Here’s a simple reality. It is very likely that Pitt basketball is going to slip a little further in the short term before it improves.

Complain about the disappointments of this season, but there aren’t that many examples of programs that lost their head coach after being in the NCAA Tournament — and improving immediately. Let alone tread water. In the last five years, the only examples that spring to mind are just this past year: Shaka Smart to Texas, Iowa State under Steve Prohm and Will Wade at VCU. And again, all three didn’t do dramatically better. They stayed constant.

There are just so many changes. From style of play, lost recruiting class, transfers, graduations.

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Well, now basketball gets on the coaching carousel.

I am saddened. I know plenty of you are celebrating. Fine.

It probably was the smart move for Jamie Dixon and Pitt. This wasn’t a case where the AD wanted him gone like Jeff Long to Walt Harris. At the same time, the school was not exactly stopping him.

Barnes: "Yes there was a buyout, and it was as big of a buyout as I've ever seen in the marketplace. And we softened that buyout."

— Dan Sostek (@dan_sostek) March 21, 2016

The stuff I referenced earlier today about Buzz Williams has been turning over in my mind. I have to believe Dixon spoke with Ben Howland and was reminded of how that ended.

I liked Jamie Dixon as a coach and as a representative of the University of Pittsburgh. I don’t think things were as gone as some suggest.

I’m not pretending things were great, but some of the revisionism and denigration of Dixon to rationalize why he should go was beyond stupid.

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I don’t know.

Just get that out of the way now. I don’t know if Jamie Dixon will leave Pitt for TCU.

Here I was trying to decompress for a couple days with the end of the season. Just trying to enjoy the games that were playing and regroup. Nope.

I thought it was absolute silliness a week or two ago. Now, it seems to be a real possibility.

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In a timely article, considering where the comments from the last FB article left off, here is DiPaola of the Trib-Review talking about Boyd’s departure and who we have waiting in the wings to take center stage.  HCPN looks like he doesn’t really want to talk does he?

Narduzzi is high on SO WR Charles Fitzgerald Tipton though. I’m not sure where “Tre” came from but his given middle name is a good omen for sure:

Besides Ford, who was the second-leading pass catcher last season with 26 receptions for 505 yards and two touchdowns, Tipton also has attracted attention. Narduzzi, in fact, wasn’t afraid to describe the Apollo-Ridge graduate this way:  “He’s going to be a great player for us,” he said last week. “I think when you watch the spring game (April 16), you are going to go, ‘Whoa. Who is that No. 2?’ ”

Tipton impressed last summer and was inserted in four games before injuring a knee and missing the rest of the season. “I tell him it’s about being tough,” Narduzzi said. “You can’t get better with the yellow jersey on. If he gets through 15 (spring practices), that means he’s mentally and physically toughened up.

“He’s explosive. He has great hands. He runs great routes. He can get off press (coverage). He’s a football player, but he has to show it on the field.”

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The biggest storyline at Pitt now isn’t spring camp nor the BB loss – it is that the NCAA has granted James Conner another season of play when they approved his “Medical Redshirt” exemption for the 2015 season. What this means folks is not only do we have Conner for this season but also for the 2017 season.

No one has any idea how Conner will do this year with 1) his MCI injury which was sort of lost in the news of Conner’s cancer battle.  Remember that ankle cost him the full year even before his diagnosis of Hodgkin’s-Lymphoma.

It may well have been that even without his other illness Conner may not have bounced back 100% from that MCI.  Now however, I think it is pretty safe to assume that his 2017 season would see him as the post-medical issues James Conner who tore up the field in 2014 for 1769 yards at a 5.9 ypc clip with 26 (!!) TDs.

If he does well this season, and let’s hope so for both his and our program’s sake, he may well declare before the ’17 season – but who knows.  Conner had already said he’d forgo the NFL draft, which he was eligible for just like Boyd, and return for 2016 even before he got hurt.

There are grand days ahead my friends and no wonder RB Chris James took off after the season ended. These NCAA decisions, at least this one, isn’t all that hard to figure out in advance… especially with the emotional and publicity potential involved with the NCAA on this call.

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Once more. 6:50 PM on TNT.

I’m actually watching this game in a public place. I’ll either be completely reserved or a bit of a lunatic. There is no middle ground.

This should be a close game played. Tempo will be slow, but I expect the score to be in the 60s. Not a defensive struggle so much as efficient offenses willing to let the clock go to get their shots.  Whether it is Wisconsin with a swing style offense or Pitt with motion. Both teams depend on ball and player movement to find the best look.

I expect both teams to have a short bench tonight.

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Chas will post a NCAA-Pitt v Wisconsin open thread later but let’s get a football fix in for this morning. Good luck Panthers against the Wisconsin Badgers… merely a warm-up for the grand upset of OSU I’m sure.

DiPaoloa of the Trib addresses something that we have talked about regularly on here since the end of January bowl game – filling the need for departing LBs Nick Grigsby and coming up with a new LB two deep lineup.  If you remember the final players in the ’15 two deep were as follows:

Star Linebacker  3 NICHOLAS GRIGSBY (SR*, 6-1, 220) 44 Matt Steinbeck (SR*, 6-0, 210) 21 Jameel Poteat (SR*, 5-10, 215)

Mike Linebacker  47 MATT GALAMBOS (JR, 6-2, 240) 58 Quintin Wirginis (SO, 6-2, 240)

Money Linebacker 30 MIKE CAPRARA (JR*, 6-0, 230) OR 4 BAM BRADLEY (JR*, 6-2, 230) Cornerback

Grigsby has graduated so we’ll see SR Mike Caprara get even more playing time this season.  I have liked this kid every since he was recruited. Pitt fans love WPIAL players and even with the ‘too short” knock on him all he did in HS was to end up as Woodland Hills leading all-time tackler with 350 tackles (note that in this video he’s 207# and now he’s up to 240#)… and that is at a school with a very rich football history.  Plus he’s an exceptional student-athlete which I feel is so important in the locker room – especially for a senior.

Conklin is fortunate to have two seniors, Caprara and middle linebacker Matt Galambos, calling formations and schemes. When Bam Bradley recovers from shoulder surgery, it could be three seniors at a position that demands brains and brawn.

“It’s better to have three linebackers talking than just one,” Caprara said. Caprara, who earned a degree in communications and will pursue a master’s in marketing this year, said he devotes “countless hours” to football on and off the field.

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Note, I will be tossing up a second open thread specific for Pitt Wisconsin later in the afternoon. Reed also has some spring football notes. Busy day.

If you are a Cleveland area resident, hopefully I will see you at the watch party tonight. I keep promising to make one of these, this time for sure.

Good first day. Not a complete bracket destroyer unless you somehow had faith in Arizona, Baylor or Purdue making a run. Seriously. You were putting your faith in Baylor or Purdue to make it out of the weekend? You deserve what you get for that.

Arizona got manhandled by Wichita State in the opening round. Seems vaguely familiar. Did anyone make sure Sean Miller got an IV of fluids or something? I’ve never seen a coach sweat like that so quickly before. I was worried he was going to collapse on the floor from dehydration. Nope. Only Tony Bennett did that yesterday.

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It’s here. It’s here. Crap, I haven’t filled out a single bracket. Well, it’s not like carefully studying and thinking about the brackets for hours on end has ever worked out for me.

St. Patrick’s Day and the start of the NCAA Tournament. Stay away from the bars.

UNC-Wilm. vs Duke     12:15 PM    CBS
Butler vs Texas Tech     12:40 PM   truTV
UConn vs Colorado       1:30 PM      TNT
Iona vs Iowa St.             2:00 PM     TBS
Yale vs Baylor                  2:45 PM     CBS

That doesn’t look like a half-bad way to start things off today.

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Big feature piece on James Robinson from the Pitt News. Good read.

No formal ACC Network by July from ESPN? That will be an extra $3 million per year per school. The article suggests something that evolves will be a “multi-platform product” that gets branded as the ACC Network. I’m having trouble distinguishing that from what presently exists from the “ACC Network” at present that has some syndication and is shown streaming via ESPN3.

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To start the day, here is a taste of last year’s “412 Crew”

March 15, 2016

PHOTO GALLERY | QUOTES

PITTSBURGH – Pitt Football held its first spring practice of 2016 on Tuesday with a two-hour session at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex.

Day one featured just helmets and shorts as the Panthers implemented their new offense under the direction of Pitt’s freshly minted offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

Click here to read post-practice comments from Canada.

The Panthers return four starters to the offensive line, but will be without graduated center Artie Rowell, meaning the Panthers will be testing out new players at center in the upcoming weeks.

Taking snaps at center with the first-string offensive line today was redshirt freshman Alex Bookser. Also in the mix are fellow freshmen Alex Paulina,Tony Pilato and Alex Galiyas.

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Oh, man. Spring practices for football start today. I’m not ready. Thanks, Reed.

If you still question the work done by Pitt basketball’s strength and conditioning program, Rozelle Nix posted a picture of himself last night on twitter. It’s a credit to the staff and to Nix himself for clearly. CLEARLY, putting in the work in the weight room and with his diet. That is an impressive transformation.

That is one of the reasons I am not worried about Corey Manigault from the incoming recruiting class. One of the few knocks on him is conditioning. Not going to be an issue at Pitt.

Here’s the full schedule of broadcasts for the first four days of the NCAA Tournament, starting tonight.

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Congrats to the Pitt BB team for their receipt of an invitation to the “Big Dance”. Not an easy road with OSU in their path but stranger things have happened… to other teams. Pitt seems to stumble when the biggest lights shine but as Arnie Schwarzenegger once said “Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.”  Good Luck on Friday guys!

Today is the first day of the 2016 football season for all intents and purposes. Spring Practice is when we whet our fan appetites for the Panthers’ new year. Every year we have new personnel in the staff and administration; we will greet new players on the roster and will say goodbye to others – some who were big parts of the team and other young men who never made much impact on the team at all.

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I threw this up quickly earlier when I was running out the door. It is a press release from Pitt on the eve of Spring Drills.  Here are some observations I have after reading it:

We moved ex-WR Manny Stocker to QB as depth. That is a bit of a surprise but at 6’2″ and 220 lbs he has the build and was actually recruited at the position by other schools.  Here is what Pitt lists as his HS info:

Starred at Coatesville Area under Coach Matt Ortega…as a senior, passed for nearly 2,000 yards and accounted for 30 touchdowns (20 passing and 10 rushing)…a team captain, he led Coatesville to a 9-3 record and the quarterfinals of the District 1 Class AAAA playoffs…invited to participate in the Under Armour Elite Top 25 Quarterback Showcase…rated one of Pennsylvania’s top 40 overall prospects by Rivals.

Huh,  there is a little bit of a backstory to Stocker’s transfer from NC state to UTM to Pitt.

Manny Stocker Sr. told WRAL that his son – who was recruited by former coach Tom O’Brien – didn’t get a fair shot from Doeren and his staff.

“In the beginning, he was told by the new staff that he would be competing for the job,” Stocker, Sr told the television station. “But on the first day of summer camp, he got zero snaps. Coach Doeren wanted to redshirt Manny for him to develop but he didn’t even get many snaps on the scout team.

“We accepted the fact Manny didn’t get the position. But we don’t feel it was a fair process.” Neither Stocker nor his father have indicated where he’ll transfer.

He is a bit of a wandered having been at University of Tennessee at Martin just before Pitt… here is his lone college highlight:

Manny Stocker, a transfer from N.C. State, made a memory of his first play as a Skyhawk quarterback with a 70-yard run down the right sideline for a 63-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

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I can’t complain over Pitt’s seed or opponent.

Pitt is a #10 seed in the East Region. They will play #7 Wisconsin in St. Louis at 6:50 pm on Friday on TNT. TV viewing-wise, that is remarkably convenient.

Pitt is a slight underdog against Wisconsin.

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