Unless both UNC and Oklahoma lose this weekend, Pitt will not be #1. I have no real problem with this. Teams keep winning, they keep rising. Add in that UNC also has Zeller back, they have added some some additional depth that makes them. Just keep winning.
Well, FoxSports Power Rankings actually moved Pitt to the top spot.
The good: Some might argue that Oklahoma deserves to be in this spot, but after the way the Panthers beat up on Connecticut Monday night in Hartford for their first-ever win over a top-ranked team, it’s too hard not to reward Jamie Dixon’s team with the No. 1 ranking. The bad: While Pitt certainly looks like a favorite to reach the Final Four, it still has another date with UConn in its regular-season finale and a meeting with Marquette prior to that game before the Big East Tournament even gets started.
Luke Winn at SI.com moves Pitt to #2. He was bemused by Gary McGhee’s performance.
ESPN.com’s power poll was more in line with expectations. Pitt at #3.
Two Big East Player of the Year candidates met last week, as well as the No. 1 and No. 4 teams in the nation. One pulled down 22 points and 23 rebounds while flipping the other over his back, as DeJuan Blair and Pitt dropped Hasheem Thabeet and UConn in Hartford.
No one had Pitt lower than #3. A few had them #2.
And here’s Coach Jamie Dixon’t Five Good Minutes on PTI.
Oh, and if you’re interested in some hilarious (but dated) interviews from the Big East preseason event, check these out. The interviewer (Nabaté Isles) and his hot pink shirt are wicked awesome 😉
Sam Young
link to youtube.com
Jamie Dixon
link to youtube.com
Found it odd that there wasn’t any mention of Sam during the PTI interview. That’s okay with me. Like many of our players, Sam performs best when he feels he has something to prove. Lost in the hoopla following the UConn game was the fact that he carried us in the first half and was the game’s leading scorer. His dunk attempt on Thabeet, which resulted in a pair of free throws, helped set an aggressive tone for the Panthers. He makes so many big plays for this team that they often go unheralded. For example, the block he had on Hibbert’s hook in the 2008 Big East Tournament. Nobody does that. Particularly when they’re giving up nine inches in height.