the game by reading your comments when I get home.

Oh, and not that I condone it, but if you are cheap and don’t have ESPN (like me), try channelsurfing.net. It might work, wink wink.

6:12 ESPN hasn’t cut to the Pitt game yet, but watching the game cast I know that Bigg hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring. THAT’s a good sign.

6:13 Biggs followed up his 3-pointer by picking up a quick foul, but Fields knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 6-2 Pitt. Good start from the outside.

6:16 Michigan State screwing over Pitt fans again. Hurry up already.

6:19 As Illinois chooses not to foul, the MSU game comes to an end, Biggs knocks down his second 3-pointer. Biggs is doing his best Ronald Ramon impression (I miss Ramon).

6:22 Now Dixon who has been ice cold from downtown does his best Biggs impression and hits a 3. Pitt is up 17-6 and is 4-5 from beyond the arc.

6:25 More second-chance points as Fields misses a 3-pointer only for Pitt to get it back, make the extra pass for Fields to make it on his second chance. Working the offensive glass and hitting 3-pointers. That’s a good combo.

6:28 I just want to make a note, mid game, that my thoughts are with Chas. I like filling in on the blog, but miss him and his insight. I hope he and his family are hanging in there. Game or no game, my thoughts are with them.

6:33 Louisville is going on a run, their zone is looking really tough. Pitt is going to need to knock down a few more jumpers to soften that zone… or Young will need to keep working the pump fake, like he just did there. Sick.

6:44 Damn, Louisville is making Pitt look awful. Young has two fouls and is out. The announcers just called Syracuse a final-four team and the best in the Big East in a matter of 10 seconds and my dog just threw up on the floor. Okay, forget the last part, but its now a one-point game. I am off to some hockey. Lets go Pitt!!! Keep the comments going.

Condolences to Chas and his family for their recent loss. Deep loses such as this always put the importance of sports in perspective. Sports are a wonderful outlet from the trials and tribulations of daily life, but when buzzer sounds, remember, its just a game. If you have yet to read Chas’ heartfelt post on the loss of his grandfather, please take the time to do so now.

Now onto today’s game.

Pitts identity in the media heading into today’s game is no different than it has been the last 8-10 years. Blue-collar.

I think toughness is precisely the reason the Pittsburgh program has created ways to win consistently against schools with better pedigrees. Ben Howland started it before he fled to UCLA. Jamie Dixon, the current Pitt coach, has upgraded it.

I don’t need to see a stat sheet to say that Pittsburgh leads the Big East Conference in broad shoulders, sharp elbows and harsh expressions.

I said earlier this year that it is amazing how Pitt’s identity has remained the same through the Howland and Dixon years. The players are different but the theme stays the same. However, we as fans have already learned, and teams and pundits alike are learning, that this Pitt team is different.

According to Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted effiency stats, Pitt boasts the No. 3 most efficient offense in the country. Pitt has steadily been improving its offensive efficiency the last four seasons. In ’06 they finished No. 21, in ’07 No. 12 and in ’08 No. 8.

Rick Pitino was on ESPN’s First Take yesterday, and emphasized the typical themes regarding the Panther’s before discussing, somewhat strangely,  the near airline tragedy in NYC and talking about his close calls in the friendly skys. Note to self: If on a plane with Pitino, find another flight. I suppose anyone who flies that much will have a close call or two. You can still see the interview, here.

Pitino knows Pitt will be physical, they always are. So maybe it worked out well that his team got an extra two days off this week due to NCAA rules.

While everyone talks about Pitt’s defense, Louisville is the team coming into the game with the the No. 1 rated defense when it comes to adjusted efficiency. Pitino coached teams can drive others crazy with its pressure and press, something the Panthers have handled well in the past expect for on one occasion. Honestly, with Fields in charge, I am not too worried about the offense.

As Ray Fittipaldo points out in today’s Post Gazette, Pitt’s defense may be the bigger worry.

The reason Louisville was able to beat Pitt in the first meeting last season was the manner in which the Cardinals dissected the Panthers’ defense. They shot 58 percent from the field.

Defense might be the bigger concern in this game, especially considering Pitt allowed South Florida to shoot 48 percent Wednesday in a 75-62 home victory. Louisville is averaging 73 points per game in its first three Big East games and is one of three remaining conference teams without a loss in league play.

Other media is taking the easy route of looking at Pitt’s upcoming schedule, looking at the rankings of the upcoming teams and turning it into a story. Yawn.

I can see today’s game going either way. Louisville is a tough team to figure out. Nice wins over Kentucky, ‘Nova and, most recently, ND and loses to Western Kentucky, UNLV and Minnesota. Although I was in New England to witness Pitino’s dismantling of the Celtics, I still fear his teams when it comes to college.

If Pitt is to lose and fall from No. 1, sure it will be disappointing. It has been fun for all of us, as die hard Pitt fans, to look at the rankings and see OUR team in the top spot. However, when it comes to National respect amongst regular college basketball fans, it won’t matter until Pitt goes DEEP into the NCAA tournament. That’s not because of Pitt’s past in the tournament, its just because teams don’t really get noticed until they make a deep run. There’s nothing wrong with that.

That being said, I expect a win today.

Enjoy the game. I’ll post an open thread closer to tip.

I’m probably going to be taking a couple days off. My grandfather passed away yesterday evening. It wasn’t unexpected. He was 92, and had a host of issues from Cancer, to heart issues and well,  just being old.

I’ll be sitting shiva, being with family and generally be in a frame of mind that won’t be able to give Pitt much priority.

The good news is that I’m living forever. My 6-year old daughter told me so at dinner as we were struggling with a good way to explain what was going on. So, I’ve got that going for me.t

(more…)

Really late, but all will be clear sooner.

Power rankings. All keep Pitt at the top.

Fox Sports

Luke Winn at SI.com — and love for DeJuan Blair this week.

ESPN.com — and guess who still won’t put Pitt at #1. It’s not that Gottlieb hates Pitt. I doubt he does. His whole schtick, though, is to be “controversial” and “outside the box.” A Skip Bayless without the perma-tan.

Another Tom Herrion piece, this time from Charleston, SC. A sort of, don’t look back in anger story.

“When I was younger, so much was about how fast and how quickly I could become a head coach. I’m tremendously grateful to the College of Charleston for giving me the opportunity,” said Herrion, who worked as a TV analyst for one season before joining Dixon’s staff.

“But having been a head coach and done a reasonably good job, I have a different perspective now. I know I’m at a great place and I think you value different things after you’ve had different experiences.”

So don’t feel too sorry for Herrion. He makes more money now than he did in Charleston when he and his family lived in the showcase I’On neighborhood in Mount Pleasant.

Herrion generally is lauded as Pitt’s top recruiter and helped sign an incoming class rated among the nation’s best.

He also knows the top assistant at a top program likely will get calls about head coach openings.

“If the right situation arose, I would listen,” Herrion said. “But it would take quite an offer. I am very aware of how fortunate I am to be in the situation I’m in.”

…

Sort of like Larry Shyatt, the former Clemson head coach who has been part of two national championship teams as a Florida assistant and remains in Gainesville.

“Funny you should mention that,” Herrion said. “Larry and I talked on the phone just this week.”

That. Well, that would be awesome for Pitt and Dixon if Herrion took that kind of role for the long-term.

Warning. Warning. Jay Bilas likes Pitt over Louisville.

The Cardinals struggle to shoot from the perimeter against grinding defenses, and Pitt can grind it out with the best of them. The Panthers are just as deep as Louisville and are more physical. Unless the Cards hit shots, Pittsburgh will get a win in Freedom Hall. The difference can be Levance Fields and his ability to handle pressure and DeJuan Blair and his ability to dominate on the glass. Blair has the length and offensive-rebounding capability to really bother freshman Samardo Samuels.
The Winner: I like Pittsburgh to win on the road.

Erp.

Meanwhile Mike Cook is giving life in the NBDL a shot as he gets back to full strength.

After failing to make the BayHawks in large part due to being out of shape and recovering from a severe knee injury, Cook has since returned to the team slimmer in size, but very heavy in determination.

“I really wanted to prove to everybody that I was a better player,” said Cook, who is from Philadelphia. “I didn’t have to prove it to myself. I thought I had to prove it to everybody else. That really pushed me.”

Although Cook isn’t starting for the BayHawks, as he did at the University of Pittsburgh, the fact that he’s even playing right now makes those who have been with him through this trying process very proud.

“Having seen the pain he was in initially and the fact that he is playing basketball a year later almost brings tears to my eyes to see that,” Pitt trainer Tony Salesi said.

Good luck to Mike Cook.