As with the last game, no TV. Given radio rules, there is no guarantee you can get a free stream on the Pitt flagship, 93.7 The Fan. The best bet is to go with the broadcast from Pitt radio, WPTS.
The competition improves a bit with Princeton. They, were capable of beating Rutgers.
Hopefully, Coach Dixon does give the younger kids more minutes as he said he should. Everyone needs the work.
I am a diehard listening to the game in Dallas, I really thought this game would be a major struggle, looks like a big time blowout and it’s only halftime.
I am curious about how many people are at the Pete. From the sound of the crowd I am going to guess 3,500.
PK, it’s not about you.
Main point – Pitt has by a significant margin the best RPI and Kenpom ranking of any team left in the CBI. Only Wyoming and Oregon State are within 20 of us.
Pitt – 73
Wyoming – 84
Oregon st – 88
Everyone else is in the 100s. So yeah. We may win this thing. Hooray ?
Now for the game. I got to see Gibbs and Robinson play for at least 25 of the 30 minutes of the game when i was there. Gilbert got in with 1:59 to play and Epps gotin for about 20 seconds. Here again when they moved Gibbs to the point things slowed down and Princeton made a run. Another interesting thing. In the first half Princeton scored 25 points and made 7 3 pointers. In the second half they figutred out that they could muscle Pitt inside and we had a hard time stopping them.
I thought I was going to see the young guys play but it appears Dixon is coaching this like he is in the Final 4.
The major mistake that hurt Pitt this year was not recruiting a center since 2008. Playing fowards as centers worked well against the non-conference schedule. The center does not have to score but he must limit the number of scores by the opponent in the paint.
Pitt may have outrebounded its opponents but it gave up twice as many points in the paint then it scored. You can not play with the big boys with a convertted 6’9″ forward at center and a 6’5″ SF. Today this is smaller than many high school teams.
I blame this on Dixon. A McGhee who would not be hard to recruit in 2009-2011 would have chaned 6 to 8 games.
Wednesday….on HD Net
BTW, spring practices have started, what are your thoughts on Myers at QB? Wait, I think we’ve heard that a few times already too…
Would you have preferred to have been unjustly invited to the NCAA, played in front of your home crowd and lost in the 1st round by 22, never having once shown a pulse or an ounce of fight OR would you rather be still playing in a post season tourney that you have to buy into, that does not get any coverage from media and is scorned by your own fans as well as the general public?
My answer: when you have lemons, you make lemonade. Quitting is always the easiest thing to do, it takes no effort, no humility and no one looks.
I hated this season because I want so badly to win, care about the school, the students, the coaches, etc…
But I despise people who quit. Pitt has opened itself up to criticism by playing in this tourney and has a target on it’s back for the local media who think “big time” basketball begins and ends with WPIAL friggin finals at a place where winning college basketball has been played less than a handful of times over the last 30 years!
I have gained more respect for Dixon in losing and facing up to it than I ever had when winning.
I suspect there are many people who will take Dixon to task for X and O’s decisions and they may even be right. Dixon makes a ton of Money to do his job….he won’t make a dime more for the 2011-2012 season, but he has shown me he can take a punch and ain’t walking away.
Tough times don’t make character gentlemen, they reveal it. Dixon and Pitt will not win the NCAA, the NIT or perhaps this tourney….but they ain’t hiding either.
I’m not a quitter but I can’t tolerate mediocrity either. When one has to pay to play, well I’d rather see our players spend more time with their books.
If we win the CBI do we get a banner to fly over the Pete?
I went, what a total waste of $40 (took my 13 year old, who asked me if this was like the Meineke Care Care Bowl) and two hours.
I was really hoping that either Princeton would give Pitt a good game, clash of styles, or Jamie would play the younger guys at least a little bit. No luck on either front.
Pitt was up by 24 at halftime and still ran out Robinson and Gibbs for most of the 2nd half. I just don’t get it. WHAT IS THE POINT?????????
Taylor was bad, yet no Gilbert. Dixon has totally botched the season for that kid. Burned his redshirt for no good reason, then doesn’t play him when the situation presents itself.
Jamie, wouldn’t it be good to know whether Gilbert and Zanna can play together? What about Taylor and Zanna? Why don’t we see if Moore can play some shooting guard? What about whether Moore and Patterson can play the two forward spots with Gilbert at center?
I just don’t see who benefits from running out the same old lineup that is built around two seniors who had a whole season to accomplish their goals and didn’t it get it done. Why do we need to keep rolling them out there for 30 minutes?
I DON’T GET IT.
PK, it’s not about you!!! LOL
Yes, you and PK want to see some of the younger guys play, because it’s for your personal pleasure, I guess??? It’s going to help get you a raise at work, help your family, something like that. But, remember, it’s not about you!!!!
I know you didn’t want to see the younger guys get any playing time, to help themselves improve and help the Pitt basketball team do better next year. Have some real game time experience so you didn’t have to hear “they’re not game ready” yet next year.
You and PK are selfish bastards!!!! LMAO!!
It’s not about YOU!!!! ROLMAO!!!
I think Pitt has the better RPI and Kenpom ranking (as i mentioned) and even by the eye test Piutt is better (which, yeaa, is saying alot). How do they seed this thing?
We can’t do anything over so the regular season is done and it ain’t about getting a banner. There is really only 1 that means anything, IMO.
But what goes on between the ears is always more important and while I want to see the kids study too, I don’t think this tourney has taken one minute away from their studies…they would be playing anyway without the structure of a schedule.
I agree with TXPanther…Birch quitting in mid season is far different than simply transferring.
Man I blocked this out. Forgot how painful that game was.
I also respect Jamie’s loyalty to upper classmen. He rewards the guys that have put in the time.
Gibbs and Nas had a tough year, but they deserve to be remembered for the positive things they meant to this team during their careers.
At this point it is only a game and it looks to me like they were having fun.
The big disappointment is the weakness of the fan base. Only 2000 in attendance. Can you say Fair Weather?
Oh wait, this is a basketball blog.
Dan, I wish Chas would make repeated use of annoying teenage shorthand a bannable offense.
Looking forward to tomorrow night’s game, actually. I’m sure I’ll be screaming at Dixon to get Gilbert’s a@# in the game, but as long as the Panthers are still on TV, I’ll watch.
I guess i’ve worked that over enough. Just don’t get the “selfish” thing if you want the younger players in? Who is that, that keeps saying that, Steve, I believe.
I mean, what could it hurt?? I guess I’ve made my point ad nauseum. I’ll be yelling for him too, but, I’ll watch and cheer for whoever is on the court.
It is obviously the your only reason to partic
To quote Allen Iverson, “We talkin’ about pracitce, how silly is that?”
Jamie Dixon is a practice coach. Practice is what he’s good at and what he loves to do. “Not a game, not a game, not a game, we talkin’ ’bout practice man”.
Jamie has built this program to where it is (top 20 program despite this year) on hard work and PRACTICE. No one, not even Dixon apologists like me, would argue that Jamie is a good game coach. He doesn’t make great adjustments on the fly. He needs things to be scripted, planned and PRACTICED.
Playing in this “forgettable tournament” gives Jamie a couple more weeks to practice with his team and try to get better.
So in order to have a few more practices, Pitt needs to win. Jamie must believe that playing Gibbs and Robinson give them the best chance to win .
Where Dixon completely losses me, is when he was up 24 points at halftime against Princeton, Taylor is playing his usual mediocre, stupid foul prone game and he still can’t find Gilbert 10 minutes? Come on man.
So, I’ll watch tonight, and hope Jamie has had Robinson practice not fouling after a missed free throw. And hoping that Dixon will get another couple practices in before the off season.
just said, he got released, and agreed not to go to Pitt or Robert Morris.
