Can Pitt join an elite group?

            NEWARK, N.J.  – I posed the question in my chat on Thursday about whether a team had ever beaten the same No. 1 team twice in the same season. Much to my surprise it has happened six times.

            Pitt will have a chance to become the seventh team if, as expected, Connecticut is elevated to No. 1 again on Monday. The Panthers play host to the Huskies Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale at the Petersen Events Center.

            The last time it happened was 1998 when North Carolina beat No. 1 Duke twice, a little more than a month apart. On two other occasions, a team beat a No. 1 team twice, but it wasn’t the same team.

Here is the complete list of teams that have beaten two No. 1s in the same season:

Feb. 5, 1998, No. 2 North Carolina beat Duke 97-73

March 8, 1998, No. 4 North Carolina beat Duke 83-68

 Jan, 12, 1994, No. 17 Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 89-69

 Feb. 3, 1994, unranked Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 96-89

 Jan. 10, 1993, No. 10 Georgia Tech beat Duke 80-79

 March 14, 1993, unranked Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 77-75

 Jan. 20, 1990, No. 4 Missouri beat Kansas 95-87

 Feb. 13, 1990, No. 2 Missouri beat Kansas 77-71

 Feb. 25, 1990, No. 10 Oklahoma beat Missouri 107-90

 Feb. 27, 1990, No. 5 Oklahoma beat Kansas 100-78

 Dec. 10, 1965, No. 6 Duke beat UCLA 82-66

 Dec. 11, 1965, No. 6 Duke beat UCLA 94-75

 Jan. 8, 1955, unranked Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 59-58

 Jan. 31, 1955, unranked Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 65-59

 March 18, 1950, unranked CCNY beat Bradley 69-61

 March 28, 1950, unranked CCNY beat Bradley 71-68

Thanks for the assist from AP basketball writer Jim O’Connell, who is covering the game against Seton Hall tonight and was kind enough to look up the information for me.

Another "name" set to join the staff?

   Ok, so graduate assistants aren't really that much of a factor nor are they a big deal (heck, when they are hired it is rarely even formally announced until spring ball starts), but it appears as if Pitt's next defensive graduate assistant could be none other than former quarterback Rod Rutherford. He would replace Greg Williams, who took a job with the San Diego Chargers.

   Again, not a big deal other than Rutherford's history and the fact that he became somewhat of a folk hero among Pitt fans the day he committed to the Panthers shortly after Tom Bradley and Joe Paterno visited him --- and then two years later cemented that legacy when, as a redshirt freshman, he scored the game-clinching touchdown in Pitt's 12-0 win over Penn State in the last game between the two teams.

  And also, how many other teams can say they are adding a graduate assistant who has a Super Bowl ring (remember, he was a practice squad player for the Steelers the year they beat the Seahawks)? 

  Here's hoping it works out for him with Pitt as he is receiving strong consideration for the spot.

  Of course, given the Panthers current quarterback situation, the cynical among us would probably add "is there any chance he has any eligibility left or perhaps Dave Wannstedt could petition to get him a sixth year........"

A job well done by Dave Wannstedt

   Dave Wannstedt has taken a lot of heat over the past four years from Pitt fans, some of it deserved (like when he played for a tie and then lost in overtime to Ohio) and some of it not deserved (like when the Panthers went 5-7 in 2007 -- given how bad the quarterback play was that year, he deserved a raise, a promotion and everything else just for getting five wins out of that team.......) but one thing is clear -- even his harshest critics can't possibly be upset or find fault with the hiring of Frank Cignetti Jr.

  Cignetti, to me, is like a five-star recruit from this standpoint -- you don't know if he can live up to the hype, but you'd like to think so. And more to the point, when you land a five-star recruit, it is always a good thing, even he ultimately turns into a bust, because you at least aimed for the sky.

  I don't know if the guy can coach, but he certainly won the press conference and he certainly won the battle of public perception and he certainly has energized a fan base -- and believe me this is the kind of jolt of energy this program needed.

 Yesterday was the first day I met Frank Cignetti and here was my immediate impression....

  "I'm talking to the next head coach at Pitt"

   Oh I know, I am getting way ahead of myself as I don't expect Dave Wannstedt to step aside or get asked to step aside any time soon, but Cignetti is that impressive and it is easy to see why he was such an attractive hire for Pitt.

   In fact, in my discussions with people after the news conference I said "I don't know what "it" is when talking about what makes an outstanding coach, but that guy has "it" and he's convinced me that he'll get the job done."

   And you know the last time a coach made that kind of an impression on me with just one interaction?

   Late in 2000 when I first met and interviewed West Virginia's coach-in-waiting, a young guy by the name of Rich Rodriguez (I was covering WVU at the time, Don Nehlen announced his retirement with a game or two left in the season but remained through the Music City Bowl and in the interim Rodriguez was hired) who was engaging, intense, funny, well spoken, enthusiastic and most importantly, truly was excited to get started in what he called his "dream job." 

  I came away from that news conference so impressed I told my boss at the time, Fritz Huysman, "You know, I don't know much about this guy, but he has me wanting to sign up to play and I have little doubt that he's going to get the job done here."

  Now, I know that Pitt fans (and WVU fans for that matter) aren't huge fans of Rich Rodriguez (who I happen to like a lot by the way) but there is no doubt that WVU fans should thank their lucky stars they had him, even for a short period, because he transformed that program into something special in a very short period of time.  

  There is just some special quality that almost every successful coach has and I think Cignetti has it, too. There was so much about yesterday that reminded me of the initial Rodriguez news conference it was eerie to be honest....

   But beyond my initial impression, there are some very, very positive things about this coaching hire and some things that should have a lot of people excited.....

    1.) Pitt hired a major assistant coach -- i.e. coordinator or assistant head coach - who ALREADY HAD A VERY GOOD JOB. Let me repeat that -- Cignetti isn't a retread, he wasn't fired at his last job, he wasn't looking for work, he wasn't a "Pitt guy" (though, he is a Pittsburgh guy), he was a coach, with a great job in a BCS conference and more than happy to stay there. Yet Wannstedt got him to come to Pitt - and that is quite a nice accomplishment.

    2.) Pitt proved once again it will pay for performance or the right guy -- The idea that Pitt won't pay coaches is often thrown about because you don't see Pitt getting into bidding wars for $4 million a year coaches. But Pitt time and time again has proven it will pay the right coaches and this is another example. Sure, he took a pay cut to come here -- but I guarantee you it wasn't much, if anything, when you take the cost of living into account and more importantly I guarantee you he didn't come cheap. Pitt made him a very nice compensation package and that's something the administration has been willing to do time and time again.

   3.) Pitt hired a proven recruiter at offensive coordinator. I think as great of a recruiter as Dave Wannstedt has been, the fact that his former offensive coordinator was not nearly as engaged in the recruiting process as most assistant coaches are, probably has held him back some. Wannstedt, make no mistake, is one of the best recruiters around, but Cavanaugh didn't do much recruiting and thus wasn't much help in getting some kids over the top. With Cignetti, that won't be a problem as he is a coach who, like Wannstedt, likes the recruiting process, enjoys the competitive aspect of it and will be an instant asset in this department. And with Wannstedt, Cignetti and Greg Gattuso knocking on doors, every prospect in the entire state of Pennsylvania has suddenly become in play.

4.)    Pitt hired a college coach -- Cignetti understands the challenges of working with college kids and understand how to tailor what he did when he was in the NFL to fit the constraints and limitations of the college game (like yesterday, when he was talking about his “quarterback academy” and how he does it differently now than he did with the 49ers and Saints because he has so much less time with college kids due to NCAA rules). That tells me that it will be reflected in his game plans and his play calling.

Like I said at the start, I don’t know if this guy can or will get it done, but I’d say the chances are very good that he will. Only time will tell, but at this point, given what we know about him and given the first impression, I’d say yesterday was a very good day for Pitt fans everywhere.

Now, in the interest of objectivity and fairness, here is the other side of the Cignetti story from someone who covers the Pac-10 teams in the Bay Area (Stanford and Cal)....

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2009/02/18/pittsburgh-hires-cals-cignetti-losing-taufoou-is-a-bigger-deal/

I'd say the money shot in this one are these graphs (and by the way, Jon Wilner is an excellent reporter with plenty of credibility)......

   "So Cignetti is headed home to Pittsburgh. Wake me when it matters.

   I say that semi-facetiously, and the only reason for the “semi” is because of the timing. It’s getting late in the winter (ie: close to spring ball) to start looking for a playcaller/quarterbacks coach.

   But does anyone think the Bears benefitted significantly from Cignetti’s presence?

   Does anybody think the playcalling was all that dynamic?

   Does anybody think the quarterbacks were that well coached?"

   Again, just a different perspective from the other side of this personnel move. The feeling out on the West Coast is that Cal. head coach Jeff Tedford ran the offense, did most of the game-planning and adjusting and hired Cignetti to be a caretaker of his offense and call plays. Obviously we can't know that because didn't cover it but I do think it is an important observation to at least keep on file..... 

Cignetti is hired

 The deal is now officially done and Pitt's search for a new offensive coordinator is over.

  California offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. will be named the Panthers offensive coordinator at a news conference at 3:45 at the SouthSide complex.

All signs are pointing to Wannstedt closing the deal

 Has Frank Cignetti Jr. agreed to become Pitt's offensive coordinator?

 I'd say the answer is yes based on a number of conversations I have had this morning and last night on this subject and I expect an announcement on the matter at some point in the next day or two. 

 Coaching searches are always a pain because nobody will talk to you on the record, some will talk off the record but only give you bits and pieces of information and there are always so many rumors floating around and people throwing names that you have to chase them all. And being as we are a news organization, we can't just write stuff based on rumors - and that makes it frustrating.  

  That's why I am glad this one appears to be finally over and Cignetti appears to be a tremendous addition to the Panthers staff as he comes with a great reputation as a recruiter, an offensive mind and his local ties and name recognition are only a bonus.

One recruit commits -- is a commitment from an OC next?

  Pitt got a commitment from Wilmington Area running back/linebacker Derrick Burns and it was one of the easiest commitments the program has had -- well since Scott McKillop and for the same reason it was so easy for the Panthers to land McKillop all those years ago.....

  Family ties -- and not the 80's sitcom featuring Alex P. Keaton.

  Burns older brother, Chris, is a redshirt freshman running back (and one of the favorites to win the starting job vacated by LeSean McCoy) for the Panthers. Derrick told my good friend Chris Peak over at Pantherlair.com that he has wanted to follow his brother’s footsteps to Pitt and that's why it was easy to say "yes" when Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt offered him a scholarship yesterday.

  Burns, incidentally, was one of a number of junior prospects who visited Pitt over the weekend.

  That's very similar to the recruitment of Scott McKillop, whose brother was a freshman at Pitt when he committed and he did so early and was one of the first in his class to commit to the Panthers. McKillop was familiar with Pitt's coaching staff, wanted to play on the same team as his brother and never had any doubt about where he wanted to play his college football.

  Boy, if only they were all that easy...... 

  Meanwhile, Dave Wannstedt is waiting to hear about another offer he has tendered -- to California offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. --- who I profiled earlier on this blog --- as he is hoping to lure Cignetti, a Pittsburgh native, back home. The job has been offered now and Cignetti is very much considering it according to one source.

  I spoke to Jonathan Okanes from the Contra Costa Times and he told me that based on the digging he did today that signs are pointing to the fact the Cignetti sounds like a "man on the move". In fact, he called Cignetti's house and spoke to his wife, Ellen, who told him he'd have to talk to her husband about the situation then said "he's not taking any calls".

  Stay tuned as there could be some movement on this front soon....

The OC search continues

     The importance of the offensive coordinator hire is on full display over at Pitt as the search begins to drag into week three. 

     Not only does this hire have to be the right fit and have the right credentials and a track record of success, it needs to be someone who can generate at least some excitement and help sell tickets. And don't underestimate that last part -- there is no question the pressure is on Dave Wannstedt to hire a coach with at least some pedigree of success and a track record of quarterback development. 

    That's why the latest guy Wannstedt's radar -- California offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti -- is such an intriguing name.

    Unlike Noel Mazzone, who has fallen way down (if not completely off according to several soures) on the list for a variety of reasons and will likely end up as the Browns quarterbacks coach, unlike Walt Harris, who is headed to Akron as I predicted in my last blog post and unlike any of the internal candidates -- Cignetti is a name that would excite people.

   He has run successful offenses at virtually every stop, he is an up-and-comer (I believe he is 43) and he has the right resume and background to become a serious candidate as Dave Wannstedt's successor in a few years when Wannstedt decides to retire.

   He was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State from 2002-2006 and he had some very good offenses and he also has some experience in the NFL, which seems to be a plus with Wannstedt. 

  He also has numerous local ties -- a factor that seems to be the be all, end all among some fans and boosters and alumni but I think is highly overrated -- as he's from here, his dad is a Division II coaching legend at IUP and he has plenty of family still here in the area.

  All of it would add up to a major development if Wannstedt is indeed able to pull it off.

  The question is -- can he?

  Cignetti is willing to listen but talking and listening and actually coming are two different things.

  One sticking point would be the money as Pitt is not likely to get into a bidding war in these economic times. Pitt will, and has proven it will, pay for the right guy but I have a hard time believing they are going to break the bank for an offensive coordinator at a time when the university executives are taking pay cuts and the university is eliminating positions and downsizing some departments.

  That being said, let's look at what it would actually cost Pitt to get into the ballpark to get Cignetti........

  Cignetti's base salary is $168,000 at Cal. He also makes $77,000 in bonuses as per the contract of head coach Jeff Tedford, which allows him $250,000 in bonuses for his assistant coaches. That puts him at $245,000. Then there is also an $80,000 talent fee, $10,000 from camps and a maximun total of $69,500 in potential "merit bonuses" available to him based on how well the offense does and how well the team does (example -- if Cal's offense is in the top ten in the NCAA, he receives a bonus of $4,500).....

  I didn't research enough into Cal's offensive performance rankings to see how many of the incentives he actually reached this year but let's just for arguments sake he got $35,000 of the $69,500 in merit bonuses.

  That would put him somewhere between $350,000 and $400,000 in compensation this past year. I don't know that Pitt would go much higher than that or even get that high, though they came up with a very attractive package to bring Matt Cavanaugh to Pitt in 2004 and gave Paul Rhoads a big bump to keep him at Pitt in 2002 -- but that's the price of doing serious business with serious football coaches these days.

  The buy-out of his contract -- which runs through 2010 -- wouldn't be an issue as it is only $25,000 and he'd have to repay Cal for all of his moving expenses and that is a drop in the bucket.

  One thing to keep in mind, however, is that while Cignetti makes a very nice buck - he makes it in the Bay Area, which is far more expensive than the Pittsburgh area. In fact, I did one of those salary relocation calculators on his salary and frankly, $350,000 there is the equivalent of about $210,000 or so here (Actually, 188,000 if he lives in San Fran, 222,000 if he lives in Oakland and 219,000 if he lives in Berkely to be exact) and that is well within the range of what Pitt would pay.

  So there is clearly some room for Pitt to negotiate and if they want Cignetti bad enough, the money wouldn't necessarily have to become an issue as he'd be receiving a very nice raise just due to the dramatic drop in his cost of living even if he just got the same salary he's getting now at Cal U.

  Pitt could also offer something Cignetti doesn't have right now -- the ability to run an offense without interference from an offensive-minded  head coach who many still see as the guy in charge of the offense -- and that is something that is valuable to any coach.  

  Stay tuned, I expect this search to be coming to an end soon but it is clear to me that the powers that be are taking their time, doing their due diligence and making sure they find the right guy who is the right fit and someone who will at least offer some reasonable hope that the offense will be upgraded next year from what it has been.   

Pitt vs. Connecticut: The matchups

PITT VS. CONNECTICUT

Seven hours until tip-off…Here is a look at the one-on-one matchups for the big clash between No. 1 Connecticut and No. 4 Pitt.

Point guard – Levance Fields vs. A.J. Price: Give the checkmark to Fields, who has been playing some of the best basketball of his career as of late. Fields has 56 assists and only six turnovers in the past five games, all Pitt wins. A.J. Price is having a nice season as well, but Fields is playing one notch above at this point.

Shooting guard – Jermaine Dixon and Brad Wanamaker vs. Craig Austrie and Kemba Walker: Give the checkmark to the Austrie and Walker, who are taking the place of injured starter Jerome Dyson. They have the edge because of the explosiveness that Walker brings to the table. He has the ability to be a game changer with his quickness to the hoop.

Small forward – Sam Young vs. Stanley Robinson: Give the checkmark to Young, who is Pitt’s leading scorer and second-leading rebounder. After a rough stretch, Young has played two really solid games in a row against West Virginia and Cincinnati, and the Panthers will need him to play the same way this evening against Robinson, who is a better defender than a scorer.

Power forward – Tyrell Biggs vs. Jeff Adrien: Give the checkmark to Adrien, who is averaging a double-double on the season. Biggs’ play has tailed off lately. The Panthers will need Biggs to step up and have a big game against Adrien, who is as strong as a bull inside.

Center – DeJuan Blair vs. Hasheem Thabeet: Give the checkmark to Thabeet. Connecticut’s 7-foot 3 shot blocker is a menacing presence in the lane. Blair is a crafty player who will use his width to carve out some space underneath the basket. If the officials don’t blow their whistles both players should have good games. But Thabeet’s defensive presence gives him a slight edge over Blair.

Bench play – Give the checkmark to Pitt, which has Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown and Ashton Gibbs as top reserves. Each player brings something different to the table. Wanamaker can penetrate and shoot 3-pointers, Gibbs is one of the top 3-point shooters in the league and Brown is excellent in transition and on the defensive end. Connecticut simply is not as deep and was weakened when Dyson went out.

Coaching – Give the checkmark to Calhoun. Dixon has guided Pitt to the most Big East wins in the past five seasons, but Calhoun is 5-3 in head-to-head matchups. Plus, Calhoun has two national championships to his name while Pitt has not made it past the Sweet 16.

Intangibles – Push. Connecticut rarely loses at home, but the Huskies are playing only their second game without Dyson. There is going to be a learning curve in the next few weeks. The Panthers are hungry to take control of the Big East, but they have lost 10 of their past 11 on the road to ranked teams.

Has Dave Wannstedt found his man?

      It appears that former Jets wide receivers coach Noel Mazzone has moved to the front of the pack of candidates to replace Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. In fact all signs -- and several sources as well -- are pointing to Mazzone and he is looking like he could be the guy.

     Mazzone was in town over the past two days meeting with Dave Wannstedt and he has the right mix of NFL and college coaching in his background that Wannstedt is looking for. He was an offensive coordinator for 11 seasons at Ole Miss, Auburn, N.C State and Oregon State and he's also tutored a number of top flight quarterbacks, most notably Chargers standout Philip Rivers.

     One guy whose candidacy appears to be fading is former Panthers head coach Walt Harris, although Wannstedt and Harris have had some discussions about the job. If Harris doesn't work out at Pitt, don't be surprised if he becomes a serious contender for the open offensive coordinator position at Akron.

   The Zips are coached by J.D. Brookhart, who was Pitt's offensive coordinator under Harris from 2000-03 and prior to that he worked in various roles as an offensive assistant under Harris, who hired him 1997.

    If Harris were to join Brookhart's staff, which is likely to happen if things don't work out with Pitt, it would be somewhat ironic given that he'd be working under a former assistant and replacing a former graduate assistant (outgoing Akron coordinator Joe Moorehead, who is headed for a similar job at Connecticut, was a graduate assistant under Harris at Pitt in 1998-99.   

    Stay tuned as an announcement could come early next week. 

Bye bye bye?

 Pitt is ranked No. 4 in the AP and coaches' poll and is No. 1 in the RPI, but the Panthers might not even get one of the four coveted double byes at next month's Big East tournament. For those who are unfamiliar with the new Big East tournament format, the top four teams in the standings get double byes and don't have to play a game until Thursday. Teams seeded five through eight get a bye and don't have to play until Wednesday. All other teams play on Tuesday.

Pitt (9-2) is currently tied for third place with Marquette, but Villanova (8-3) is dangerously lurking in fifth place. And the Wildcats own the tiebreaker over Pitt based on its victory over the Panthers in Philadelphia last month. Villanova also has the benefit of playing an easier schedule. The Wildcats play only two teams with winning records in league play the rest of the season -- Syracuse (on the road) and Providence (at home).

Pitt and Marquette have much tougher schedules. Of Pitt's final seven games, five have winning records in Big East play, including two matchups with No. 1 Connecticut.

Marquette has four games remaining with teams with winning Big East records, including a game against Pitt at the Petersen Events Center on March 4. It could come down to that game to decide which team gets the double bye.

Not that winning four games in four days to get to the championship game is in impossibility. Pitt has done it twice in the past three seasons. The Panthers won three games in three days before losing to Syracuse in the title game in 2006. And last season they won four games in four days to win the championship.