As just about everyone is aware of by this point, Ashton Gibbs has been cleared to play for tomorrow’s Nooner at MSG.

“I was probably the happiest man in the world when they gave me the OK to play,” said Gibbs, Pitt’s leading scorer at 16.3 points per game. “I’m feeling good.”

The 6-foot-2 Gibbs, injured Feb. 5 against Cincinnati, took part in his first full-contact practice Thursday.

He said he didn’t feel any soreness after practice. And following a visit with Pitt trainer Tony Salesi, Gibbs, who grew up in West Orange, N.J., was cleared to play in his hometown.

“I went all-out (at practice),” he said. “I felt good. It’s not sore or anything. It feels normal. (Salesi) told me everything was fine.”

Gibbs, who may wear a small brace or tape his knee as a precaution, said his rehab consisted mainly of icing the knee, riding a bike and strengthening his quadriceps.

He was expected to miss 10-14 days and returned right on schedule.

“It’s close to 100 percent,” he said. “I can feel it a little bit, but it’s nothing major.”

I take it, this means he hast to return that bowtie to Orlando Antigua.

It’s the first time, Gibbs has ever missed games because of injuries. Even he doesn’t know if he will still go in as a starter or off the bench. I imagine he’ll get the start, though.

He also says that sitting on the bench gave him some new insights.

Gibbs said he took advantage of the time missed by paying close attention from his seat on the bench. He said he was able to pick up some things that will make him a better player.

“I definitely learned a lot on the offensive end and defensive end,” Gibbs said. “How to get your shot off, how to get shots, how to create shots for your teammates. And the defensive schemes of other teams, how to play defense. It was a blessing in disguise for me to analyze the game the way I did.”

Given the way St. John’s has been playing offense at home, getting Gibbs back is probably vital.

Here’s a piece from CBS Sports CBB Blog asking whether Ashton Gibbs is undervalued by people (outside of Pitt fans). At least when it comes to the subject of best guards in the Big East.

So, Gibbs. I’m trying to avoid confirmation bias here, but I think bracks7 has basically answered his own question. Yes, Gibbs is an extremely valuable part of an elite team. He has scored 18.93 percent of the Panthers’ points when he’s on the floor, but his teammates Brad Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown and Nasir Robinson are all above ten percent in the team impact metric as well. This is a good thing.

Unfortunately for Gibbs’ case, Pitt chugged right along without him while he was out. Sophomore Travon Woodall certainly didn’t replace Gibbs’ production, but he kept the machine humming just fine. Again, this is a good thing.

Leaving Gibbs off the All-Big East first team seems like a mistake, but I don’t know who the unnamed SNY pundit chose in his place, so I can’t really judge that…

In addition to the whole shooting 3s better, there is the ever present concern with defending the three-point shot better. Especially when a bad team like USF has a good night shooting it.

The Bulls were able to create shots from the outside. Some were tough and some were long, as Dixon said, but not all were. USF was 6 of 13 from 3-point range. In Pitt’s two losses this season – Tennessee and Notre Dame – the opponents were a combined 13 of 26 from the arc. And this can’t be blamed on Ashton Gibbs’ sometimes questionable perimeter defense; he didn’t play for the third straight game Wednesday (though he said Thursday he will play Saturday at St. John’s).

Consider last season. The Panthers, for the year, held opponents to a meager .314 percent from the outside. But in Pitt’s nine losses, only two teams shot less than 40 percent from 3-point range, and most were well above 50 percent. That’s too many examples to chalk up to luck.

Dixon said Wednesday he’ll surrender the outside. “They relied on jump shots and I thought that would catch up to them,” he said.

But teams better than eight-win South Florida can take advantage of Pitt’s one occasional defensive deficiency. They have in the past. They will try again in the future.

And while relying solely on outside shooting is a low-percentage, it may be the only way to beat the Panthers when they are playing defense as well as they have over the past few weeks.

The three-point shot is always a big weapon for teams, especially teams that don’t drive or have the size inside. Whether it is against Pitt or anyone else.

That is more of a reasonable fear than Smizik trotting out the old chestnut of how Pitt is susceptible in the NCAA Tournament because of elite players going off. Considering how Pitt only has two losses, and the way they happened. It wasn’t simply because an “elite” player dominated. 7-11 and 9-18 three-point shooting respectively played a much more significant role than the best player on the opposing team having a good night.

I mean the Xavier loss. Yes, Jordan Crawford was outstanding. But guess what, Holloway, Love and Jackson for Xavier all came up big, contributing to 8-16 on 3s and 24-50 overall.

In some St. John’s puffery, ex-Johnnies coach Norm Roberts is happy for his former players, and NYC is happy to have a relevant program in college basketball.

Finally a puff piece on Coach Dixon, his father and their family history relating to Pittsburgh. Enjoy.