Lots that I have not gotten to for a couple days.

Working backwards, there was the Seton Hill exhibition blowout. A chance to play with the line-ups and give the new guards lots of playing time.

Gibbs, who started at point guard, and Woodall, who came off the bench, combined for 22 points, four assists, five steals and three rebounds. They shot 9 of 12 from the field, going 4 of 7 from 3-point range, while playing a combined 37 minutes.

“Both of them played well,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “They are both good players. They are great kids. …Both guys have got to get better defensively. But it was good minutes for them.”

Gibbs, a Seton Hall Prep product, started alongside sophomore shooting guard Brad Wanamaker, and finished with nine points, two assists and two steals. He had no turnovers in 17 minutes.

Woodall, who played at USA Today No. 1 St. Anthony’s, went 3 of 5 from 3-point range, with 13 points, three steals, two assists and two turnovers.

“I think I could have done a lot better,” Woodall said. “When Levance gets here, you know he’s not going to turn the ball over. So, I have to improve that. But I think I came out and did all right.”

Fields has returned to practice, but he won’t return until he’s full-strength.

Gibbs learned at the morning shoot-around that he would start.

“I think I did well,” he said. “I did all right. I’m just glad we were able to get in there and get some playing time.”

All of Pitt’s newcomers performed well. Freshman forward Nasir Robinson went 5 of 6 from the field for 10 points and junior college transfer Jermaine Dixon had five assists and four rebounds while playing turnover-free ball.

It seems to be partially necessity with Fields out, but also Coach Dixon’s comfort level with tinkering in exhibition rather than focusing on making sure a rotation is set and everyone knows their roles. Despite this being a veteran team, there are still a lot of open spots in the rotation and determining whether there will be an redshirts.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon cautioned not to read too much into the starting lineup he had on the court yesterday afternoon for Pitt’s first exhibition game against Seton Hill College. By the time the regular season rolls around, the starting five of Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, Sam Young, Tyrell Biggs and DeJuan Blair could be ancient history.

Or, if things unfolded the way they did against the Division II Griffins, Dixon could be tempted to keep it the same. Pitt routed Seton Hill, 102-51, before 6,020 spectators who saw what Dixon described as his “tinkering” process as the preseason unfolds.

Josh (Merlin) Verlin at Oakland Zoo has a very good game write-up of the exhibition.

DeJuan Blair talked a little about his leadership role and offseason conditioning. Can’t wait for the first game on TV so I can actually see the difference.

Jeff Goodman at FoxSports.com and The Sporting News preview both peg Pitt at #9 in the preseason rankings.

Not surprising, are the concerns.

Pittsburgh’s season hinges on the health of Levance Fields’ foot and the development of a reliable perimeter shooter.

Plain and simple.

The Sporting News Preview from Mike DeCourcy is always interesting since he is the only national college basketball writer who has his roots back in the ‘Burgh.

So when the subject of that drought comes up — and it comes up often, because it’s pretty much an obsession with Pitt fans — folks want to know what the program needs to do in order to get past the Sweet 16.

And the answer is simple: Have more than one DeJuan Blair grow up in the backyard every 20 years.

Not that there’s ever been another DeJuan Blair. He’s darned close to unique as a college basketball player: a 6-7 bear who can handle himself as a center both offensively and defensively. But around him are guys from Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and New Jersey. There are as many scholarship players from the Bahamas as there are from Western Pennsylvania.

That lack of homegrown talent, as much as anything else probably had much to do with why Pitt pursued Herb Pope despite most observers not seeing him worth the risk after a point. One of those other potential local talents took a visit to another school last week. Tom Droney was in South Bend to visit ND and watch their scrimmage. Unfortunately he returned home Saturday morning. So, he didn’t get to see the football game.

Finally Big East Basketball Report pegs Pitt for #3 in the Big East and sees a 13-5 conference record.

Oh, the Sam Young playing small forward takes on greater importance with this news.

Sophomore forward Gilbert Brown, who played in all 37 games last season with 15 starts, has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot and will be out 10-14 days. That means Brown likely will miss the season opener Nov. 14 against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Brown did not mention the injury after Sunday night’s exhibition game against Seton Hill, but he had been experiencing some discomfort in the foot the past few weeks. Dixon said that the foot does not bother Brown when he plays, but he has pain the following day.

This is frustrating for all. Brown is only beginning to come into his own. He has shown glimpses, but has also struggled to stay injury free.

The hope was that this season, he would be a key player. Attacking from the wing on offense and being a shutdown defender on the perimeter. Well, Sam Young can probably give him some advice about dealing with the frustration of the body holding you back longer than everyone including yourself expects.

In some good news, Levance Fields’ latest MRI was good.

Fields is cleared for all-out practice, Dixon said. The senior point guard is expected to practice two days and take one day off.

It’s undecided if Fields will be in uniform when the Panthers play host to La Roche on Sunday in their final exhibition.

Keep him coming back slow. Let the kids get some more work and just play it safe with Fields’ health until December.

Okay, Pitt comes in at #6 in the ESPN/USA Today Coach’s Poll. Pitt had 576 points. #5 Duke had 578 points and #7 Michigan St. had 572 points. Very tight grouping.

For those of you who play EA’s NCAA Basketball, Coach Jamie Dixon was one of the coaches the game designers consulted. Definitely go with the Pitt players.

Draft Express looks at top NBA prospects from the Big East. DeJuan Blair was ranked #6.

This will be an important season for Blair if he improved his body as much as has been suggested, mainly because it should give evaluators a much better feel for what his potential is physically. If he can show improvements with his quickness, explosion, and conditioning, it would go a long ways for improving his chances to play in the NBA. Still, at 6’7 without much semblance of a jumper, it’s going to be something of an uphill battle for Blair, even though he’s clearly on the path to being an outstanding college player.

He was also ranked #10 overall by CBS Sports among “Big Men.”

Meanwhile, Sam Young was listed at #4 by Draft Express for the NBA.

Although Young has received much praise regarding his improved offensive skills, he makes his biggest impact on the defensive end. He plays exceptional man to man defense with a certain spirit and energy which is contagious – elevating the defensive efforts of his teammates. His physical attributes don’t hurt him either, as he possesses a long wingspan which he uses to contest every shot and deny passing lanes. His off the ball defense could get better, as he can be late on rotations and gets hung up on pick and rolls. His rebounding however is very good for a player of his size as he averages about 6 a game.

With improved ball-handling skills and increased 3 point range, Young will try to establish himself as a solid first round pick this season, even though his upside won’t be deemed as high as some others due to his advanced age. His physical tools, defensive abilities, and no nonsense attitude will be his strongest selling points.

Young was also the focus of an AP piece that has gotten national play on his move to small forward.

“I’m 100 percent ready to play any position they need me to play,” said Young, who led Pitt to a 27-10 record, the Big East Conference tournament title and the NCAA round of 16.

Young doesn’t think the deeper 3-point line will affect his shooting.

“Not even a little bit,” he said. “As soon as we found out it was going to be changed, coach Dixon got a new (line) put on our court. We’ve been shooting with it ever since. I think we’re all just as comfortable with it as before.”

Over to recruiting, Dominic Cheek is puting off his visit to Pitt for another week. He has eliminated Indiana and Seton Hall from contention.

Ashton Sterling Gibbs, visited his older brother and the liked what he saw from Pitt.

“The trip was crazy,” Gibbs said of his visit to Pitt. “I had a lot of fun hanging out with Ashton and the guys, it was a really good overall trip.”

On Sunday, it was Pitt’s annual fanfest where a Blue/Gold scrimmage took place. Even though Sterling and his family were headed back to New Jersey for the Eddie Griffin Challenge by the time Asthon hit the floor, they were able to see that Ashton is adjusting well at Pitt.

Gibbs is a 2011 target and has no leader at this point.

So, I feel like going upbeat. How about some basketball things.

Starting with recruiting. Dominic Cheek will visit Pitt this weekend. He’ll be joined by guard Isaiah Epps.

“I should be going out there [to Pitt] next weekend,” he said. “I don’t have any favorite schools. I’m open for anything.”

Epps said he had no other visits planned, but “I should be going to Seton Hall and Rutgers, too, on unofficial visits.”

A quick, talented combo guard, Epps said he also garnered interest over the summer from Texas, Michigan State and Virginia Tech.

Hopefully they will be staying through Sunday. Pitt kicks off the exhibition season with Seton Hill and then has a student event afterwards. I’m sure Josh (merlin) and the rest of the Oakland Zoo will have more information. Be sure to check them out, and if you are students, definitely go to the game and the event afterwards.

Durand Scott has previously visited Pitt. He’s also narrowed his choices to Pitt, UConn and Miami. UCLA and Tennessee have been eliminated.

Scott’s former Rice teammate, Kemba Walker, is a frosh at UConn, one of several built-in advantages the school may have, along with its proximity.

“Kemba is like a brother to me and that’s forever,” Scott told the Journal Inquirer after the UConn visit. “He’s going to do college a year before me, so he’s definitely a person I can get advance from and bounce ideas off of. But a person should never go to a college just because another person’s there. When you come down to it, it’s your life, not that other person’s life.”

As for the Pitt visit last month, Scott joined Pitt commits Dante Taylor of National Christian and Lamar Patterson of St. Benedict’s. During the Iowa-Pitt football game that weekend, the basketball team was honored with its rings for winning the Big East Tournament.

“It went really well,” Scott said then. “I had fun out there. I met the coaching staff. I know a couple guys out there, Travon Woodall and Ashton Gibbs and Levance Fields, so I felt very comfortable. I felt right at home.”

Scott also plays AAU ball for the New York Gauchos. Pitt’s video coordinator, Rasheen Davis, was a coach for the Gauchos U-17 team and an assistant coach at Rice High. So, there is some extra comfort there as well.

Scott may be making up his mind sometime this month for the November signing period.

Levance Fields’ foot remains heavily scrutinized.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said LeVance Fields will do five-on-zero workouts this week but will not participate in any contact drills. The plan for Fields, recovering from foot surgery and an infection that occurred after the procedure, is to go two days on, one day off for the foreseeable future. Dixon said Fields is due for X-rays to check on the healing of the foot on Monday.

I twitch a bit as I type this, but don’t rush back. I’d rather some early struggles and then have to work Fields back in — but healthy and ready for the Big East portion and the second half of the season.

If there is an excuse for people to doubt Pitt’s chances for success this year, this will be it.

7. The Levance Fields situation at Pittsburgh is going to be one worth keeping an eye on all season.

The Panthers’ coaching staff is taking it slow with the senior point guard because they realize without him, they would be reliant on a freshman floor leader and that means they are dead in the water. Sam Young didn’t deny that fact. Fields just started going through non-contact workouts, but don’t be surprised if Jamie Dixon & Co., use kid gloves with him all season.

The guard situation is the overall concern for Pitt. Travon Woodall is likely to be playing a lot of point in place of Fields. The shooting guard spot is open between sophomore Bradley Wanamaker, junior college transfer Jermaine Dixon and freshman Ashton Gibbs. Obviously on Pitt defense is expected. What will help any of the contenders’ chances will be the ability to make 3s on a consistent basis.

“One of our best 3-point shooters left, in Ronald, and … what I do is shoots 3s,” Gibbs said. “So far I’ve shot pretty well in practice. If I have an open shot, I’m going to take it.”

Junior-college transfer Jermaine Dixon had a team-high three 3-pointers in the scrimmage, although that is not his forte. He is a strong penetrator and decision maker, but as a shooting guard he is going to be asked to make more than his share of outside shots.

“Coach [Brandin] Knight has been working with me everyday on 3-pointers,” Dixon said. “When I was in junior college, I shot poorly. But I feel comfortable shooting the 3.”

Jamie Dixon acknowledges the lack of proven outside shooters on his roster, but he also believes the 3-point shot will be less of a factor in games than in previous years.

The NCAA moved the 3-point line back one foot to 20 feet, 9 inches.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Dixon said. “Obviously, we lost some [shooters], but the line goes back a foot. I think it’s going to be different. I don’t think people are going to make as many 3s. It won’t be as much of a factor. It won’t be shot as much. It won’t be made as much.

“It’s going to change a lot of things. It’s going to change how people play defense. You’re going to see a lot of zone defense. You’ll see more teams sagging in the post and helping on drives. It’s a harder shot.”

Pitt still needs to knock down some 3s, if for no other reason than to make sure the inside is opened enough for Young, Blair, Brown and a guy like Jermaine Dixon to attack from the perimeter.

Dixon, 21, has been one of the standouts during Pitt’s opening week of practice. He showed his progress Sunday afternoon when he scored a team-high 16 points in Pitt’s Blue-Gold scrimmage. Dixon was 6 of 11 from the field, including 3 of 5 from behind the new, deeper 3-point line.

Dixon’s team lost to the Gold team, 63-54, behind 22 points and 13 rebounds from sophomore center DeJuan Blair as part of Fanfest at Petersen Events Center. But Dixon, who has two years of eligibility remaining, appears ready to play a key role in Pitt’s backcourt.

“He’s gotten better,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “He’s very physical, tough (and) athletic.”

Because of where he started, Jermaine Dixon takes nothing for granted. He played at Blake High in Baltimore before spending one year at prep school at Maine Central Institute.

“He’s a humble person, and he plays that way,” Herrion said. “You don’t see a lot of fanfare with him.”

For those that don’t know or remember the Dixon brothers history from when Juan Dixon was part of the 2002 Maryland team, it is still a great achievement of what they have overcome together.

Yes, Lute Olson has retired. I already have been spending more time than i would care to on this for FanHouse, and expect to be doing a lot more. And yes, the rumors are already flying that Arizona will go after Jamie Dixon  or Gonzaga Coach Mark Few.

There’s really nothing that can be done about the rumors at this point. Dixon has been mentioned as being a possibility for Arizona when Olson retired for some time. It’s nothing new. All anyone — including Arizona — can do is wait until April. There is no way any coach Arizona would like to hire — that is presently employed — would leave his team right now. Definitely not Dixon or Few. Especially considering the potential of the teams they have.

Cynically, the way Olson has left is the best way possible for keeping Dixon. Here’s one thing I noted.

As far as the Wildcat team, this looks like a lost season and definitely a lost year for recruiting. Lute Olson certainly didn’t intend it, but he leaves Arizona mess. Two years of interim coaches. Recruiting has suffered — Abdul Gaddy and Solomon Hill have all but said they are re-opening their recruitment. Talent has fled to Europe — and after this year it is good-bye to Chase Budinger. Don’t be surprised if Nic Wise and Jordan Hill also get out after their junior year.

Add in the fact that any coach hired would have to clean that up and follow a legend. Something that is rarely a formula for long-term job security. Long-term, Arizona is a great job. Short-term, a coach is looking at money, a mess and then rebuilding his reputation somewhere else.

I’m rooting for Mike Stoops’ Arizona football team to implode in the second half. Forcing another coaching change — and stretching money with buyouts — to make it more difficult for the Arizona Athletic Department to throw too much money at Dixon for him to say no.

Gary Parrish at CBS Sports puts Pitt #10 (4th in the Big East) in his rankings.

The uncertainty about the health of Levance Fields is enough to keep Pitt fans worried. But if Fields is good, the Panthers can be really good.

Everyone at Media Day, was apparently asking Fields about the left foot.

Fields must have repeated the line, “no timetable” at least 25 times on Wednesday each time he was asked his status following another surgery on his left foot – the same one he broke last season.

“I can’t really give you where I’m at,” Fields said.

Fields is doing a little shooting, lifting and also strengthening his leg. He’s not allowed to do any cutting yet.

“They don’t want me doing too much,” Fields said. “I’ve got to be patient.”

Sam Young maintains no regrets about not even considering the NBA last season. Mainly because he feels there is unfinished business.

“It definitely could have changed my outlook,” he said. “But when you have so much hope to go so far and you come up that short, I just feel like it’s unfinished business. It’s something that I needed to figure out, if I would come back for another season, because things didn’t go right at all, as far as the NCAA Tournament.”

Young was also ranked 5th by Parrish among the top “wing” players. Where Young will be playing more of this season.

While Gilbert Brown wasn’t at Media Day, this was left over from Pitt’s media day last week. Brown would really like to stay healthy.

Brown has been injured, ill or both simultaneously for most of his three-year Pitt basketball career. Asking him about his injuries is like asking him to talk about how his childhood dog died.

With a face that looked like he heard nails go down a chalkboard, Brown said he’d do “anything” to stay healthy this year.

He should start knocking on everything wooden, and considering he lives in a gymnasium, he’d be doing a lot of that.

“I’m crossing my fingers,” Brown said. “I’m hoping.”

We all are.

Coach Dixon spoke well of New Jersey — or at least the kids recruited from there.

As always, Big East Basketball Report has plenty of material. They have a link round-up from media day. And more links here. Plus Correspondant Zach Smart has the first of two capsule report on each team from media day.

They couldn’t schedule some collective bye week for Big East football or something. It would have made things a little easier. Not to mention allowed the spotlight to go to a little bit of hyping for basketball season. As it is, I’m way behind on catching up.

Okay. The basics. UConn was picked to win the Big East by the coaches. Pitt finished 3d in the voting.

1. Connecticut (9) — 214
2. Louisville (3) —– 205
3. Pittsburgh (3) —- 200
4. Notre Dame (1) —195
5. Villanova ——— 153
6. Marquette ——- 146
7. Georgetown —– 141
8. Syracuse ——– 139
9. West Virginia —- 121
10. Providence —– 99
11. Cincinnati —— 91
12. Rutgers ——– 53
13. Seton Hall —– 50
14. St. John’s —— 44
15. DePaul ——— 43
16. USF ———— 26

Not sure if that was taken before or after Nate Miles ended up joining the cast of CSI: JUCO.

I’m not bothered by being picked third. The voting for the top 4 teams is so close, and rightfully so. All four are fully capable of winning the Big East — or finishing 9th. I mean WVU down at 9th. Damn. That’s a fringe top-25 team in preseason. That just feeds the meme of how loaded, deep and tough the Big East will be this year.

While Luke Harangody was picked as the preseason Big East Player of the Year, he and Sam Young were the only unanimous selections to the all-Big East Team. No other Pitt players were put on the 11-player, plus 3 All-Big East team. Coach Dixon and Sam Young were bothered.

But when Dixon sees Fields, the team’s heart and soul, and Blair, his gregarious, always-smiling man-child, omitted from All-Big East honors, even the normally reserved sixth-year coach was left bewildered.

“How is Levance not an all-conference player?” he said. “He would be all-conference in any other conference in the country, and DeJuan probably, too. It’s hard to believe.”

…

“I don’t know,” Young said, “I don’t get that. I don’t even know what to tell you. I mean, there’s no way you can evaluate the situation. I mean, geez. Here’s a guy (Blair) that had 10-plus double-double games, and he doesn’t get it.”

Pitt is expected to be ranked in the top 10 in virtually every preseason poll. But the accolades clearly won’t be going to their heads — not with the memory of the snubs at Big East preseason media day.

“I’m sure Levance is already motivated by it,” said Young, with Fields sitting one seat away. “Once we get to Pittsburgh and DeJuan finds out about it, I’m sure he’s going to be furious.”

The simple answer is it’s a 16-team conference and even with 14 slots, I’m hard-pressed to see who gets bumped.

2008-09 PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAM

*Luke Harangody, Notre Dame (Player of the Year), F, Jr., 6-8, Schererville, Ind.

Deonta Vaughan, Cincinnati, G, Jr., 6-1, 195, Indianapolis, Ind.

A.J. Price, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-2, 181, Amityville, N.Y.

Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut, C, Jr., 7-3, 263, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

DaJuan Summers, Georgetown, F, Jr., 6-8, 241, Baltimore, Md.

Terrence Williams, Louisville, F, Sr., 6-6, 210, Seattle, Wash.

Jerel McNeal, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-3, 200, Country Club Hills, Ill.

Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame, G, Sr., 6-0, 196, Staten Island, N.Y.

*Sam Young, Pittsburgh, F, Sr., 6-6, 215, Clinton, Md.

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse, G, So., 6-0, 185, Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-2, 195, Herndon, Va.

2008-09 PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff Adrien, Connecticut, F, Sr., 6-7, 243, Brookline, Mass.

Earl Clark, Louisville, G/F, Jr., 6-8, 220, Rahway, N.J.

Dominic James, Marquette, G, Sr., 5-11, 185, Richmond,Ind.

There’s a lot of deserving talent. You may not like some of them, but those are great players. Besides if it helps motivate Fields and Blair a little more, I’m all for it.

Do you know what today is? It’s Big East Basketball Media Day in NYC. As is Coach Jamie Dixon’s MO, he’s bringing the seniors (PDF). So DeJuan Blair, but Tyrell Biggs along with Sam Young and Levance Fields.

The Big East is going all out with content.

In the days following men’s and women’s media day, fans will be able to watch a narrated behind-the-scenes look from each event, which will consist of “off-the-cuff” interviews with prominent media members, coaches and players.

Soooo… It’s scripted event, they are trying to make look spontaneous?

As Midnight Madness took place for some, SI.com’s Seth Davis asked questions about each top team.

With DeJuan Blair, Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young, the Panthers are as good up front as any other team in the country. In Levance Fields, they have as tough a point guard as you’ll find anywhere. But they lost three very good outside shooters off of last year’s team in Keith Benjamin, Ronald Ramon and Mike Cook, who together sank 56 percent of the team’s three-pointers. (And keep in mind Cook only played 11 games before blowing out his knee.)

Pitt’s dearth of long-range shooters could be an especially glaring deficiency with the new three-point line. Right now, Jamie Dixon will be looking to three possibilities to fill that role: Brad Wanamaker, a 6-4 sophomore who averaged 2.2 points as a freshman; Ashton Gibbs, a 6-2 freshman from New Jersey; and Jermaine Dixon, a 6-3 transfer from Tallahassee Junior College. Dixon, it should be noted, is the younger brother of my all-time favorite college player, the former Maryland guard Juan Dixon, but until one of those three proves he can make shots, this will remain a open question, dialed in from long-distance.

Not sure why he excluded Travon Woodall except that he might have him in as the back-up PG and so not as the guy to take Ramon’s spot.

While the new 3-point line’s likely impact has been minimized by many coaches — including Coach Dixon — there are some who aren’t so dismissive.

But the only data we have suggests the change could be radical. Those numbers come from U.S. participation in international play, which uses a 20-foot, 6-inch line for the 3-point shot. That’s closer to the goal than the 20-feet, 9-inches that’ll be the new rule for college, yet some of the best young American players have struggled terribly when adjusting to the international distance.

In the past three competitions for college-age players — the 2007 Pan-American Games, the 2007 Under-19 World Championships and the 2008 Under-18 FIBA Americas Championships, the U.S. shot a combined 119-of-393 (30.3 percent) from 3-point range. Now, that figure is deflated by the fact the international game uses a shorter shot clock, but it ought to have been inflated by the presence of elite players on those teams: Davidson’s Stephen Curry, Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel and Washington State’s Derrick Low.

The game could change more than coaches would have you believe.

If so, that’s a big advantage for Pitt, since the reliance on the perimeter shot by Pitt will not be as high as others.

Now ESPN.com has the team breakdowns from Blue Ribbon Yearbook (Insider subs.). Here’s the “Final Analysis” on PItt.

BACKCOURT: B+
BENCH/DEPTH: B
FRONTCOURT: A-
INTANGIBLES: A-

Dixon did an incredible job last year, guiding the Panthers to 27 wins and a 10-8 Big East mark despite the injuries to Fields and Cook. The program’s strength was evident as players like Benjamin, Ramon and Brown stepped into larger roles and filled them.

This year, Pitt will rely on its three all-conference candidates — Fields, Young and Blair — to lead what will otherwise be a very young team.

Pitt owes its recent string of success to the defensive-approach preached by Dixon. Now entering his sixth year as head coach, Dixon thinks this might be his best defensive team yet.

“I like this team,” Dixon said. “I’ve liked all our teams, but I like this team. I think we can be very deep, very tough physically. We’ve got some guys that can make shots and create shots on their own.

“The question to me is how good we can become defensively. I think this can be a good defensive team; as good defensively as any team we’ve had.”

If he’s right about that, Dixon might just take Pitt to its first Final Four.

Homecoming weekend doesn’t end Saturday night, by the way. In lieu of Midnight Madness for the students, there’s the FanFest Sunday afternoon at the Pete.

The University of Pittsburgh will host its fifth annual Basketball Fan Fest and Intrasquad Scrimmages on Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Petersen Events Center. The event will highlight the Pitt men’s and women’s basketball teams and feature autograph sessions, team scrimmages and various fan-oriented events. Admission is free to this family-oriented event. Free parking is available in the OC Lot. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.

So, there’s that.

Well, hopefully not that bad. Still, you know you are expected to be a major player in the season when the news of a player’s slow recovery from an injury is getting play and the AP story is picked up everywhere.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said Thursday it is uncertain how long Fields will be out. Pitt, which is likely to be a preseason Top 10 team, begins play Nov. 14 against Fairleigh Dickinson.

“I don’t think we can make any predictions on that,” Dixon said. “Who would have thought he’d be playing on it for two months (this summer) and not have one problem with it, and then have the injury re-occur? It’s unexplainable.”

Dixon called the injury a setback.

“There’s nothing positive about him not being able to go (and) losing conditioning,” he said.

Yesterday was Pitt’s media day, so there was no way to keep this relatively quiet. And despite the angst in the story getting reported, Fields is still downplaying things as not that big of a deal.

“It’s good. I’m up to date as far as where I should be with it,” Fields said. “I’m rehabbing it and doing the right things out there but its is frustrating. How could it not be?”

Fields, who participated in the Steve Nash Skills Camp over the summer, said he still feels pain in the foot but he is shooting a basketball and he expects to be ready when Pitt opens its season Nov. 14 with a home game against Fairleigh Dickinson.

“We’re taking our time right now. Taking a few days off here and there,” Fields said. “It’s the best surgery I could have and it’s what the doctors wanted to do when I broke it in the first place. I’ll be fine.”

That means while Fields is recovering, it’s freshman Travon Woodall at the point.

Woodall suffered a mild concussion and had some teeth knocked loose when he collided with another Pitt player during a workout yesterday. But he’s ready to fill in for Fields, who has become his mentor.

Woodall said he’s learning from the best, just as Brandin Knight taught Carl Krauser, who taught Fields.

“I’ve got the best point guard in the country on my team,” Woodall said. “He doesn’t score 30 points, but he makes sure he gets the win. He doesn’t turn the ball over. … What better person to learn from than Levance? I don’t have to watch old film of Isaiah Thomas or anybody like that. I’ve got the best general right here, right now.”

Oh, it was Wednesday night and Sam Young did it.

Woodall, at 195 pounds, is thin, but he already has gained 10 pounds under the tutelage of strength and conditioning coach Tim Beltz.

If there is one aspect where he might struggle as a freshman, it is with his ability to endure the rigors of the Big East.

Woodall has yet to take part in an official Pitt practice, but he already has learned how physical they can be. In a scrimmage Wednesday night, Woodall stepped in front of Sam Young to take a charge. Young’s elbow caught Woodall in the mouth, cut the inside of his gums and gave him a slight concussion.

“I found out real quick that it’s the Big East,” Woodall said. “I woke up real fast and recognized how physical it is. I actually had a mouth guard in. The mouth guard split, so that tells you strong [forward] Sam is.”

I guess the concussion must have been mild. Otherwise, it might not be the best plan to put a freshman with a concussion before the media, not to mention a whole lot of camera flashes going off around him.

Also on the injury list for freshmen, forward Dwight Miller has a heel injury that has held him out for six weeks. There’s nothing saying when he will be able to participate in regular practices that will start tomorrow. If he doesn’t get back soon, he’s almost assured of redshirting and not getting in the rotation when the season gets underway (he can ask Gilbert Brown about that). Hopefully not, because most accounts had him as a very pleasant surprise in the summer league and his practices.

And Gilbert Brown is having some ankle issues to slow him down.

As for those big expectations in the preseason rankings. Naturally Coach Jamie Dixon downplays it a bit — even while acknowledging why.

Coach Jamie Dixon felt his team was underrated going into last season, so how about this year? How about the folks who pick his team as high as No. 2?

“Maybe I don’t agree with it,” Dixon said, “but I understand it.”

Dixon wants to see how some of his inexperienced perimeter players perform before he believes his team belongs in anybody’s top five.

But he knows why people are bullish on Pitt. It’s because of The Big Three — senior forward Sam Young, sophomore center DeJuan Blair and senior point guard Levance Fields.

Here’s Hoopsworld.com, for example putting Pitt #3.

The expectations haven’t been this high for the Panthers since Chris Taft was considered a lottery pick. Unlike back then though, this team is legit and is certainly capable of being the last team standing after all the madness. Levance Fields established himself as one of the best lead guards in the country last night, and more importantly a clutch player who you can give the ball with the game on the line.

Inside the Panthers have two of the nation’s most talented frontcourt players in Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. Young is among the nation’s most versatile players and few freshmen big men have come in and made as big of an impact as Blair did in his first season. Expect the duo to have a big year as they begin to put establish their NBA draft stock. The most important thing for the Panthers is to stay healthy. Last year at times they were decimated by injuries and it definitely contributed to their early exit from the tournament.

Pitt has a press release listing the various preseason rankings and honors/rankings for the various players and coaches. It also has a link to watch Coach Dixon’s opening day press conference, and audio interviews with Sam Young, Levance Fields, DeJuan Blair, Gilbert Brown and Bradley Wannamaker.

With many schools — but not Pitt — doing a Midnight Madness event to kick off the beginning of practice, ESPN-U will kick off its coverage of college basketball tonight from 9pm to 1am. Coach Jamie Dixon will be one of the coaches interviewed in the course of the evening.

No not for the football team. Basketball season is closing within a few weeks. Right around the election, exhibition games begin.

Fields was one of the cover boys of the USA Today preview (everyone does regional covers).

They know the goal.

But it will likely be Fields, Blair and Young who determine how far the Panthers can go. Although Pitt has been one of the Big East’s best teams for years, reaching the conference tournament final in seven of the past eight seasons, deep runs in the NCAA tournament have been missing.

“We want to take it to the next level this year,” says Fields. “We’ve been through the Big East wars and the Big East tournaments, but we haven’t gotten the job done in the NCAA tournament, other than going to the Sweet 16 my sophomore year (2007). But we want to go further. With the core guys returning with a lot of experience and the freshmen we have, we feel this is the year, this is the make-or-break year.”

The three core players feel the same.

Now the Pitt Panthers have their sights set on the Motor City — site of next year’s Final Four.

“I have a picture of Detroit in my room,” sophomore center DeJuan Blair said. “That’s all I think about. We won the Big East last year. Now I want to win a national championship.”

Pitt has plenty of motivation after the way last season ended. The Panthers won the Big East tournament championship with a stunning four-game run but were upset by Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA tournament, an all too familiar ending for a program that has been dominant in the Big East but disappointing in NCAA play.

…

“To be honest, I definitely didn’t think that was going to be the end of the road for us,” Young said of the loss to Michigan State. “I’m sure a lot of people didn’t. For an upset like that to happen to us after we won the Big East championship … I feel like we could have done so much more.

“For us to have basically the same team back for this season, it definitely was an inspiration for me to come back and to show people that we’re one of the teams to beat, that we’re the team we thought we were before we lost to Michigan State.”

We’ll see. Right now, after UNC it’s a jumbled mess from #2-8. You can make a legitimate case for any of the following: Pitt, Louisville, UConn, Notre Dame, UCLA, Gonzaga, and Texas (or Oklahoma). That’s what Andy Katz does as he capsules some things on the top teams.

Update: Levance Fields got hurt again. Fields had surgery over the summer, and that causes concern. Fields has to be healthy for Pitt to be the team projected. The Panthers are solid everywhere else. Sam Young stayed put. DeJuan Blair remained happy and if he’s playing loose then the Panthers have a good vibe about themselves. The Panthers have depth, a nasty home court and the experience to make a run to Detroit.

Concern: Fields. Until Fields is on the court without any pain in his foot then the Panthers will have point guard issues. If he’s good to go, a lot of the concerns fade. Perimeter shooting will always be an issue, but that will change if Fields is in the game because he can help set everyone up.

Nonconference highlights: Well, there isn’t much to get excited about in the nonconference. Maybe a Legends Classic against Washington State or Mississippi State will make for good theatre, or even a home game against upstart Siena or always pesky Florida State in Tallahassee. But none of these games will compare to the top of the Big East.

Practices start this Friday. Whoo-hoo.