If you are a major conference program, you don’t accept/wrangle/beg for an invite to an early season tournament with the expectation of losing. You (and your fans) believe there is at the very least a chance. Things may not play out that way — isn’t that right UNC — but there is always that possibility.
Two years ago when Pitt to the Maui invite, that was exciting news. Then this year rolled around and things haven’t gone as hoped. Now it is salvage time for Pitt and Kansas State.
This could be interesting. Neither team is exactly a defensive juggernaut. K-State relies on scoring to win. They don’t rebound well. Like Pitt they are 3-2 with a road loss to a low mid-major. They played Arizona tough last night, but could not quite get there.
Given the way Pitt has played in Maui, I don’t exactly know what to expect without sounding negative.
7:30 on ESPN2.
“As you wrongly predicted, pitt did not go home with only a win against Chaminade”
Comment by barvo 11.26.14 @ 10:25 pm
That is the height of ignorance and shows a general disregard of our school motto.
Talk about smugness and trying to smear me.
Disgusting.
With that said though it’s all about recruiting talent gents, not JD coaching style. Jamie wins… he just hasn’t been able to keep the good recruits (Adams/Birch) to get the job done.
Seriously barvo, Emel is a long-time veteran of this board, and doesn’t deserve that kind of attack.
Here’s the link:
As for Crean’s boys next Tuesday, they just lost to Eastern Washington at home.
BTW, Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Blatherites!
Happy Thanksgiving Pitt Supporters, Everyone else can hush
Happy Thanksgiving from the land of sun!
Holy shiitake mushrooms! What a difference a day makes!
I was shaking my head in frustration after the first few minutes, then…. Bango!
H2P!
H2Thanksgiving everyone!
Beat Miami!!!
In addition to Cam Johnson and Token Luther, I see Jones becoming a very good in the near future.
Great win but we are still young. And yes people will say, kentucky is young, so what? The so what is, the pitt winning formula is to have good not great players all as upper classmen. Kentucky can be top 10 and young, pitt has never been able. It will likely be an up and down year but i support them all they way! Htp
Uchebo is not a good player. I think Randall can at least give them some minutes where he’ll play defense, grab some rebounds, and probably clank some foul shots.
This was a good trip for Pitt — they’re a significantly better team then they were prior to Hawaii. For those of you that complain about Dixon’s non-con scheduling, you can’t have it both ways. In years where Jamie has a lack of experience, the beginning of the season will be rocky against tougher competition, so the gloom and doom from the SD State game is a bit ludicrous.
Bottom line: this trip will have them more prepared for conference play.
Hail To Pitt! Beat the ‘Canes!
I didn’t expect Pitt to win last night (after watching the earlier Maui games) but was hoping they played hard and they sure did.
Have to love the play by Luther and Jones…Those who said Jones can’t play defense sure were wrong.
How about this in 2 years…..a team lead by Young, Luther, Jeter and C Johnson take Pitt further than any Pitt team in the past…All Western PA kids.
Do you follow Pitt history? For those of us who do realize that Pitt Basketball has been at it highest level with Dixon in charge…although it’s been a step back the past few years. Most realize he’s still our best shot at taking Pitt even higher and doing so with integrity.
Spinning the coaching wheel isn’t going to work at Pitt.
Whenever i get down on pitt bball a little i remember how many programs that used to be way better than pitt and have not been for a long time. They would all take dixon in a second. St johns, seton hall, pc for examples…dont they wish they still had carneseca, pj, and pitino at the helm. There are literally dozens of teams in that position, teams with a greater bball history than pitt, but performed nowhere close in the past decade! G tech, hell 2 good year notwithstanding, even ucla. I am grateful for dixon we will have so so years like maybe this year, and tossing thabeet years as well. Someday the tossing thabeet years will see us in a final four.
I agree on the basketball IQ part – i think as a whole this entire team is the dumbest on the court of the Dixon era … and I don’t think it’s just youth.
Despite what Emel says though, this is a young team. Only two players with 3 years in the program are Jones and Robinson. That’s young … especially when it’s not filled with top 50 prospects. Cam Wright offsets some of that in a couple of weeks … but right now … young.
AAU ball has finally caught up to the program. The basketball smart diamonds in the rough are being replaced by higher profile players who rely more on athletic ability than bball IQ.
I mentioned on another thread that we’ll see more skilled players coming thru but the learning curve is going to be steeper.
Pitt’s offense and defense … which rely on efficiency … do not come second nature to this group … yet. I do think it will click but it’s just going to take time.
I really do like this group. I think, athletically, they are the best since the Blair years. Mentally – they need some seasoning however.
At least this team has heart and won’t quit.
Luther the biggest surprise, hope he can sustain what we saw last night. A great stroke and solid D.
Hope Alcofan is right about Uchebo, hasn’t shown up so far.
This team is sophomore based and a work in progress. Young, Artis, and Newkirk have tremendous upsides. I don’t even know yet what to expect from Jeter, Jones and the freshmen!
If I am angry with anyone it’s DJ! Felt the pain for him last year being injured but that’s over and he let his teammates down! You are wasting a scholarship kid! Fish or cut bait! Hail to Pitt! UPone
Newkirk still looks like a freshman, had hoped the game would have slowed down for him.
Hopefully the rent-a-wins coming up will improve the rhythm. Certainly are not ready for prime time yet.
Saw Wright jumping up and down when Ko made his shot. Hopefully that means the foot is getting close.
Young is so much improved. Many more moves around the hoop.
Enjoy this day with your loved ones.
Hopefully one of the centers starts drinking the Pitt coolaid that transformed Gray into an NBA player, McGhee into a canddiate for Big East defensive player of the year, and Adams from a completely unrefined giant to someone who by the end of the year started to look like a real player.
