Pitt loss has many benefits

re: Pitt loss has many benefits

Sam Testtwo — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 02:34:10 GMT

thanks for the lesson in fine quisine, piggie.

in fact your final 2 paragraphs were quite reminiscent of another gormet chef you may have heard of...hanibal lecter. especially when coupled with your attempts at psycho-analysis re DeJuan Blair. haha

actually, i just watched the video on this site of the post-game press conference from the other night, and Blair seemed like a good kid to me with a good attitude following a tough loss.

i further suggest that you have no right nor invitation to assess Blair's "personal perspective, values and actions". how about you just keep the comments related to to his basketball play there, chief?

the chancellor

re: Pitt loss has many benefits

Whistle Pig — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:08:23 GMT

Like many complex phenomena, basketball is more than the sum of its parts.

Were it not so, there'd be no explanation for how Bird and his Sycamores ever ended up playing MSU Magic & Co. in the championship. There'd be no explanation for how Hawaii Chaminade with 900 no-name students beat Ralph Sampson and #1 VA. There'd be no explanation for NC State beating Houston or 'Nova beating G-Town and Patrick or how can Winthrop, Coppin St., Richmond, Valpo and all these others beat monster teams that should but didn't dominate them? And there are simply multitudes of the inverse of these, i.e. the teams that never should have lost who never won ...

Sometimes one just gets the sense from watching, listening, pondering that what makes little sense on paper just might happen. Or things that do make sense, won't. And that's why they play, no matter where they're ranked.

Looking @ the big pic, it's just increasingly challenging to see DeJuan Blair and what we know about his erratic performances and personal perspective, values and actions and when joined with his mate Young's similar inconsistencies ...well, it's tough seeing these 2 carrying this squad very far much longer.

btw pinkie, that deee - lishous meat you been smacking your little chops over? It comes from the hind-end of Punxsy Phil's 1st cousin. Enjoy your " blt."

Next week's menue will feature a delightful seafood entree lightly sauteed in butter ... those luscious morsels of the half-shell ...rocky mountain oysters. (Yours not mine. ) To be served on a slightly browned bed of sweet breads. And lastly, a palate cleanser of Pitt pate, I'm afraid.

re: Pitt loss has many benefits

allablaze — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:54:38 GMT

Pitt's lack of consistency in shooting 3's and free throws will continue to haunt them in the NCAA tournament. If Sam Young is having an off night, Pitt will have trouble advancing.

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Pitt Blather — The Rantings Continue Permalink » Well, So That Kind of Sucked — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:48:39 GMT

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re: Pitt loss has many benefits

Sam Testtwo — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:19:03 GMT

you know, i must confess, i had once believed that Pitt's current Number One RPI rating, their 28 victories in a tough conference (most of them by large margins), their impressive road wins this year against UConn, Florida State and WVU and their recent excellence shown in the two commanding victories over Marquette and UConn which, if memory serves me, a little over a week ago...all of that silly stuff had me a bit deluded into thinking Pitt was a good team with a legitimate chance to win it all.

but after reading over whistle pig's comments a few times, he has me convinced. and i truly believe now that Pitt should just decline any inviation it may receive to the NCAAs.

i mean, why bother? whistle pig wants Pitt to fail. with the pigs against us, we clearly don't stand a chance.

now, if you'll excuse me...back to my bacon...

the chancellor

re: Pitt loss has many benefits

Big Pitt Daddy — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:52:28 GMT

Well, let me try and give you some more statistics Whistle Pig. I want to explode the myth that Pitt gets jobbed by whistle happy refs in the NCAAs by walking through the last seven years.

In 2001-2002, Pitt averaged 19.37 fouls per game before the NCAAs. In the NCAA that dropped to 17 fouls per game.

In 2002-2003, Pitt averaged 18 fouls per game before the NCAAs. In the NCAA that dropped to 17 fouls per game.

In 2003-2004, Pitt averaged 15 fouls per game before the NCAAs. In the NCAA that did jump to 16.5 fouls per game.

In 2004-2005, Pitt averaged 17 fouls per game before the NCAAs. In the NCAA we had 20 fouls in our only game against Pacific. That year totally stunk.

In 2005-2006, Pitt averaged 16 fouls per game before the NCAAs. In the NCAA that jumped by 2 to 18 fouls per game.

In 2006-2007, Pitt averaged 16.5 fouls per game before the NCAAs. In the NCAA that jumped to a whopping 17 fouls per game.

Last year Pitt averaged 16.25 fouls per game before the NCAAs. In the NCAA that dropped to 14.5 fouls per game.

So in three of seven years our fouls decreased by a little less than two per game and in four of seven years our fouls increased by about two per game. So a probable maximum of four additional points per game if the other team hit all their fouls shots.

I know people love to talk about how the refs will impact how we play but it is just not valid based on the data.

Thursday night was an anomaly. Take a few ingredients. Face a team you beat twice already. Face a team that is your most bitter rival. Sounds like a loss is quite possible in that situation and has no real reflection on the state of the team.

Let's make an equivalent comparison. Our good friend Ben Howland's UCLA squad went against their cross town rivals in USC last night. Ben had beaten USC four of the last four meetings between the clubs. USC has been playing horribly down the stretch. Guess what? USC lays a ten point beating on the Bruins.

Pitt is not cooked and trust me this team will likely still be playing in April.

re: Pitt loss has many benefits

Whistle Pig — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:43:54 GMT

Pitt Daddy ...you may be more right than me. No sweat, I'm used to that, but I guess that puts you in alignment w/ the missus. Be careful, she's a butt-kicker.

And I hope you are more right.

Your pt. about average fouls doesn't count though. It's a new season, new rules, and single elimination from here on out. I'll stick w/ the forecast that DeJuan will be watched like a bunny on an owl. Again, averages mean nothing on a single coin flip.

More to the pt is his capacity for leadership joined w/ others. You see it half full, I see it nearly empty, as revealed not by Calhoun's rant, but DeJuan's following a meaningless route. That, I fear, was revealing of head/heart issues. At this time of year, they kill.

And I'm prepared to project Pitt's season is cooked in a game or 2. Again, hope you can call me all wet, which pinkie already has. So I guess that means we're both dug in, out on our individual limbs. It'll be fun watching who tumbles 1st.

But to malign the practice of predicting ...either the tournament's disappointing or delightful end for Pittsburgh ...well that's what office pools, Las Vegas, and even Bob's blogs are often about. So count me in, but don't diss me simply because I see Pitt's immediate potential sorely less than my fellow jimmythegeeks.

And if the pie in the face be mine? You may appropriatelly make it coco-nut. Or if you're so inclined a Prantl's almond torte would be grandly appreciated.

But I'll be clear. Pitt's cooked. DeJuan's game cannot be changed to meet the demands of the tourney zebras. Nor can he receive a heart transplant. And those 2 issues were the real issues in the WVU game ...Great teams do one thing. Git 'er dun. Pitt didn't and won't, I believe.

re: Pitt loss has many benefits

Sam Testtwo — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:49:11 GMT

"Never, ever question the leadership on this team. It is amazing how people look at the losses and hyper-examine them to draw conclusions on the season."

Amen, Big Pitt Daddy!!!!

some people in life enjoy predicting the end of the world. one day, they are bound to be right. and when that happens, oh what a beatiful day that will be for them, eh? hahahaha

re: Pitt loss has many benefits

Big Pitt Daddy — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:44:53 GMT

Whistle Pig, although you have formatted your comments in a very pleasing manner they nonetheless are incorrect.

Lets make it clear the biggest thing to hurt Pitt against WVU was the fact that WVU shot lights out from the foul line. Average WVU night and you can take away 8 points from their final score. Then take into consideration the number of wide open looks Sam missed and the number of bunny layups Levance missed and you ask yourself on a normal night what does this game look like?

And as to teams putting up zone defenses against Pitt, I will remind you that Marquette applied four different defenses (three of which were zones) against Pitt and we managed to come back from a nine point deficit in the second half to win.

Never, ever question the leadership on this team. It is amazing how people look at the losses and hyper-examine them to draw conclusions on the season. Look at the "body of work" and tell me where this lack of leadership was during each double digit victory at home?

And yes of course the biggest myth so far this year is that Dejuan Blair has checked out and been checked out since the Calhoun rant in the first UCONN game. During the games prior to and including the first UCONN game Dejuan averaged 2.6 fouls per game. During the last six games that has bumped up to 3.0 fouls per game. Wow!!! At that rate he will foul out of none of the remaining games. Amazing how out of control the officials are now with Blair. And given the fact that he did foul out of two games in the last six, that means in the other games he barely drew a glance from the officials.

But, you say, the foul trouble has kept him on the bench and that has effected the Pitt fortunes. Again, in the games prior to the rant Dejuan averaged 26.36 minutes per game (did not even include the game he sat out). In the games since the rant Dejuan has averaged 26.66 minutes per game.

So, Whistle Pig perhaps you might actually want to consider some facts before sounding off about what you "perceive" is happening to the Pitt team.

Hail to Pitt!!!!

re: Pitt loss has many benefits

PennHillsBubba — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:18:40 GMT

Much is made of the fact that Pitt went 0 for 8 from the 3 arc, and thus, Pitt is ill-equipped to handle zone defenses. What bull! Outside shooting ability does not beat zones, ball movement does. If you move the ball quickly, you will get open shots inside and outside. I'm quite sure Coach Dixon is aware of this axiom and will address it in the coming week.