WICHITA STATE 73 – PITTSBURGH 55 The Pitt Panthers are one and done in the NCAA Tournament and this one wasn’t even close. Pitt shot 35% from the field and 5.9% (1-17) from three point range, losing to Wichita State, 73-55 on Thursday afternoon at the EnergySolutions Arena. The NCAA Tournament is all about guard play and Pitt’s guard play was atrocious. Senior Tray Woodall was 1 of 12 from the field with 2 points and 5 turnovers in the loss. While Pitt got nothing from Woodall and others, Shockers guard Malcolm Armstead had a game high 22 points and dished out 5 assists, leading Wichita State to the round of 32. The lone bright spot for the Panthers was big man Steven Adams who led the Panthers with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but a lot Adams points came in mop up time. Few Panthers came to play andRead More »
NCAA
Pitt’s poor non-conference schedule earns them a No. 8 seed in West Region
PITT NO. 8 SEED IN WEST REGION Pitt’s poor non-conference schedule has backfired on them as the Panthers are the No. 8 seed in the West Region. Pitt will have to travel to Salt Lake City and face Wichita State the 9 seed on Thursday. If Pitt beats Wichita State, the Panthers will play the winner of No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 16 Southern. Wichita State went 26-8 this season, finishing second in the Missouri State Conference. Notable teams in the West Region include No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 New Mexico, No. 4 Kansas State, No. 5 Wisconsin, NO. 6 Arizona and No. 7 Notre Dame.
Pitt announces agreement reached to join ACC for start of 2013 football season
Pitt has announced this evening that the school is officially moving to the ACC for the start of the 2013 football season, reaching an agreement with the Big East to leave early, effective July 1, 2013. Pitt will pay $7.5 million to leave the Big East to join the ACC full-time early, the same fee Syracuse paid. “We are anxious to compete in our final season in the Big East and look forward to an exciting future in the ACC, ” AD Steve Pederson said in a released statement.
PITT, PENN STATE & WEST VIRGINIA ROUNDUP
Notre Dame 15 – Pittsburgh 12 Low Octane Panthers: The Panthers for the second straight week were unable to close out a winnable game and head into Big East Play, 2-2 and on a two game losing streak. Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees Rees rebounded from a horrible start to lead the Irish to a game winning 4th quarter drive, hitting tight end Tyler Eifert on a 6-yard touchdown pass with less than 7 minutes to go and lifting Notre Dame to a 15-12. Rees went 8-for-8 on the game-winning drive as coverage breakdowns remain an issue for the Panthers. However, for the first time this season, the defense played with the type of aggressiveness they need to and forced two turnovers and kept the Pitt in the game, even though they were bailed out by eight Notre Dame offensive penalties. The defense bullied Rees for much of the game. The defense did enough while the offense gainedRead More »
WVU picked to win the Big East
Even with new head coaches at the helm, WVU and Pitt have been selected to finish No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big East Conference. The Mountaineers today have been picked a strong favorite, receiving 21 of 24 first place votes, for a total 188 points. Pitt came in at No. 2, receiving two first place votes and a total of 162 points. South Florida (151 points) came in at No. 3, receiving one first place. The top was rounded out with Syracuse at No. 4 and Cincinnati at No. 5.
Thursday’s Early Games Previews/Picks: NCAA Tournament Underway
NCAA TOURNAMENT: THURSDAY’S ACTION EARLY GAMES No. 5 West Virginia (20-11) vs No. 12 Clemson (22-11) Time: 12:15 p.m. | Where: St. Pete Times, Forum, Tampa Bay, FL Analysis: Clemson and West Virginia kickoff the NCAA Tournament at 12:15 p.m. this afternoon. Clemson is one of the hottest teams nobody is talking about, winning 5 of their last 7 and knocking off UAB in an opening round game in Dayton, Ohio. Clemson gets a rested West Virginia team that comes into the the tournament not shooting the ball well and have the look of a team that goes out in the second round. West Virginia’s focus will be on shutting down Clemson’s guard combo of Demontez Stitt (14.7 ppg) and Andre Young (team-high 68 3-points). WVU boast one of the best 3-point perimeter defenses in the country and look for Clemson to test WVU inside with a heavy dose ofRead More »
NCAA: Marvin Lewis comments on whether he’s thought about coaching at Pitt
Pitt Hoops: Duke No. 1; Panthers move up to No. 3 in AP Poll
The Duke Blue Devils are the unanimous No. 1 choice in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll. The Blue Devils received all 65 first-place votes from the national media panel Monday. Ohio State is No.2, followed by the 7-0 Pittsburgh Panthers who have moved up in today’s poll to No. 3. Kansas is 4th and Kansas State is 5th, to round out the top-5. According to the AP, Connecticut has made the second-most impressive jump into the rankings since 1989. Connecticut moved in at No. 7 after wins over Michigan State and Kentucky in the Maui Invitational. UCONN was previously unranked.
Pitt Hoops recruiting: Pitt lands 16th ranked Center
From Mike Vukovcan’s blog over at KDKA.com Scout.com was the first to report that Jamie Dixon and Pitt have landed a center for their Class of 2011. Malcolm Gilbert, the 16th-ranked center according to Scout.com gave Pitt a verbal commitment tonight. Gilbert joins a very talented recruiting class that includes Jaylen Bond (19th-ranked PF), PG John Johnson (27th ranked guard) and Durand Johnson (29th ranked SF). Gilbert selected Pitt over offers from Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia and Clemson.
Panthers receive verbal committment from 4-star recruit Jameel Poteat
The Pitt Panthers football team today received a verbal commitment from 4-star running back Jameel Poteat (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt). The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder rushed for 1,664 yards and scored 24 times, while leading Bishop McDevitt to a 12-1 record during his junior season. Landing a verbal commitment from Poteat is viewed as a major win for the Panthers. The talented running back was weighing offers from top schools Florida, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Iowa and Cincinnati and has reportedly received over 40 scholarship offers. In the past 2 seasons, Poteat has rushed for 2,972 yards and 39 touchdowns. He has also good pass catching ability out of the backfield. The Panthers are also expected to land a verbal commitment tomorrow afternoon from 2011 cornerback recruit Terrell Chestnut (Pottstown, PA). Chesnut is deciding between Pitt, West Virginia and Rutgers. Another 4-star PA recruit to keep an eye on is top cornerback recruit KyshoenRead More »
Headlines
Rumors: Juju Smith-Schuster likely out for the year
The Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reports Pittsburgh Steelers WR Juju Smith-Schuster suffered a likely season ending shoulder injury in Sunday’s 27-19 win over the Denver Broncos. Returning to Pittsburgh on a one year contract, Smith-Schuster faces an uncertain futu...
