By Bob Smizik | Tuesday, 12:05 a.m.
There are two things most Pittsburghers know about Xavier, the team Pitt will play Thursday night in Boston in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Xavier lost to Duquesne. Xavier is coached by Sean Miller.
Pitt fans might have a tough time taking seriously a team that lost to the Dukes, although the presence of Miller, a revered point guard for Pitt about 20 years ago and the son of a legendary coach, will serve to increase the esteem with which the Musketeers are held.
Those who incorrectly stated that the East Region, where first-seeded Pitt is playing, had the easiest path to the Final Four might have been thinking of Xavier, seeded fourth, when they came to that conclusion.
Xavier is not frightening. Not only did it lose to Duquesne, 72-68, that defeat on Feb. 7 began a stretch where the Musketeers lost five of 10 games. In addition to Duquesne, Xavier was beaten by Dayton, Charlotte, Richmond and Temple (in the Atlantic 10 tournament). In d
efense of Xavier, four of those teams have 20 or more wins. But Charlotte had 20 losses.
Can a team that lost to Charlotte beat Pitt?
It doesn’t seem likely. But this is the NCAA tournament, and although it has played pretty much to form thus far, strange things are known to happen. Let’s put it this way, if Pitt and Xavier played 10 times, Pitt would not win all 10 games. So the possibility exists that the Musketeers can handle Pitt.
Miller, no doubt, will be primed. Not only did he play at Pitt, he grew up in Beaver County and had a sensational career at Blackhawk High. He attempted to defuse that issue yesterday.
``Pitt holds a special place for me just from the standpoint that I had a great experience there as a student-athlete,’’ he said. ``I was treated like you wanted to be treated.
“The friendships that I have today with so many of close friends stem from my experiences there. And it really stops there as well.''
That was pure coach-speak. Miller was always careful with his words as a player and that’s even more true today.
I’m not 100 percent certain he was treated like he always wanted to be treated by Coach Paul Evans, who we can safely say is not on the list of Miller’s mentors. That list starts with his dad, John, one of the greatest high school coaches in Pennsylvania history and extends to Thad Matta, the Ohio State coach, and Herb Sendek, the Arizona State coach.
The blog often has urged caution when it comes to opponents facing Pittsburgh teams. I noted early in the week of the Super Bowl that the Arizona Cardinals were more formidable than most Steelers fans believed, and they were.
We’re not suggesting Xavier is a pushover. At this stage of the tournament, no team is. We needn’t remind anyone that in 2002, with a clear path to the Final Four (10th-seeded Kent State and fifth-seeded Indiana), third-seeded Pitt lost to Kent State in the round of 16.
But the Musketeers just don’t seem to be able to stir any level of apprehension.
Of course, DeJuan Blair could get in early foul trouble or Xavier could shoot for an entire game close to what Oklahoma State shot in the first half against Pitt in the second round or Xavier is just a lot better than I think.
But for this game, it’s hard to see Pitt losing.
Posted
Mar 24 2009, 12:04 AM
by
Bob Smizik