Bearcats claim Big East title in thrilling fashion as Panthers fall 45-44

Cincinnati 45 – Pittsburgh 44 Tony Pike’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Armon Binns with 33 seconds remaining finished No. 5 Cincinnati’s thrilling comeback from a 21-point deficit, and the Bearcats defeated No. 15 Pittsburgh 45-44 Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field to secure a BCS berth and their second consecutive Big East title. Panthers had leads of leads of 31-10, 38-24 and 44-38 only to have the Bearcats rally from each score. Mardy Gilyard’s 99 yard kick return for a touchdown near the end of the first half cut into Pittsburgh’s 31-10 lead as Gilyards return touchdown was a turning point in the game. The Bearcats were able to gain some momentum going into the locker room and went onto score

No. 8 West Virginia improves to 2-0

Eighth-ranked West Virginia ran its record to 2-0 with a 69-50 victory over The Citadel Tuesday night at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, W.Va. The Mountaineers had control of the game from onset, jumping out to an early 10-3 lead, and West Virginia had leads of 14 and 21 in the second half. Cameron Wells led all scorers with 19 points and John Flowers came off the bench to give West Virginia a big boost with 13 points in 22 minutes played. The Mountaineers also got strong performances from Kevin Jones (11 pts), Darryl Bryant (10 pts), and Casey Mitchell who each had double digit points. The Citadel held Da’Sean Butler to nine points in the game.

NCAA BB: Mountaineers await decision from top basketball recruit

Mountaineers vying for Tobias Harris 6-foot-8 Forward Tobias Harris (Dix Hills, NY), a 5-star recruit and the No. 7 rated player according to ESPN ScoutsINC, will announce his college decision on Thursday, November 19th. Harris made an official visit to West Virginia on November 10th and the Mountaineers are among the front runners to land Harris. Other schools vying for Harris include, Maryland, Syracuse, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Louisville. *On Wednesday, the Mountaineers received a verbal commitment from 7-foot-1 center David Nyarsuk. Nyarsuk is regarded as a 3-star recruit.

Panthers rally to beat Wofford 63-60 in regular season opener

Opening the season without a single starter from their 31-win team last season, the Pittsburgh Panthers Mens’ basketball team struggled early and often as the Panthers barely survived what would have been a shocking upset at the hands of Wofford college. In front of a sold out crowd, the Panthers raised their Elite Eight banner before the game but it took a 13 point second half comeback to hold off Wofford 63-60. Pitt trailed 31-24 at the half and Wofford jumped out to leads of 41-28 and 54-45 in the second half. The game time performer of the night for the Panthers was forward Gary McGhee who scored on a three-point play with 2.28 remaining in the second half to

Pitt hoops: Chase Adams stars in Blue-Gold Scrimmage

Pittsburgh — The Pittsburgh Panthers Mens’ basketball team took part in their annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage Tuesday night as senior guard Chase Adams starred, leading the Blue team to a 56-53 win. Adams, a senior transfer led all scorers with 21 points and was 5-for-7 shooting from three point range. Adams showed athleticism, good range, and was 8-for-11 from the field. While Adams was the star for the Blue team, junior guard Brad Wanamaker and sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs each had strong performances for the Gold team. Wanamaker, a player the coaching staff expects to play a big role for the young panthers this season, scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was aggressive driving to the hoop and creating his

Pitt Lands 4 Recruits, 2 More On The Way?

So much for Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt losing his recruiting touch. After landing 2 recruits earlier this week, the Pitt football program has just received their 4th verbal commitment of day. The good news will continue as I’m told 2 more players will give a commitment tomorrow morning. The following players gave verbal commitments to Pitt: RB T.J. Peeler, CB Kevin Weatherspoon, DE Bryan Murphy and OL Brandon Sacco. Peeler (6-1, 200 lbs) is from Ashburn, Virginia and picked Pitt over West Virginia and NC State. Weatherspoon, who is from Clairton H.S., had scholarship offers from Maryland, Syracuse, Toledo and Akron. 2 more players from the state of New Jersey are joining Pitt as teammates Bryan Murphy (6-2, 230) and

The Latest Recruiting Buzz; Pitt Loses Out On 4-Star LB

Once again, it was close but no cigar for Dave Wannstedt and the Pitt Panthers. Nick Forbes, one of the top linebacker prospects in the country, was considering Pitt but last night pulled the trigger and didn’t pick the Panthers. While visiting the California Elite Camp, Forbes made a verbal commitment to the California Golden Bears. Forbes, Frederick (Md.), reportedly was very impressed with the Berkeley campus and the coaching staff. Pitt along with West Virginia and Virginia Tech were other finalists for Forbes. Forbes is ranked as the nation’s No. 7 outside linebacker and a member of the Rivals250. As a junior, Forbes rushed for 1,075 yards on offense, but racked up 96 tackles, six tackles for a loss

PITT’S ASHTON GIBBS, DANTE TAYLOR NAMED TO USA BASKETBALL UNDER-19 NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS ROSTER

Pitt sophomore Ashton Gibbs and incoming freshman Dante Taylor have been named to the USA Basketball Men’s Under-19 National Team Trials. Gibbs and Taylor will audition for the squad which is coached by Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon. Trials to select the 2009 USA Men’s Under-19 National Team will be held June 16-18 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Gibbs and Taylor are among 17 athletes, born on or after January 1, 1990, who will participate in the trials. Training camp for selected finalists will begin June 19, with the 12-member USA roster being announced prior to the team’s departure for New Zealand on June 25. The USA National Team will compete in the FIBA

TRINITY STAR PICKS MICHIGAN OVER PITT

Different day but same result for the Pitt football team. This afternoon at a noon press conference, Trinity star DE/LB Ken Wilkins announced that he’s making a verbal commitment to the University of Michigan. The 6-3, 244 athlete said it came down to Michigan and Pitt. Wilkins is a 3-star recruit according to Rivals.com and is ranked as the No. 35 outside linebacker prospect in the country. Michigan plans to play him at their Quick End position, a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end role. Wilkins joins Hampton’s Jordan Paskorz as WPIAL players going to Rich Rodriguez and Michigan. Pitt is having a problem with the aggressive recruiting style of Rodriguez in Western Pennsylvania. I’m told Rodriguez is trying to make a

Big Recruiting Loss for Wannstedt

Dave Wannstedt and his coaching staff received some really bad news this afternoon when Fox Chapel blue-chip offensive lineman Miles Dieffenbach made a surprised verbal commitment to Joe Paterno and Penn State. The 6-5, 277 offensive tackle just received an official offer from Penn State a week ago today. It was widely assumed that Dieffenbach was a lock to commit to Pitt. The Panthers were the first school to offer Dieffenbach and his father is the tennis coach for Pitt. Dieffenbach was a regular visitor to South Side and had developed a tight relationship with Wannstedt and his coaching staff. Aside from Pitt and Penn State, Dieffenbach had offers from Florida State, Virginia, Minnesota, Boston College and Northwestern. Dieffenbach is