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Tournament Update: St. John’s defeats UConn
Mar 9th
In the second game of the day in the Big East Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament, St. John’s easily beat UConn by a score of 73-51. St. John’s now advances to play Marquette tomorrow at 2 PM on ESPN.
Providence vs. Seton Hall is scheduled to start in 15 minutes. You can find that game on ESPN2.
Tournament Update: USF defeats DePaul
Mar 9th
The first game of the 2010 Big East Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament is over.
The Bulls of South Florida defeated the DePaul Blue Demons by a score of 58-49. USF will advance to play Georgetown tomorrow at noon. That game will be televised on ESPN.
The next game is set to tip off any minute now. St. John’s will take on UConn in first round play. Tune in to ESPN2 to watch it or check back here for updates later this afternoon.
Big East Tournament Preview
Mar 9th
Well the Big East Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament starts today at noon with Depaul facing off against USF (ESPN2). Before that, let’s take a real quick look at the tournament and what to expect over the next few days.
Mike_B:
I just wanted to highlight a few points before the tournament gets underway:
Favorites to Win: Syracuse, WVU, Pitt
Dark Horse Teams: Villanova, Georgetown, Notre Dame
Big Dance Implications: Win one game, get a low 3 seed. Reach the Finals, get a high 3 seed. Win the Big East Tournament, Low 2 seed.I like Pitt’s chances to get to at least the semi-finals, but I am skeptical of them reaching the finals. They will likely play either WVU or Louisville, and both teams gave Pitt troubles at The Pete. Granted MSG is home away from home for Pitt, it’s still going to be a tough task for Pitt if either team is on.
Dan_P:
I agree with Mike for the most part. I’m going with Syracuse and WVU in the final, with Syracuse taking it all. Despite losing to Louisville, I think Syracuse is just too good to lose in this tournament. Even if Louisville has Syracuse’s number, the Cardinals aren’t going to make it to the championship game, which is the only game in which they could meet Syracuse in this tournament.
Look for Pitt to beat Notre Dame and play a close game with WVU in the semifinals. If Pitt can play a tight game with no mistakes, they could get to the finals where they’d have a good shot at beating Syracuse.
So there it is. Remember, coverage starts at noon on ESPN2 today. Pitt will play their first game on Thursday at 7 PM on ESPN.
Gibbs named Big East Most Improved Player
Mar 8th
Congratulations to Ashton Gibbs, he was announced the Big East Most Improved Player. Gibbs improved to 16.2 points per game (4.2 last year). He converted on 40.4% of his 3 pointers and 89% of his Free Throws.
2010 Big East Tournament
Mar 8th
Editor’s Note: Sorry about the wrong bracket there earlier. Uploaded the wrong photo and listed the wrong times. This is the correct bracket. Thanks to “RD” for the heads up.
It’s time Panther fans. The Big East Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament has finally come. We’ve been slacking a little in our coverage over the past few weeks, but we’ve got our act together and we’re ready to cover the tournament from start to finish.
The Panthers, with a little bit of flash, have put together a nice finish to the regular season this year. Pitt enters the tournament at 13-5 in the conference (24-7 overall), tied for second with WVU and Villanova. Syracuse takes the uncontested top spot at 15-3 in the Big East (28-3 overall). With the Panthers’ record, they’ve earned a double bye in the tournament and automatically enter at the quarterfinal round. Pitt will face off first against either Notre Dame, Providence, or Seton Hall. Notre Dame earned a first-round bye and will play the winner of the Providence vs. Seton Hall matchup.
Tournament play starts on Tuesday with first round games at 12 PM, 2 PM, 7 PM, and 9 PM. Pitt will play on Thursday at 7 PM. The opening round will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPNU. All other rounds will be televised on ESPN.
Here’s how the bracket looks:
We’ll have a short analysis and predictions later today. A preview of the Pitt game will be posted Thursday morning (the day of Pitt’s first game).
We’ve also put up a new poll for you to voice your opinion on how far Pitt will go in the NCAA tournament. Be sure to vote!
Get pumped Panther fans!
2010 Football Schedule Posted
Mar 8th
We just wanted to note that we’ve posted the updated 2010 Pitt Football Schedule under the schedules section of the site. All of the current information available is posted there. A lot of the times are yet to be announced, so stay tuned for updates.
Remember, season tickets are on sale now for this upcoming season. Pitt plays New Hampshire, Florida International, Miami, Rutgers, Louisville, and WVU at home this year. You don’t want to miss the return of Miami, a former Big East foe. You also don’t want to miss the Backyard Brawl where the Panthers will seek revenge for last year’s defeat. Let’s make it tough for WVU fans to get tickets in Heinz Field this year!
Season ticket packages start as low as $87 per seat for the entire season. For under $300 per seat, you can sit in the lower sideline section near the 50 yardline all season long. Don’t miss out on another great season of Pitt Football!
Visit PittsburghPanthers.com for prices, seating charts, and to order your tickets.
Game #26: #19 Panthers at Marquette
Feb 18th
The Panthers (19-6, 8-4) try to exorcise the demons of the Bradley Center as they play Marquette (16-8, 7-5) tonight at 9:00 on ESPN2. The Panthers are 0-3 in the Bradley Center since Marquette joined the Big East and tonight would be a good time for their first win in this building. These two teams are battling for the 4 seed in the Big East tournament and the coveted double bye. Marquette brings the longest winning streak in the Big East tonight at 5 games. Pitt is looking for their 9th 20 win season in a row tonight and are looking to capitilize on their big win against WVU. Both teams are surprises in the Big East as Pitt was picked to finish 9th and Marquette 12th according to the Big East coaches’ preseason poll.
If the Panthers want to win tonight they have to do the following:
1. Stop the 3 – Marquette is one of the top 3 point shooting teams in the nation, 42.3%, and all 5 starters shoot successfully more then 35% from behind the arc. The old adage goes, “Live by the 3, Die by the 3″ and Marquette escaped their game against South Florida on Saturday after shooting 6 of 16 from behind the arc, but their defense stepped up big time.
2. Gilbert Brown shows up – Gilbert Brown has been a roller coaster since the South Florida game, huge game, terrible game, repeat. Brown played really well in the OT thriller against WVU, lets hope the roller coaster ride stops and instead of having a let down game he goes off. When he goes off, it really allows Ashton Gibbs to shine; when Brown is off, Gibbs has to force shots.
3. Hit the boards – For 4 of the past 5 games, the Panthers have been outrebounded. Tonight they cannot give Marquette second chance oppurtunities. Gary McGhee should thrive tonight on the glass, as Marquette’s tallest player in the starting 5 is 6′6″.
Marquette is going to come out fighting, they see this as their ticket to the Big Dance as it is the last chance they have until the Big East tournament to face a Top 25 school and have a record of 2-4 currently against Top 25 schools. I see tonight being the night finally scores a victory in the Bradley Center and holds onto the 4 seed in the Big East.
Prediction: 68-61 Pitt
Bracket Watch: 2/15/10 – 2/21/10
Feb 16th
Today marks the birth of a new weekly column called Bracket Watch where we will update you, our readers, on where Pitt lies in the rankings, where they are in the Big East standings, and where they are in Bracketology. Not only that, but we will give our own thoughts and where they lie and preview the week’s games.
The new rankings came out yesterday and Pitt is 19 in the AP Poll, up from 25, and 21 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll, up from 23. Granted played an easy non-conference game early in the week against Robert Morris, I personally feel like Pitt was disrespected in the ESPN/USA Today Poll even after their triple overtime victory against rival West Virginia. Just looking at teams that jumped Pitt are Temple and Vanderbilt. Temple beat Rhode Island, and Vanderbilt beat then 12 Tennessee at home. One would think beating WVU is a more quality win then beating Rhode Island, but I guess the voters didn’t see it that way. I can see Vanderbilt jumping Pitt more then I can see Temple jumping them, Vandy pounded Tennessee the whole game, Pitt required triple OT to put away WVU. I figured Pitt would be about 18-19 in both polls and higher in ESPN/USA Today poll.
Joe Lunardi has Pitt listed as a 5 seed in Midwest Region this week in his Bracketology. This would put Pitt in Kansas’ bracket and a possible round two game against Gonzaga in Spokane. This seed feels right for me, right now I would call Pitt a low 5/high 6 seed. Going by Lunardi’s bracket, this would put Pitt as the 4th 5 seed. No complaints here, nice job Joe. For those wondering, Pitt has a RPI of 14 and a strength of schedule of 9.
Pitt is currently tied with West Virginia for third in the Big East, but loses in the tiebreaker and is currently 4th in the Big East. The two have two shared games in Providence and Villanova. I give a slight edge in favorable schedule to WVU for now and especially this week with their two games coming at Providence and against Seton Hall. What’s really important for Pitt is staying in the top 4 of the Big East and getting the double bye, because unless a miracle occurs, Pitt isn’t winning the regular season Big East championship.
Pitt isn’t too fortunate in scheduling this week as they have two very tough matchups in at Marquette on Thursday at 9:00 and against Villanova on Sunday at 12:00. Pitt can never seem to top Marquette no matter who is playing for Marquette or how good or bad they are. Marquette is nipping at Pitt’s heels for the 4th seed in the Big East and a win here gives Pitt a little breathing room. Sunday is all about revenge and what could have been for Pitt after last year’s Elite Eight showdown with Villanova and seeing Scottie Reynold run down the court to send Nova to the Final Four. While Pitt is not as good as last year, you know the video will be running for the players who remember the heart break.
It should be a fun week for the Panthers and Panther fans this week.
Hail To Pitt!
Game 25: #5 WVU at #25 Pitt – Backyard Brawl Part Deux
Feb 12th
The #25 Panthers (18-6, 7-4) are back on the court tonight against the much hated #5 Mountaineers (19-4, 8-3). In the first meeting between these two teams, Pitt was embarrassed for the last quarter of the game and was left with a sour taste in their mouth, going down 70-51. The game tips off at 9:00 on ESPN. Pitt players and coaches had to dodge garbage being thrown from the fans leading WVU coach Bob Huggins to get on the mic, but Mountaineer fans are too dumb to listen unless there is a couch burning and Pitt assistant coach Tom Herrion was hit below his right eye with what many are thinking was a coin. The players also got in a scrum with Gary McGhee for the Panthers.
Honestly, what is there to preview for this game? Both teams hate each other, the fans hate each other. There is going to be animosity, there is going to be an intensity level that is rarely seen, and there is going to be extra security. I hope Pitt fans are more intelligent then Mountaineer fans and don’t throw things on the court and try and cause a break in the game. Cheer your heart out, boo the hell out of the Mountaineers, but don’t throw anything on the court. Show WVU we are better than they are, especially after we pull the upset and beat WVU.
That’s right, put the upset alert out, because Pitt is sending the Mountaineers home with a loss. McGhee will not miss 8 layups again, Gilbert Brown and Brad Wannamaker will have more than 0 points each and seeing how Brown disappeared in the game against Robert Morris, he is due for one of his big games. Jermaine Dixon and Ashton Gibbs will continue to stay hot and light it up for the Panthers. And finally instead of having to hear the Mountaineer fans, the Oakland Zoo will be rocking tonight on ESPN.
Prediction: 73-61 Pitt
Pitt’s Successful Signing Day Brings in 24 Talented Players
Feb 4th
Yesterday, Pitt announced that it signed 24 recruits for its 2010 football recruiting class. The class is considered very successful by many analysts. Scouts.com lists the Panthers’ 2010 recruiting class as the 15th best in the nation.
Pitt signed all 24 players that it had expected to sign, leaving Coach Wannstedt and crew very relaxed for the majority of the day. The only bit of worry came from top recruit T.J. Clemmings (DL, New Jersey), but was quickly forgotten after he faxed his letter to Pitt shortly before 10 AM. Clemmings was considered to be the top overall prospect from the state of New Jersey.
The recruiting class addressed Pitt’s needs at the defensive back position as well as the defensive line position. It also brings in top Ohio QB recruit, Mark Myers, and PA QB recruit Anthony Gonzalez.
2010 Recruiting Class by Position
Offensive Linemen – 4 (Arthur Doakes, Shane Johnson, Matt Rotheram, Brandon Sacco)
Defensive Linemen – 4 (T.J. Clemmings, Aaron Donald, Khaynin Mosley-Smith, Bryan Murphy)
Wide Receivers – 4 (Drew Carswell, Todd Thomas, Kevin Weatherspoon, Salath Williams)
Defensive Backs – 6 (Derrick Burns, Brandon Ifill, Saheed Imoru, Jeff Knox, Todd Thomas, K’Waun Williams)
Running Backs – 2 (Andre Givens, T.J. Peeler)
Quarterbacks – 2 (Anthony Gonzalez, Mark Myers)
Tight Ends – 2 (Brendan Carozzoni, Dan Schneider)
Linebackers – 1 (Eric Williams)Source: PittsburghPanthers.com
Overall, it marks another successful recruiting class for head coach Dave Wannstedt as he continues to bring top talent into the program at Pitt.
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