The Chris Bourque Experiment

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been to back to back Stanley Cup Finals. In this time frame, the franchise has undoubtedly gotten bored. Honestly, there's really nothing to get excited for in the regular season anymore when your team has been to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. An overtime point against the Islanders was cause for a parade three years ago, now it is cause for complete apathy. Who even knows that there is a Penguins game on today at 2 versus the Islanders? If Martin Biron is in net, it will only look like he had no idea there was a game going on. So, the Pens have decided to engage in a few pet projects here and there. They already have been well documented. Trying to keep Eddie Johnston alive, saving the last remnants of Paul Steigerwald's hair, paying off the FCC so Bob Errey won't get in trouble for saying pickle-stabber, and the Michel Therrien Rosetta Stone experiment. The most fool-hardy and challenging project has been trying to turn Chris Bourque into anything resembling a National Hockey League player. It has failed miserably.




















Sometimes, father just ain't like son. If Chris Bourque's name was Chris Smith, he would be playing throwaway games up in Rochester. It boggles the mind that the Penguins organization seems so absolutely hell-bent on getting this kid playing time when he has shown not one ounce of talent. Even during the broadcast, Steigerwald and Errey go to great lengths to defend this guy. Who can forget the yawning net that he completely missed against Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils? Steigerwald chalked it up to Bourque being at a bad angle. If a bad angle is being two feet away from a wide open net with a puck on your stick, I better go back to Geometry class. I don't care if the Penguins have to pry Kevin Stevens away from snorting coke every other day, this franchise needs a winger that will ensure that Bourque is either sent to the minors or commits suicide from sucking.

There are two assurances that I will make about Bourque right now.

1. He will never score a goal in a Penguins uniform.
2. He will undoubtedly score a goal against the Penguins with another team.

Baskeball-a-Thon

All over the map baby!

If you turned on ESPN at any time on Tuesday you saw college basketball. And when I say any time, I mean any time. From the time the Cal St. Fullerton/UCLA game started at 12am on Tuesday to the end of the TCU/Arizona St. game at 130am on Wednesday there was continuous basketball on ESPN (and some games on ESPN2). Some of the games were crap, such as the Monmouth/St. Peter's game, but at least half of the games were wildly entertaining. Gonzaga gave #2 Michigan St. a hell of a game in the Izzone, Temple should have knocked off Georgetown in DC, and Memphis was a buzzer-beater away from knocking off #1 Kansas on a neutral court.

Naturally the premier match-ups were primetime games and the small-school games were on during the wee hours of the morning, but the idea in general is very intriguing. Before Monday night I could not have cares less about the upcoming college basketball season, because Pitt is not a top-level team this year and I am at Drexel (no offense). But the second-annual college basketball marathon got me pumped up. There were so many entertaining games and even the games that featured #1 and #2 vs. unranked teams went right down to the wire. Kansas, Michigan St. and Kentucky all played unranked teams the last few days, going 3-0 but only winning by a combined 8 points. Maybe that means that the unranked teams they were playing were better than expected, or maybe the top-tier teams are worse than we thought.

I love the idea of this marathon and I think there should be one of these days every month, instead of every year. An ESPN channel that just has continuous basketball, 24/7, from mid-November until conference tournaments would be incredible. Of course that would entail ESPN hiring about 40 more broadcasters and hundreds of crew workers, but it would be revolutionary for sports television and I am sure it would be popular with current sports fans and ESPN followers. It is a distant wish, I guess, because it will never happen; but could you imagine?

The Slovakian Rocket Reborn

Marian Gaborik has come out flying for the start of this season. This is what the Rangers have been waiting for sometime now; a true number one scorer. Nikolai Zherdev was a failed experiment in NY, but plan B with Gabby is making Glen Sather look a genius. Sather is the General Manager who gave Gaborik a huge contract even with his history of injury problems.

So far this season the Rangers lived (and died) with Gaborik. The two games he missed the team lost, but with him NY is 9-4; very impressive. So for right now Gabby is king at MSG and the NY hockey media will hold him to that title and expect him to play through more injuries than he has in his past. The team needs him too.

I have always thought of Gabby as a potential 50 goal scorer and with the chemistry that has formed between him and Vaclav Prospal, this milestone seems very achievable. The talent is there and now it just all on Gabby's body to hold up.

Xavier Basketball Tip Off

Last night Xavier basketball started off its season with an exhibition game against Rollins College, a Division II school from Florida. This wasn't supposed to be a test but a warm up game for an exciting Xavier basketball season. As the Sean Miller era has now ended with a Sweet 16 appearance, Chis Mack takes the team that has lost its top three scorers which included their top rebounder from a year ago. So now a new group of players have to step up big time which include the new transfer star from Indiana, Jordan Crawford (we all know why he is so well known), senior big man Jason Love, and junior guard Dante Jackson. With yesterday night's convincing win over Rollins College, you got to see a glimpse of what is to come this season.

Jordan Crawford had a sloppy first half with a couple forced drives to the hoop that resulted in bad shots but rebounded to have a great second half with a couple pretty bounce passes to Kenny Frease in the paint for dunks and proceeded to score a game high 16 points. Also Dante Jackson had really good game, scoring an effortless 13 points by including 2-3 from beyond the arc. As for our big men, Jason Love and Kenny Friese dominated a small Rollins team inside with a combined 13 rebounds and six blocked shots. Kenny Friese also showed some quickness guarding their center that was more of a three-point shooter and driver. This is also not to mention Jamel McLean who showed a sweet jumper to go along with all the athletic ability he has. My surprise of the game was Mark Lyons, 6'1" freshman point guard from New York, who showed lightning quickness (three steals) and the ability to create off the dribble by either dishing the ball or making a lay up. If Lyons develops any kind of shot, he is going to be a star point guard in the making and starting in no time. Plus, experience will give him more patience at the point guard position. The highlight of the game came from Jeff Robinson, a 6-9 freshman from Indianapolis, who dunked the ball over a Rollins player...

This is just small sample of what it is to come on this unknown season. But things are only looking up for this team. Their next exhibition game will be this Saturday at 7:30 against Northern Kentucky at Cintas Center on the campus of Xavier.

We Want Instant Replay! (Or Do We?)

Throughout these MLB playoffs, there have been a high number of bad calls. Joe Mauer's fly ball down the left field line in New Yankee Stadium, Johnny Damon's sinking line drive yesterday that was "caught" and turned into a double play, etc. The question in everyone's head right now is if the MLB should institute a replay system beyond homerun calls. As much as everybody would like to think otherwise, the answer here is a simple "No, thank you".

A widespread replay review system in baseball would be a bad idea. I agree with homerun replays because of all the weird setups of the ballpark fences, but a replay system within the first 300 feet of home plate is unnecessary. How often do bad calls happen every game, on average? Maybe two? Of course in the playoffs these mistakes are blown up and put under a microscope, but baseball has been around for nearly 150 years with no replay and I think it is operating pretty well. Bringing a machine in to do a human's job in baseball would not work.

If there were a replay system in the MLB, how would it work? Would it be like the NFL where each manager could choose only two plays per game to "challenge"? Baseball is so rich in history, it would be almost a disgrace for little red flags to start flying out of the dugout during the game. Could you imagine Lou Piniella stepping one foot out of the dugout to throw a dinky red flag onto the field of play instead of going up to a base umpire to kick dirt on his shoes? Ridiculous.

How would the fans be notified of each challenge? Would the umpires start wearing microphones so they can talk over the loudspeaker? No one wants to hear C.B. Bucknor yelling in their ears. Anyways, baseball games are too long and slow paced as it is to just stop play for a decently close call. I am not even going to get into instant replay or machines making ball and strike calls.

In football, the play is going on so fast and there are so many different actions that occur within each game, let alone every drive down the field, that referees make mistakes all the time. Not because they are poor officials, just because missed calls happen all the time because of the nature of the game. In football, every play is dynamic. In baseball, there are only a few close calls per game. There are routine fly balls and routine ground balls that beat out runners by ten feet.

Every running play in the NFL could be a fumble, every thrown ball could be caught close to the out of bounds markers, and that is why they had to institute a replay system in football. I completely disagree with the NCAA's version of challenging anything and everything, as opposed to the NFL's red flag system, but that is another argument.

Back to Philly for games 3-5, should be some good baseball.

Fleury for Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics taking place in Vancouver are quickly approaching all of us. Now, most of us are probably reading this article in anticipation of one kick-ass article chronicling the favorites for the Curling Silver medal. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The focus here is the hockey and more specifically team Canada. Originally, an article about the plight of Team USA was in production, but what chance do they really have with Chris Chelios logging 30 minutes every game against Team Russia and the line of Kovalchuk-Malkin-Ovechkin. The focus here is on Team Canada, a squad that actually has a shot at the gold. The key for Canada, as in any crucial tournament in hockey is goaltending. Marc-Andre Fleury should be the starting goaltender representing the red maple leaf.

It seems to be a foregone conclusion that Martin Brodeur is going to be the starter for Team Canada unless he loses a leg from now until February. This basis is simply going on reputation and not actual performance. Since winning his third Stanley Cup in 2003, Brodeur has posted less than stellar marks in the postseason. In that time frame, the Devils have not gotten out of the 2nd round and it's hard to forget their collapse in the final minute of Game 7 against Eric Staal and the Hurricanes last year. Brodeur is past his prime and there is some suspicion that he never recovered from his shoulder injury that kept him out for six months last year. Choosing Brodeur to lead Team Canada would be a decision made out of pure nostalgia for his once dominant play. It's not 1995 anymore folks. Steve Yzerman needs to be smart and avoid the mistakes that Wayne Gretzky made in 2006. This is a hockey team, not an old folks home/retirement community for players that were once great.

After Brodeur, Roberto Luongo is the most commonly talked about choice for starting goaltender. This decision would most likely lead to Canada not even medaling at the Winter games. To say the least, Luongo has a less than stellar track record in the postseason. For one, he never made the playoffs with the Islanders and Panthers. In his two postseason appearances with the Canucks, he hasn't made it past the second round. Who can forget the shelling that Chicago put on him last year in Game 6 of their second round series, culminating in a Patrick Kane hat trick. Luongo has no track record of success when it matters most.

The only man who comes close in contention with Fleury is Cam Ward. But the decision making-process should go by "What have you done for me lately?" Fleury won a Stanley Cup last year and was in solid contention for the Conn Smythe trophy. Statisticians are still trying to average Ward's GAA in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Fleury is a winner. He has a certain Grant Fuhr quality about him. He may not have the best regular seasons are set records in save percentage and GAA, but when it matters most, he's going to make the saves. To beat Russia and their unbelievably talented cast of forwards, Canada is going to need a goaltender that has the ability to stand on his head when it matters most. The man they commonly call "Flower" is the one to do it.

Where Have You Gonechar?

Settle down ladies and gentlemen. Sergei Gonchar will be out 4-6 weeks (most likely the latter), but we will be okay.

Remember when Crosby tried to commit suicide when we were getting shut out by the Lightning? We were okay for those two-ish months. Remember when Fleury tripped on the crease and landed wrongly? We were okay for those two-ish months. I think we can survive without Gonchar for one-ish month.

Skudra— I mean Skoula—will not be a Gonchar, but he will do enough. Thank goodness we have Goligoski to quarterback the power play, rather than the Ryan Shitney and Co. we had last year.

As long as Fleury is healthy, Pittsburgh will win the Atlantic. As long as Gonchar comes back when his time is up, we will be fine. I am not going to be a dick (Smizik) and say it is a good thing that Gonchar is injured, because THAT is good journalism. This is shitty journalism (a blog), so we have compassion for other human beings. Sorry.

Florida tomorrow. New Jersey saturday. 4-point weekend.

Cut the BS!

Besides the Phillies' 11-0 win this past sunday, every baseball game I can remember watching in October has been close, including the AL Central tiebreaker. And other than that 11-0 victory, I believe there has been a blown save in every single game as well.

Franklin blew a save for the Cardinals, aided by a Matt Holliday drop (seen below).

"Do I has it?"

Street blew a save for the Rockies, because Ryan Howard is raking and Jim Tracy is a dunce. Ol' Reliable, Joe Nathan, also struggled vs. the Yankees and barely escaped a jam in the tiebreaker game. Papelbon choked up a two-run lead for the Sox at Fenway to be swept by the Angels. We all saw Broxton heat up the dead center of the plate last night facing Jimmy Rollins (on a related note, how shallow were Kemp and Ethier playing in the outfield? You CANNOT let that ball get to the wall in that situation) and got walked-off on.

And Fuentes blew a save for LA(ofA) when A-Rod knocked his weak 0-2 fastball to the homerun suction section to right in the Bronx.

We do not expect Mariano Rivera to choke because it has been his job since 1970 and he never blows saves in October.

That was in November, smart ass.

The only guy keeping it together in the postseason has been Blidge. He seems to have reinvented himself after his poor performance during the regular season. He is 3-3 in save opportunities, and got the W yesterday when he struck out two after coming in with an inherited runner on base in the top of the ninth.

All of these blown saves brings up the question: Are the pitchers losing it, or are the hitters winning it? I believe the hitters are winning it.

As much as I joke, Rollins turned around a 99mph fastball yesterday. Any 99mph heat is going to be hard to make good contact with, even if it is right down the middle. I have watched Pirates baseball all year, but I have never seen so much clutch hitting late in games, in any previous postseason. These pitchers are making some pretty quality pitches, and the hitters are just returning them to open space.

Randy Wolf had only given up one homerun all season to lefties, and Ryan Howard hit number two last night. I am sure Wolf has made mistake pitches to lefties more than once in the regular season and had only allowed one homerun, but this time Howard made him pay for it.

This has been a postseason of mistakes on the defensive side of the ball, and the team with the bats has been taking advantage.

Yanks vs. Phils, DO IT.

Why Cindy Crysby is the Best Player in the NHL: Part I

I recently read an article in The Triangle, the independent student newspaper at Drexel University, about how Alexander Ovechkin is better than Sidney Crosby. Okay, that's fine for you to think that, I mean, it is one of the great debates in sports today. Well, maybe not all of sports because no one cares about hockey. But it is at least the most heated debate in the NHL. The beef I have with this kid is that he has no real proof that Ovechkin is better. I can tell he just watches Sportscenter's bi-weekly NHL coverage and agrees with whatever Barry Melrose says. I'm not going to go into citing this article because, honestly, it sucks. He contradicts himself throughout and barely makes any strong points. In almost every paragraph he makes a generalization based on his personal bias... I'll go into how Crosby is better than any other player in the NHL, including Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin.

Myth #1: Sidney Crosby has Evgeni Malkin, and that is why he is good. Alexander Ovechkin has no support, and has to do it all himself.

Okay look, Crosby and Malkin have played on the Penguins for 3+ years now, and the only time they are consistently on the ice together is on the power play, which is when you put your best players, regardless of chemistry, on the ice together. DUH!

Penguins' fans have wished that Crosby and Malkin could generate some kind of even-strength chemistry together, but other than a few goals here and there, that has not happened. Probably because they are both centermen. DUH!

Let's look at Crosby's linemates over the years, shall we? Colby Armstrong, Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Michel Ouellet, Erik Christensen, Ryan Malone, Max Talbot, Petr Sykora, and now Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin. Looks like a load of mediocre Wilkes-Barre players and some washed up old timers to me. Crosby has still put up 402 points in 296 games (as of 10/13/09).

I am not saying Ovechkin has had a better supporting cast, Dainius Zubrus, Chris Clark, Matt Pettinger, Viktor Vozlov, Michael Nylander, etc. I believe it is harder for a centerman to put up points without good linemates because he depends on them to put the puck in the net. A winger, like Ovechkin, can just shoot the puck a shit-load of times and get some goals, especially if you are as skilled as Ovechkin is and shoot it as many times as Ovechkin does.

To be honest, Ovechkin now has more talent wearing the Capitals' sweaters than Pittsburgh suits up with Crosby. Backstrom and Semin are stars in this league. Anybody who denies that is insane. Backstrom just emerged last season, and is already one of the best playmaking centermen in the league. Semin is similar to Malkin, in that he will roam around the ice and will make shots not many others can make (except Malkin is better, but we will not get into that).

It is clear that the Penguins are built around three solid centermen while the Capitals are built around their top line and hopefully they can score more than the other team can, and the only reason the Penguins can do this and still win is because Crosby, Malkin and Staal are good enough centermen that they make mediocre wingers into decent players.

Why Cindy Crysby is the best player in the NHL: Part II. Coming soon!

Bracketology: 3/15

Hours away from the Selection Show, we still have major questions about several conferences and teams. I'll predict the tournament field and results, give reasons why, and update it each week. Here are my calls as of this morning. Seeds are listed L-R. Left most seed is top team for that group. (Louisville will get #1 overall seed, Connecticut is top #2 seed...) Teams in italics have already earned automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments.


# 1 SEEDS: Louisville (Big East), Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Memphis (C-USA)
Skinny: When you win the best conference's regular season and tournament titles, its gotta be a lock for the #1 overall seed. Pitt losing to WVU isn't a big deal, same with UNC falling to FSU. Memphis only has three losses. That one fact gets them a top bid over UConn.

#2 SEEDS: Connecticut, Duke (ACC), Oklahoma, Michigan State
Skinny: Duke helped themselves with that 79-69 ACC Championship win over Florida State. The Dukies still don't have enough to make a claim for a #1, however. Michigan State lucks out with most of the teams below them losing as well. I called the OU loss, remember?

#3 SEEDS: Villanova, Kansas, Missouri (Big 12), Wake Forest
Skinny: Nothing changes other than Mizzou hopping two seeds with a solid Big 12 Championship run. I'm staying with Jay Wright's Villanova Wildcats to cut down the nets.

#4 SEEDS: LSU, Purdue (Big Ten), Syracuse, Florida State
Skinny: Syracuse's run was cute. I don't think they'll be tired, but I do think they'll be cold. The Orange are gonna take nearly a week off to relax, and the adrenaline will be gone by then. Expect Boehiem's Bums to collapse in March. Purdue and FSU find themselves #4 seeds with magical conference tourney runs.

#5 SEEDS: Gonzaga (WCC), Washington, Xavier, Clemson

#6 SEEDS: UCLA, West Virginia, Illinois, Marquette

#7 SEEDS: Arizona State, California, Tennessee, Ohio State

#8 SEEDS: Dayton, Butler, Texas, Utah (Mountain West)

#9 SEEDS: Southern California (Pac-10), Siena (MAAC), Utah State, Oklahoma State

#10 SEEDS: Mississippi State (SEC), Boston College, Texas A&M, Maryland

#11 SEEDS: Arizona, Creighton, Temple (A-10), Auburn

#12 SEEDS: Michigan, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Cleveland State (Horizon)

#13 SEEDS: Chattanooga (SoCon), VCU (CAA), Northern Iowa (MVC), Akron (MAC)

#14 SEEDS: Binghamton (America East), WKU (Sun Belt), American (Patriot), Portland St. (Big Sky)

#15 SEEDS: North Dakota St. (Summit), Robert Morris (Northeast), Morehead St. (OVC), Cornell (Ivy)

#16 SEEDS: Radford (Big South), Morgan State (MEAC), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), East Tennessee St. (A-Sun)

Play-In Game: Cal State-Northridge (Big West) vs. Alabama State (SWAC)

Last Six In: Virginia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, Auburn, Creighton, Arizona

Last Six Out: Minnesota, St. Mary's, San Diego State, UNLV, Wisconsin, Providence
Skinny: There's just no way that the Big Ten's bottom feeders will overtake teams like Auburn, Arizona, Va Tech, and Creighton. Joe Lunardi...are you high?!?! Wisconsin?!? Who in God's name have they beat?

NATIONAL CHAMPION PICK: Villanova Wildcats

Bracketology: 3/8

Less than a two weeks away from tournament time, we still have major questions about several conferences and teams. I'll predict the tournament field and results, give reasons why, and update it each week. Here are my calls as of 3/8. Seeds are listed L-R. Left most seed is top team for that group. (Pittsburgh will get #1 overall seed, Memphis is top #2 seed...) Teams in italics have already earned automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments.


# 1 SEEDS: Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Connecticut, Louisville
Skinny: Without question, Pitt is the top team in the tournament. The only way Pitt can lose the top ranking is if UConn wins the Big East Tournament, without Pitt winning one game. Yeah...that'll happen. I'm picking Louisville to win the Big East Tourney, so they'll overtake Memphis and struggling OU. #1 UNC holds strong with a 79-71 win over Duke today.

#2 SEEDS: Memphis, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Duke
Skinny: If Oklahoma keeps putting the game on Blake Griffin's shoulders, eventually someone will stop him, or concuss him (like Dexter Pittman). Duke is still a #2 despite losing in Chapel Hill. Michigan State stays with a 62-51 win over Purdue.

#3 SEEDS: Villanova, Kansas, Wake Forest, Washington
Skinny: Not much movement in the #3 seeds, other than fading Clemson falling down to a #4 seed. 'Nova and the Kansas Jayhawks flip flop at the top of this group.

#4 SEEDS: LSU, Clemson, UCLA, Florida State
#5 SEEDS: Gonzaga, Missouri, Marquette, Xavier
#6 SEEDS: Purdue, Arizona State, Illinois, Syracuse
#7 SEEDS: California, Tennessee, Utah, Butler
#8 SEEDS: Dayton, West Virginia, Arizona
#9 SEEDS: Wisconsin, BYU, Utah State, Miami (FL)
#10 SEEDS: Boston College, Texas, South Carolina, Ohio State
#11 SEEDS: Providence, Florida, Penn State, Virginia Tech
#12 SEEDS: Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, VCU (CAA), Siena (MAAC),
#13 SEEDS: College of Charleston (SoCon), UNLV, Northern Iowa (MVC), Buffalo (MAC)
#14 SEEDS: Vermont (America East), WKU (Sun Belt), American (Patriot), Weber St. (Big Sky)#15 SEEDS: ND State (Summit), Robert Morris (Northeast), Morehead St. (OVC), Cornell (Ivy)
#16 SEEDS: Radford (Big South), Morgan State (MEAC), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), East Tennessee St. (A-Sun)

Play-In Game: Long Beach (Big West) vs. Alabama State (SWAC)


Last Six In: Florida, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, UNLV

Last Six Out: Michigan, Minnesota, Cincinnati, St. Mary's, Northwestern, Georgetown


NATIONAL CHAMPION PICK: Villanova Wildcats

Bracketology: 3/1

Less than a month away from tournament time, we still have major questions about several conferences and teams. I'll predict the tournament field and results, give reasons why, and update it each week. Here are my calls as of 2/29. Seeds are listed L-R. Left most seed is top team for that group. (Pitt will get #1 overall seed, UNC is top #2 seed...)


# 1 SEEDS: Pittsburgh, Connecticut, North Carolina, Memphis
Skinny: Although Pitt is still in a sort of funk, they did beat UConn, and you can't say any team is clearly better than them right now. With a solid win over Marquette, the Huskies are back in the #1 seed group. Saturday: UConn @ Pitt - it will determine the overall #1 seed in the tourney (unless they meet again in the Big East Tournament).

#2 SEEDS: Oklahoma, Louisville, Michigan State, Duke
Skinny: Due to their recent slide, OU has fallen to a #2 seed. But, with wins over Mizzou and OK State, the Sooners should overtake Memphis. Louisville is hot right now, but how long will they hold? Don't put any money on Michigan State this year...remember that 98-63 loss vs. UNC?

#3 SEEDS: Kansas, Villanova, Wake Forest, Clemson
Skinny: Kansas is for real. Yeah, maybe they're young and inexperienced, but they beat OU and mauled Mizzouri in a rematch Sunday, 90-65. 'Nova slipped up against Georgetown, barely escaped DePaul; but when that offense gets going, who's gonna stop it? Clemson and Marquette is a toss up for the last #3 seed.

#4 SEEDS: Marquette, Washington, Purdue, LSU
#5 SEEDS: UCLA, Gonzaga, Arizona State, Missouri
#6 SEEDS: Purdue, Florida State, Illinois, Xavier
#7 SEEDS: California, Tennessee, Utah, Butler
#8 SEEDS: Dayton, West Virginia, Syracuse, Arizona
#9 SEEDS: Wisconsin, BYU, Utah State, Miami (FL)
#10 SEEDS: Boston College, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio State
#11 SEEDS: Texas, Davidson (SoCon), Providence, Florida
#12 SEEDS: Virginia Tech, VCU (CAA), Siena (MAAC), Georgetown
#13 SEEDS: Oklahoma State, UNLV, Creighton (MVC), Buffalo (MAC)
#14 SEEDS: Vermont (America East), WKU (Sun Belt), American (Patriot), Weber St. (Big Sky)#15 SEEDS: ND State (Summit), Robert Morris (Northeast), UT-Martin (OVC), Cornell (Ivy)#16 SEEDS: Morgan State (MEAC), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Jacksonville (A-Sun)

Play-In Game: Long Beach (Big West) vs. South Dakota (Ind.)

Last Six In: Florida, Virginia Tech, Providence, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, UNLV

Last Six Out: Penn State, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Michigan, St. Mary's, Temple

Bracketology: 2/22

Less than a month away from tournament time, we still have major questions about several conferences and teams. I'll predict the tournament field and results, give reasons why, and update it each week. Here are my calls as of 2/20. Seeds are listed L-R. Left most seed is top team for that group. (Pitt will get #1 overall seed, UConn is top #2 seed...)

# 1 SEEDS: Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Memphis
Skinny: The top 3 seeds are self-explanatory. Memphis should win out, including their conference tournament, and UConn will lose a few more without Jerome Dyson.
#2 SEEDS: Connecticut, Wake Forest, Michigan State, Duke
Skinny: Michigan State would probably be a #7 seed if they played in a conference. Duke slips into this group with a 101-91 win vs Wake today.
#3 SEEDS: Missouri, Villanova, Marquette, Louisville
Skinny: The #3 seeds are where the drop-off begins. A team like Mizzou couldn't compete with some of the teams above it. 5 Big East teams land in the top 3 seeds.
#4 SEEDS: Clemson, Arizona State, Xavier, Kansas
#5 SEEDS: UCLA, Gonzaga, Washington, Purdue
#6 SEEDS: LSU, Purdue, Illinois, Tennessee
#7 SEEDS: California, Florida State, Utah, Butler
#8 SEEDS: Dayton, West Virginia, Syracuse, Arizona
#9 SEEDS: Wisconsin, BYU, Utah State, Minnesota
#10 SEEDS: Boston College, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio State
#11 SEEDS: Texas, Davidson (SoCon), Siena, Florida
#12 SEEDS: Virginia Tech, VCU (CAA), Providence, Penn State
#13 SEEDS: UNLV, Oklahoma State, Creighton (MVC), Buffalo (MAC)
#14 SEEDS: Vermont (America East), WKU (Sun Belt), American (Patriot), Weber St. (Big Sky)
#15 SEEDS: ND State (Summit), Robert Morris (Northeast), UT-Martin (OVC), Cornell (Ivy)
#16 SEEDS: Morgan State (MEAC), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Jacksonville (A-Sun)

Play-In Game: Long Beach (Big West) vs. South Dakota (Ind.)

Last Six In: Florida, Virginia Tech, Providence, Penn State, UNLV, Oklahoma State
Last Six Out: Miami (FL), Cincinnati, Georgetown, Michigan, St. Mary's, Temple

Pitt Recaps - Villanova/L & Notre Dame/W

It was the last college basketball game at The Spectrum this past Wednesday. It was the court where Christian Laettner made his shot and a bunch of other cool stuff happened: 4,000 Grateful Dead concerts, some NBA Finals games and some monster truck rallies.

Kids' seats are just $8!!

No one in Pittsburgh really cared, however it would have been nice to beat Nova there and make Wilt Chamberlain cry.

The first half was okay. Pitt had some guys in foul trouble, but it got out to a big enough lead that by the time guys started filing to the bench, the Panthers were still up 31-26 at halftime. Tyrell Biggs got to quick fouls in the first ten minutes or so, not good. DeJuan Blair got two quick fouls with about five minutes left in the first half, whatever.

Villanova may have one of the worst scoring teams year in and year out, but one thing you can say about them is that they will play hard every night and go all out on every possession, especially on the defensive end. They had no business being close at halftime, but they hung around.

The announcers are bitching about Scottie Reynolds not having any points in the first half. Ding, he hits a three to begin the second and the announcers stayed on his nuts from then on. Pitt got down by a few points,  and right around the 10 minute mark everybody knew that the patented Second Half Surge® was coming. DeJuan Blair decides that he can't let that happen, so he reaches in at the three point line for his fourth foul and the Panthers didn't have any in the tank for a comeback without its big man.

Quick recap of the second half: 78 Jermaine Dixon steals, a lot of Pitt missed field goals, too many Dante Cunningham mid-range jump shots to count, and Reggie Redding's 10-10 perfection from the free-throw stripe although he only shot like 60% coming in. This led to a 67-57 Nova win, after which Jay Wright probably cried.

At least I won't have to hear "The Spectrum" ever again unless he is a dildo-themed villain in a superhero movie.

By now, you have heard LeVance Fields' quote about not going on a losing streak in the Big East. Notre Dame didn't get the memo. The Irish had lost four in a row coming into Saturday afternoon's game and Pitt was off to defend the Pete's hardwood (insert sexual innuendo here).

In the first half, it was like The Miracle Worker. Helen Zeller hit 6-8 threes in the first 20 minutes like someone was signing him the coordinates for the hoop.

Left: Helen Zeller. Right: Mike Brey. Center: Three pointers flowing into basket

Not only was Helen Zeller draining threes, it was the entire Irish team. Notre Dame hit 11-22 threes in the first half including two from Kyle "I Do Drugs But Since I Am Good At Basketball Notre Dame Threw All Of Its Moral Values Out The Window To Allow Me To Continue To Play" McAlarney who, as Sir Dick Groat says, is: "A guy you need to start covering when he comes off the bus."

DeJuan Blair had a double-double in the first half and was making Harangody look like a fool on both ends of the court and Ashton Gibbs had 13 points in the first half. Gibbs and Blair were the only reasons Pitt was down just 45-39 instead of like 45-20. Towards the end of the half, the Panthers were starting to actually contest three point shots by the Irish and you could tell the momentum was starting to turn a little bit.

Pitt started out the second half with a three pointer by Fields and a three point play by Sam Young to tie the game. From then on, Pitt left Notre Dame in the dust. The SHS® was in full effect and while Notre Dame was turning the ball over like crazy. Pitt was scoring at will, whether it was on the first shot or via offensive rebound.

Helen Zeller must have stayed in the locker room, because he didn't show up in the second half, and McAlarney must have smoked his stash during the break because he went on to turn the ball over 32 times. Harangody, however, showed up to play for the final 20, or at least on the offensive end. I think he was the only Notre Dame player who scored in the second half, actually. Blair finished with 11 (YES 11!!) offensive rebounds and 22 (YES 22!!) total rebounds. Harangody ended up with 11 total rebounds, but who cares? Blair was cleaning glass like it was his job.

Look at the reflection!! Amazing!!

Pitt won 93-80. It would have been like 70-56 but Notre Dame was dick and fouled for the last six minutes of the game. Not really but you get what I mean. Notre Dame didn't even attempt a three point shot in the second half until there were about five minutes left, did they forget who they were? No matter, this is a huge bounce-back win for Pitt.

Key stats:

22 rebounds for Blair

7/0 AST/TO ratio for Fields

0 points for Tory Jackson

18 points for first half Helen Zeller

0 points for second half Helen Zeller

8-8 foul shots for Brad Wanamaker

13 points for first half Gibbs

49-26 rebounding edge for Pitt

6 first half turnovers for Pitt

0 second half turnovers for Pitt

Next game is vs. Robert Morris on Monday, but the next REAL game is @ DePaul next Saturday.

#4 Pitt [79] @ W. Virginia [67] - Recap

Let's recap: I said that if Pitt could do three things they would win this game.

Three!! Three things!!

1. Play lockdown defense

Pitt's D wasn't very lockdown in the first half. The Panthers allowed the WVU guards to penetrate and dish, and a lot of points were scored in the paint against Pitt. Also in the first half, WVU had a good many offensive rebounds and second chance points. This is why Pitt shot 60% from the field and was only winning by two points (39-37) when halftime came. Pitt put the smackdown on WVU in the second half, allowing only 30 points to the Mountaineers and forcing a lot of contested shots.

2. Keep WVU out of transition

Pitt had only nine turnovers in the entire game, at least six coming in the first half. This forced WVU to run offensive sets the entire game, and they just couldn't stay with Pitt in that facet of the game. If Pitt can force its opponent to play a slow tempo game, the Panthers are borderline unbeatable.

3. Someone needs to hit some shots in the second half

Pitt shot 60% from the field in the first half, an incredible number, but it didn't seem like it. Pitt didn't hit any threes in the first half, and most of its baskets consisted of DeJuan Blair powering inside and LeVance Fields hitting some pull-up jumpers. (Note: Nasir Robinson played some spectacular minutes in the first half, scoring two layups on 2-2 shooting. He is going to be a hell of a Pitt basketball player in years to come.)

In the second half Pitt shot a respectable 48%, but it seemed like whenever the Panthers needed to hit a shot, the ball was in one of two players' hands: Jermaine Dixon, Sam Young. Dixon hit three HUGE threes to help Pitt pull away near the mid-point in the second half. These weren't ordinary threes, either, they were all from NBA range. The kind of threes that when the player shoots:

You yell "NOOOO!!"

And when it goes in:

You yell "YESSSS!!"

And then you change your pants...

Sam Young; what more can you say about Sam Young? He sits for most of the first half with two fouls, then gets his third called on him literally seven seconds into the second half. He comes off the bench STRONG after that. He was hitting fadeaways, hitting contested jumpers, driving to the hoop for layups, and giving WVU players extreme facials (no homo). He scored 16 points in the second half alone, and looked basically unstoppable.

Another typical Pitt victory this season: play iffy defense in the first half then totally shut down the other team's O and make a game-ending run in the middle of the second half. Just like the STJ and GTown games (at the top of my head), Pitt just started to force turnover after turnover in the second half and make WVU look sloppy.

Don't think this wasn't a huge win, it was. The Mountaineers were #15 in the RPI Index and winning on the road in the Big East is always a big deal. Big game against Villanova tonight.

Hail to Pitt!!

W. Virginia Scouting Report

West Virginia Mountaineers

(14-4, 3-2)

Last Game: W 75-58 @ (12) Georgetown

The Mountaineers are coming off a surprise win in GTown and are now ranked #15 in the RPI index. WVU relies a lot on its swing players and guards, but not on its frontcourt. The tallest member of W. Virginia's starting five is 6-9; then again, it only starts one player under 6-6: PG Darryl Bryant.

WVU is a very deep team (insert sexual innuendo here). They play nine players over ten minutes a game, except one of those players, Joe Mazzulla, is on the shelf right now. With Mazzulla out, true freshman Darryl Bryant has stepped in at PG and done a decent job. He averages 10.6 ppg on the season, but only 2.8 ASTs to 2.4 TOs per game.

Those ARE ugly numbers, Mr. Paulus, but yours are no better.

Now for some other numbers. WVU has no players shooting over 50% from the field and its point guard shooting 39.6%. Pitt on the other hand has two players shooting over 50% from the field and LeVance Fields shooting exactly 40%. The difference between Fields and Bryant cannot be measured in FG%, however, it needs to be measured in the AST/TO ratio. While Bryant's (as mentioned before) is 2.8/2.4 (or 1.17/1), Fields' is 7/1.8 (or 3.9/1)... The fact that nobody from WVU shoots over 50% from the field is most likely because they have no real center. If DeJuan Blair can stay out of foul trouble (big IF) then he should have a field day against these small bodied Mountaineers.

The #4 team in the country wins games like this 5/6 times, if it is a legit #4 team in the country. Pitt is the real deal this year, and they will win this game. They have to play lockdown defense, keep WVU out of transition, and someone needs to hit some shots in the second half. So Pitt if you can do this, it will spell out a "W" (or a "V") for "U".

CLASSIC!

Pitt Recaps - Louisville/L & Syracuse/W

This past weekend, Pitt had a chance to retain its unbeaten record. They lost, however, at Freedom Hall on Saturday by the score of 63-69 to a very hot Lew-uh-vull team. There is not much to say about this game. Pitt had the lead after the first half even though they had 15 fouls, mostly ticky-tacky. Note, in this game I caught myself saying/screaming "THAT WAS A FOUL?!" more times than I can ever remember during a Big East game.

That's why you suck Higgins, you're pointing the wrong finger at Jim Boeheim.

Even with everybody in foul trouble, Pitt was up 10 with nine minutes left after a three pointer and  highlight windmill by Sam "I Slam" Young. Pitt fell apart after this, it couldn't hit a shot and couldn't get stops when it needed to. That spelled out a bad loss for the Panthers.

Give Lew-uh-vull SOME credit, though, they play good defense, as for its offense, that's another story... Earl Clark's talent didn't come to play, but he is a hell of an athlete. He could get a double-double in his sleep if he wanted to. Terrence Williams is a big time player, Pitt had no one close to matching up to him and he killed them in the second half when it mattered most. Samardo Samuels is okay. Edgar Sosa still sucks. Pitino is a great coach. End-o-story.

Speaking of great coaches, Jim Boeheim is not one of them. Pitt had a tough test (or so we thought) following its first loss just two days later: Boeheim's #8 Orange. Pitt, now #4, had to do three things: stay out of foul trouble, hope that nobody from Syracuse stepped up, and hit some clutch shots. Well, Pitt did stay out of foul trouble, accumulating only 15 the entire game. Andy Rautins actually did get hot, hitting 5-12 from three ball range, and scored 17 total points to keep Syracuse in the game. To combat that, however, the Orange got only 12 points from Jonny "Where's the H?" Flynn, most of which coming with the game far out of reach. Finally, Sam Young stepped up at one point in the second half, scoring a couple of key buckets along with some nice threes from Wanamaker and Fields.

Pitt whooped Syracuse in the second half, turning a decently close game into an 18-point blowout. Everyone likes to see this because Syracuse is dumb. For instance, #00 for the Orange dunks on DeJuan Blair and instead of just doing his business, he has to shove Blair to the ground and receive a technical. Also, Paul Harris had two fouls in the first half and gets his third in a "T" shape just before halftime when he says something to Blair after he blocks Blair's shot. What idiots. I'm glad Syracuse changed its nickname, they don't deserve to have the "men" suffix.

By the way, Brad Wanamaker, ladies and gentlemen, is for real in Big East play this year. There are a lot of X-factors on this team, him being one of them, and he needs to continue playing well and playing with confidence if Pitt wants to go far this year.

Yesssirrrd!

Big game coming up this Sunday @ West Virginia. Of course we all remember: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG3W9ihh7LE like it was yesterday. This is a game I had in my mind that Pitt MAY lose, even before WVU just smacked GTown around a little in its backyard just this week. Hopefully the Panthers will pull this one out like the football team the last two years: 13-9, 19-15, cough.

McKILLOP!

#20 Louisville Scouting Report

Lew-uh-vull Cardinals
(12-3, 3-0)
Last game: W 87-73 vs. (13) Notre Dame

Terrence Williams is good, Earl Clark is good, Samrdo Samuels is good. Other than the stars, they have some good role players to compliment them. Jerry Smith and Andre McGee (not related to Gary McGhee) are good jump shooters who always seem to knock down a few key threes per game. Edgar Sosa could be a star or a no-show on any given night.

Terrence Williams is a big time player (24/16/8 with 3 steals and just 3 TO's vs. Notre Dame on Monday) and he can take over a game at any time. He averages 12.3/9.3/5 with 2.5 steals and only 2.1 TO's per game at the 3-guard/forward.

Samardo Samuels is very talented, very athletic, but also very young and unexperienced. He can be a huge factor in any game, but he gets in foul trouble often.

Earl Clark might be one of the most athletic players in college basketball. The issue with him is that his talent doesn't show up to play every night.

For Pitt to win, they will have to slow Lew-uh-vull down. The Cardinals will press, HARD, for most of the game. If LeVance Fields and co. can control the turnovers and make Lew-uh-vull play a half-court style game, it will greatly benefit the Panthers.

Or maybe somebody will take over like...

In the 2007 Big East Tourney semis.

Pitt needs this win to prove it is better than Wake Forest and deserves to still be #1... And because I like to see Rick Pitino squirm.

S. Florida [62] @ #1 Pitt [75] - Recap

The success continued for the #1 Pitt Panthers (16-0). Past the halfway point of the season and the Panthers are still undefeated... Remarkable!

But just like the St. John's game this past Sunday, Pitt started off slow. People are getting worried about these slow starts and wondering how we play against the elite of the Big East(nothing against South Florida, they put up hell of a fight). But hey, it's the BIG EAST! What else do you expect in conference play?

In the first half, a couple of strong defensive stands with a shot clock violation twice against the Bulls and some nice baskets put Pitt ahead early with a 7-0 lead. But then the defense started to unravel and offense sputtered a bit. The Bulls shot over 50% from the field in the first half, unacceptable. Still, even against a below average opponent, Pitt was winning 41-37 at the half. This lead was largely in part to Tyrell Biggs' huge first half, where he scored in double figures, and LeVance Fields' shot clock beater from beyond the NBA three point line just before halftime.

In the second half, Pitt started off strong with another 7-0 run but then cooled off to a 47-44 lead. The turning point in the game, or at least what put the game out of reach, was the the three pointer made by Brad Wannamaker to make it 55-44. This was the first double digit lead of the game for Pitt, and they never looked back. Blair was dominate in the paint as usual.

Grades:

Offense --> A-
Pitt executed very well on offense. The offense produced opened threes (10-18) and quality shots the whole game. Pitt hit 48% of its shots, and if they didn't fall the rebounds were eaten up on the offensive glass by Blair and Young.

Defense --> B-
The Panthers' defense played mediocre allowing the Bulls to shoot 47%, while the Bulls as a team shot 41% from the field per game before Wednesday. Augustus Gilchrist, yes I said AUGUSTUS GILCHRIST, killed us. Mainly the first half, he made mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper. But other than Gilchrist, Pitt's defense played well, contesting every shot.

Jamie Dixon --> A-
Dixon did a very good job of substituting with Sam Young and Jermaine Dixon getting into foul trouble early in the second half. But calling the timeouts after Pitt made some baskets trying to get on a run in the second half was questionable. The use of only seven players was proof that South Florida was no team to take it easy on.

Crowd/Fans --> B
The crowd was pretty impressive considering how bad the weather was outside. But still the Oakland Zoo and the crowd that was there did not show the enthusiasm needed to have a distinct home court advantage in the Big East.

Starters:

LeVance Fields --> A+
Fields had a perfect game. He managed the team exceptionally well and as usual and he had a ridiculous assist to turnover ratio (13-1). Those 13 assists were his career high. LeVance hit key shots, including one at the end of first half to keep the lead for Pitt and at the beginning of the second half to extend the Panthers lead.

Jermaine Dixon --> C
Dixon did a decent job on Dominique Jones, who is the Bulls leading scorer with 17 points per game, in the first half. But during the second half he couldn't stay in front of Jones without fouling. As a result he was in early foul trouble and earned himself a quick trip to the bench. On offense he was solid, cutting to the basket and taking a small amount of threes.

Sam Young --> B-
Young had a mediocre game and still put up double digit points (14). Young was on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 3 of 6 attempts. But as far as his offensive within the three point line, there was none to be found. Young hit only 1-8 two point field goals, and most of those shots were him trying to force the issue. Sam just needs to let the game come to him and he will have even more success.

Tyrell Biggs --> A-
Biggs played an almost perfect game. He was 7-10 from the field and kept the Panthers in the lead during the first half. Tyrell's jump shot was on, along with his cuts and offensive rebounding. His offensive game was flawless, but on defense he was a little suspect, giving Augustus Gilchrist open shots, allowing him to score 22 points.

DeJuan Blair --> A
Blair played BIG again in the paint, ripping down 18 rebounds including 9 offensive boards. Even if Pitt doesn't play through him in their offensive sets, Blair still can create his offense with his offensive rebounds. DeJuan finished with 13 points, all from in the paint.

Bench:

Gilbert Brown --> B
Brown had a solid game. He played good defense as usual, but on offense he struggled with his confidence to shoot the basketball. Nonetheless, he played 26 minutes which is six more minutes than he is averaging.

Brad Wannamaker --> A-
We have seen Wannamaker develop this season into one of our most consistent players night in and night out. He showed it again Wednesday night, coming through with eight big points in 26 minutes. The biggest points came from the three he hit to give the Panthers their first double digit lead of the game, and we never looked back.

Gary McGee --> C
He only played five minutes and played ok in that time. He recorded two points on a three point play in which he missed the free throw. Another time he was fouled and missed two more free throws.

Ashton Gibbs --> B
Gibbs only played three minutes to spell Fields for a little. He recorded an assist and a solid performance.

Next Game:

#1 Pitt @ #20 Louisville
Saturday January 17th, 6:00 pm
Freedom Hall

The SEC Sucks

Want to know why the SEC is a joke?

You don't let a 13-16 team win a conference tournament. Period.

Oh yeah, NOBODY PLAYS ANY DEFENSE! As you may know, Jodie Meeks of the Kentucky Wildcats put up 54 points on Tennessee last night. First of all, if what is considered the best team in your conference gives up 54 to any player, that is a sorry excuse for an elite team, let alone any team at all.

If Tennessee were any kind of good team at all, after Meeks scored 26 points in the first half, the coaching staff would have stuck a guy on him, and told him to not let the guy breathe in the second half. But no, Meeks continued to get open looks, and he continued to embarrass the Volunteers. At some point, the coaches or players need to realize that this guy is ON, and make somebody else on the team beat you. For goodness sakes, Meeks made 15 of Kentucky's 30 total field goals.

Do you think North Carolina would let this happen? Do you think Pitt would let this happen? Shit, do you think Seton Hall would let this happen?

I almost forgot to mention that I give props to Meeks. 54 points is a hell of a game, regardless of the fact it came against a pathetic defensive squad. Most in Kentucky history, now THAT is impressive.

Pitt game tonight, I don't get ESPNU, but whatev, I'll mooch off someone else's TV.

1-Year anniversary for the blog.

"Sir, the possibility of S. Florida beating Pitt tonight is approximately three thousand, seven hundred and twenty to one!"

South Florida Scouting Report

South Florida Bulls(hits)

(6-9, 1-2)

Last game: W 80-58 @ DePaul

First of all, South Florida is not that good, but we need to realize that anybody can beat anyody in the Big East; actually in college basketball as a whole.

The Bulls(hits) have no players averaging more than 4.7 rebounds per game. In comparison, DeJuan Blair averages 6.1 offensive rebounds per game.

Those are some good numbers.

However they do have eight players who average between 4.7 and 3.3 rebounds per game, so our guards will have to be active on the boards.

S. Florida has two good players: Dominique Jones and Jesus Verdejo, who are both guards. However, Jones shoots 40% from the field and Verdejo shoots 41% so we know they are going to miss shots. In order for Pitt to win this one comfortably, it will have to limit these two to under 40 points combined and make the other Bulls(hits) beat it, which S. Florida is incapable of doing against an elite team such as Pitt.

Cut the Bulls(hit).

St. John's [67] @ #1 Pitt [90] - Recap

Still Undefeated. Still #1.

Some people are saying Pitt's victory yesterday was sloppy, some are saying it was dominant. Honestly it was neither, but somewhere in between.

In the first half, Pitt did not play very well and St. John's played above average basketball. The thing is, however, that when Pitt plays badly against mediocre teams like St. John's, they will still win. In this case, Pitt won the first half by five points, 41-36, thanks mostly to a few highlight dunks by Sam Young and Gilbert Brown in the last minute of the half.

Pitt started out strong in the second half, hitting a few threes and basically putting the game away right there. For the rest of the half, a St. John's guard would pass the ball directly to DeJuan Blair or Jermaine Dixon and Pitt would then score on the following possession. Pitt won and Ryan Tiesi got almost two minutes of playing time, so by and by, it was a solid win.

Grades:

Offense --> A

Pitt took quality shots the whole game and did not waste many possessions. When they missed, the rebounds were soft off the rim and the Panthers, primarily DeJuan Blair, were able to get offensive rebounds and get a lot of second chance points.

Defense --> B

Don't be fooled by St. John's shooting percentage in the first half, they were taking some difficult, contested mid range jumpers and making them. Pitt's defense forced 24 turnovers, which included 13 steals, and Pitt rarely gave up easy baskets or offensive rebounds until the game was out of hand.

Jamie Dixon --> A

Dixon did an outstanding job of substituting and managing the team, calling well timed timeouts at the end of the first half to make sure Pitt would stop St. John's from scoring on a last shot possession, and at the beginning of the second half to make sure Pitt stayed focused even though they came out firing. Dixon also got Ryan Tiesi two minutes of Big East playing time, which is obviously a great coaching move.

Crowd/Fans --> B

This was the rowdiest the Petersen has been in recent memory. Still, however, the overall intensity of the Zoo and the crowd as a whole is not where it needs to be in order for Pitt to have a dominant home court advantage as it did in the early years of the Petersen.

Starters:

LeVance Fields --> B+

Fields did an excellent job of managing the team throughout the game, knowing when to run the court and when to run sets. He hit some key shots in the first half to keep Pitt in the game and had nine assists. However, He had four turnovers and missed two foul shots in the first half that Pitt needed at the time.

Jermaine Dixon --> A+

Dixon played a perfect game. Perfect. He really needs to realize that he is going to be most valuable to the team if he slashes to the basket instead of settling for jump shots, even if they are open shots. He was 6-7 on two point field goals, and 1-5 shooting three pointers. He also played outstanding defense on the St. John's two guard and had four steals, at least three in the second half.

Sam Young --> B-

Young did not have it going offensively, at all, but he still ended up with 12 points. The best thing about his game today, is that he did not try to force anything as he sometimes does when he is not scoring, he let his teammates do the job on the offensive end. In contrast to possibly playing his worst offensive game of the season, he might have played his best defensive game of the season. DJ Kennedy was not a great factor when he was on him, and he also accumulated two blocks, coming from the weak side on guard penetration.

Tyrell Biggs --> D+

Biggs just did not have a good game today. He had a few good rebounds, but could not get into the rhythm of the game because he was in foul trouble, and he took a few bad shots. Overall, he was a non factor, which is okay against St. John's. There is still no doubt in my mind that his improvement this year will lead to Pitt's ultimate success this season.

DeJuan Blair --> A

Blair had 23 points and 15 rebounds... in 26 minutes! Of those 15 rebounds, ten were offensive boards, and he went 9-11 from the foul line. He looked like he wanted the ball more than anyone else on the court on every possession. If it were not for his countless offensive rebounds the the first half, Pitt may not have kept its composure long enough to make a push at the end of the half. Even though he has six steals (yes six!), it did not seem like he had the same intensity on the defensive end as he did cleaning the glass. Maybe this is being a little picky, but he did give up a few easy baskets to the St. John's front court.

Bench:

Gilbert Brown --> B

Brown looked like a zombie for the first couple minutes of the game, not hustling for a couple of loose balls and picking up a stupid intentional foul. He picked it up by the end of the first half, with an incredible alley-oop from a Sam Young pass that put Pitt in front by five heading into halftime. He knocked down a few open jump shots that were huge and he played okay defense on DJ Kennedy.

Brad Wanamaker --> A-

Wanamaker continues to play with great confidence, taking over at point when Fields is on the bench and penetrating effectively and knocking down shots when he needs to. He had seven points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals off the bench. The only setback to his performance today was four turnovers and a 1-3 performance from the foul line.

Ashton Gibbs --> A+

Gibbs was 2-2 from three point range in seven minutes with no turnovers. Perfect game for him.

Nasir Robinson --> A-

Robinson had an offensive rebound and put back and played solid defense for the seven minutes he was in the game, but he did have two turnovers.

Gary McGhee --> C

McGhee spelled Blair for eight minutes and played some pretty good defense, but when he was given a chance to score from in the paint, he was called for traveling and immediately taken out of the game.

TIESI!!! --> C+

St. John's put its best defensive player on Tiesi for two minutes and Tiesi did a good job of not trying to force anything.

Sean Brown --> C-

Got about seven seconds of playing time and missed one shot, should have been a foul, but if the ref would have called a foul, it would have been insane.

Note: I was really impressed by DJ Kennedy, he has no jump shot, but he is a hell of a player.

Next Game:

South Florida @ #1 Pitt

Wednesday January 14th, 7:00 pm

Petersen Events Center