124 thoughts on “Pitt vs Wake Forest BB Game Thread”

  1. I would like to see Pitt win for the kids sake
    But KS doesnt deserve another year regardless of a win or loss
    I hope all 1500 in attendance are at least entertained and get their moneys worth

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  2. But my betting against Pitt has generated me a windfall of profits…enough for a substantial down payment for an OCS. So I am deeply torn.

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  4. Let the Stallings death march begin!!! Hopefully Otis is wearing a sporty looking coat with those Rockports tonight. The fans won’t have much else to look at. Tune in for the 9 pm snooze fest.

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  6. I purposely scheduled a colonoscopy tomorrow am so I could prep tonight in case by some accident I turned on the Pitt game. Then I can see which is more painful.

    How does KS coach a team that never tries to get an O rebound, runs a 5 out 3 point shooting offense, and never calls a time out? Is he just giving the finger to all of us???

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Please suggest who you would hire instead of bashing. Not one of you can provide the solution. Only negative comments. Always negative on this blog.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I hear you — but it’s hard not to be. Especially considering what the program was just not so long ago. What I find more disturbing is the negativity directed at FB … as if the FB program over the last 28 years was anything to jump up and down about

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    2. TF – I’d hire a dead body and set it there Chief. A Cadaver with no head would give more effort. Happy?

      How about Vandy’s Coach who was Available at the time we hired Turd Man,

      Wojo, Hurley, Kevin Willard, Enfield (And acutally pay him his worth not try to get him cheap as a usual.)

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    3. Not my job. Thats Heathers. But there are most likely at least 10 suitable candidates that could not do any worse. I judge KS by his results. A big fat ZERO this year. Player development…dont see it. Coaching potential…he’s washed up. Never was a good fit at Pitt. He deserves to be bashed. The solution is to hire a new coach. If you want positive comments about Pitt basketball, I’ll give you one…still thinking

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    4. The solution has been debated on this site and elsewhere ad nauseam. There is no easy answer. At this point, to try to tell fans on this site to not be frustrated and negative, you have no credibility, because I don’t recall ever seeing you here before. Contribute something if you want to be critical of the regulars.

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  8. there may be good reasons for firing Aliquippa FB coach Mike Zijamnic but I doubt his 237-36 career record was one of them

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  9. Please UPitt no more Willard’s. Kevin was a disruption when he played here. Not a D1 player who thought he was.
    I just don’t see Stallings impressing recruits. If he stays I believe we will continue to bring in non ACC caliber players. Let’s bring Seth Greenberg out of retirement, even though he got shafted here years ago.

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  10. while there is something to the lack of viable solutions here, surely the negativism is not restricted to ths site

    Look what Pat Forde wrote on Yahoo Sports on Monday

    “He’s not even completed two seasons, but the Kevin Stallings era is an unmitigated disaster. The Panthers are 8-20, 0-15 in the ACC, and 13 of those league losses are by a dozen points or more. If they don’t win at home Wednesday against Wake Forest, they will very likely go 0-18. Stallings did not inherit a flush situation, but it has gotten much, much worse on his watch. Pitt should bite the financial bullet, admit the mistake and move on.”

    He speculated that Pitt may keep him another year because of budget concerns, but the above speaks for itself

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  11. They may have to keep this WASTE because of $.However I love the Stallings defenders. They deflect and say their is too much negativity. He deserves a chance. He had a chance. He has blown it epically. What has that WASTE done to deserve any positive feelings from the fans? He can sure cash a pay check though.

    My three favorites to replace the WASTE are
    1) Nick McDevitt
    2) Earl Grant
    3) Brandin Knight

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  13. I can’t imagine anyone defending WASTE unless they’re on the Board of Untrustables or
    someone else that bodes Pitt ill.

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  14. I love that this game is on Root. It means I can’t watch it. Saves me the aggravation. Hope for the kids they win – it’s their last chance in this schedule.

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  19. Wow, Wake is really bad, worse than ?I thought. If we can’t beat that mess……….. Great players do not make great coaches.

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    1. They don’t look good for sure.

      On the other hand it seems like we’ve said this with some other ACC opponents like Syracuse and NC State and they’re in contention for tourney spots.

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  20. Looks like Penn State’s NCAAT ship sailed tonight with a home loss to Michigan. Lunardi had them as a next four out. Still have a road game at Nebraska remaining and Nebraska is in contention for a spot.

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  22. If Stallings isn’t canned the day after the last game Heather Lyke should go work for Sprout Channel because she is officially a puppet.

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  23. Looks like Wake at least game planned for Stevenson’s bully ball. If they actually defend Stewart at the arc then they will be the first ACC team this season that clearly scouted and prepared for Pitt.

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  27. Anyone who really thinks they should fire KS and pay the $10m is insane… I can’t stand him either and the way pitt hired him is pathetic, but we are stuck for now

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  31. and yes the ten mill is a negotiated figure and can be spread out
    again for those who call me insane
    a 80% capacity Pete brings in $14M
    a 20% capacity Pete brings in $3M
    Thats avg ticket price, parking, concessions and merchandise sold
    Thats a $11M difference
    That doesnt include damage to the Pitt brand…more $$$

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  33. He cost them more than $10 million in lost gate revenues and concessions this season already. Next year will be as bad or worse. As Upitt said, it would be negotiated. Probably $7 mil or so.

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  34. Northwestern State gets off the winless in conference schneid beating winless Incarnate Word 66-54.

    Word is ……Heather is on the phones scheduling both of them for next year’s non-con at Otis’s request

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  35. Tough place for Pitt BB right now. But Stallings can’t be happy as a coach with losing like this. He made plenty of jack so maybe a buyout over 5 years at 2 million may be acceptable. If not, 10 million is just to much of a hit. One more year and 4 million he is gone no matter what. But there is growing momentum to fire him and eat the 10 million hit. Interesting to see if Pitt cuts the check and start to rebuild the program. . FBI has the goods on 30 programs. Maybe Pitt is in the NCAA next year with 3 wins.

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    1. Would you stop? Do the math! We would SAVE money in the long run, AND the buyout would be negotiated!!! Pay attention.

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  41. Did I just see 6’10” Brown coming out of a timeout try to up fake a midget guard with 1 second left on the clock?

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  47. Deacons Illustrated‏
    @WakeRivals
    Follow Follow @WakeRivals
    More Deacons Illustrated Retweeted Brett Friedlander

    Interesting thought but yeah Vandy fans celebrated when they hired away Stallings. It was like they made no effort to actually find a coach and just hired the AD’s buddy Stallings. Then the AD bailed.

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  48. Deacons Illustrated
    ‏

    @WakeRivals
    21m21 minutes ago
    More Deacons Illustrated Retweeted Brett Friedlander

    Crowd looks like a bad women’s ACC game. Sad because Dixon had that program rolling.

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  49. Broke down and am watching my first Pitt BB game this season. Stallings really does not care. And all you guys saying how poorly coached the team is are 100% right. So apparent. Stallings must go.

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  61. For the first time all season I felt really sorry for the team. They really are bad, not their fault. Not real talented, but they deserved better than this. That said, KS will be our coach next year. After seeing Heathers picture on PSN with Bob Nutting, well that spoke a thousand words.

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        1. I would take Ahmad, badass Kelly Leak, and 3 guys from the PSAC and we would beat this Stallings assembled team!!!

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  64. Game Information
    Petersen Events Center
    9:00 PM ETFebruary 21, 2018
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    15295

    Line: WAKE -9.5Over/Under: 142

    Attendance: 2,420
    19%
    Capacity: 12,508

    Gallagher ordered Heather to count everyone thrice

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  65. Andy Alcock · Investigative Reporter at KSHB-TV

    The Deacs are 5 and 66 on the road in the ACC in their last 71 games…and have NEVER won a game in Pittsburgh…0-9 in school history. If Wake can’t win this one, may not win another game this season!

    Don’t worry Andy, Otis & Crew to the Rescue !

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  66. Well, when a football team goes 5-7 and misses out on a bowl bid by getting beat by a 2-8 NC team…at home mind you… then some negativity is in order.

    When your FB team has 10 non-seniors leave or be dismssed from the team…including your only experienced backup QB, and has a major change over in staff coaches also…then some negativity is in order.

    When after three full years as HC and starting off with two 8 win seasons you have a recruiting class with only one 4* recruit in it…then some negativity is in order.

    This BB season is a dumpster fire but our Pitt fan’s comments about it are priceless.

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  69. Well, it is really over now. There is a .00000001% chance we end up with an ACC win this year. Like that is now the measure of success, sadly.

    I only hope that keeping this joke of a coach is financially based. Because if there is any other reason at all, by definition, it can’t be a good one. Maybe the financial reason is valid, or maybe not. Makes sense to me that lost ticket sales offset his salary…but none of us really know if that is true. Certainly the “coaches need 3 years” reason is crap…I mean, normally, yeah…but when this is what you see after 2 years, ya know he best that is possible is still not even .500 ACC ball down the road with this guy. That is clearly his ceiling. Not good enough!

    For those of us that are more into BBall and Fball…this is the saddest day.

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    1. meanwhile Wanny couldn’t even get Tom Ricketts’ son and PC couldn’t even get Troy Apke whose parents are Pitt alums (and a Pitt assistant was his HS coach as a soph)

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  71. We have now led three conference games at the half…that should get to count as a win.

    Hell, in the NHL if you take a team to overtime and lose, you get a point.

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  72. Well Reed, the coaches who left on the FB side were for the most part the ones we all said needed to go. The teams overall lack of success was disturbing, but certainly not unexpected. Jury is still out, can this coach learn and adjust? Not optimistic but maybe. This is unlike the B.B. team where head coach has 20 yrs experience and what you see is what you get.

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  73. Narduzzi has shown the ability to beat top teams. The ability to take good Chryst recruits and get to bowl games. He still has not shown the ability to recruit. He still has not shown the ability to beat teams you need to beat. Jury still out.

    But with KS, you know what you’re getting and I dont see any upside or hope. He was never a good fit at Pitt.

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  74. I found this from a poster on panther-lair. I found it highly amusing primarily because it seemed so spot on:

    Since the BC game is still very vivid in my mind, I thought i’d address halftime strategies as it seems that’s where we fall. It makes me wonder what these kids are being told.

    The halftime talk by the master offensive strategist! KS’s message was probably “keep pumping away guys”, “keep doing what you’re doing”, “keep working hard”, “I’m proud of you”. No mention of what to expect or what might be the adjustment or strategy from the opponent. A teaching moment squandered.

    BC’s coach at halftime – GUYS – Hey they don’t guard the corners of the free throw line so let’s hit those spots! Just get close to #1 (Stewart) because he can’t shoot when someone is on him! Take him to the hoop!. He’s slow and a poor defender! Don’t pressure the point guard (Carr) in the early part of the possession because he just dribbles around! Clamp down the last 12 seconds of the shot clock and force him to make a bad decision! Play the muscle head (Stevenson) for the bull drive – he’s looking for the contact and can get quite off balance if you “on and off” the drive! Then he’ll quit and pout so you have a four on five transition! The kid that stands in the other corner and doesn’t do much (Davis), don’t waste a foul on him. Let him get his one three point shot or drive! When the bearded guy (JWF) is in the game and doesn’t have his normal points, he will force shots. He’s slow and is a poor defender, so go at him! When they put the alternate point guard in (Milligan), just put a little pressure on him in the backcourt. He will probably dribble in one spot between his legs, hunched over for eight of the ten second count! Their center (Brown) doesn’t command the ball and is soft! Push him off the block! Oh and the kid that plays the stretch four (Kene) – Let him shoot out there all day and when you get a rebound just hold your grounds..,he has a problem with body control and will just walk right into you! Got it guys? Now lets work hard, hustle and get every 50/50 ball, don’t force anything, push the tempo and stay in control!

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    1. That’s good Coach Barvo, our players all have significant shortcomings in various areas of their games.
      Most of them, are ‘one trick ponies’. Which is why they are easy to defend and why next year they are going to be even easier to defend, since everyone will be familiar with them and all their various weaknesses.

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  75. Admittedly only watched a few minutes of the 2nd half before I had to turn it off in the interest of my health. But, at some point, can we abandon this “don’t even try for an offensive rebound and everyone get back on defense” strategy. It has (quite obviously) not worked — why not try keeping 1 guy back and sending 4 guys in for an offensive rebound? Just try it. Try SOMETHING different, as doing the same crap every game just doesn’t work! You know…definition of insanity thing.

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  76. For 2 years we’ve been hearing what a great offensive mind Stallings has and yet every game nothing changes. All they do is pass the ball around the perimeter til there’s 5 seconds left on the shot clock and then throw up a contested 3 point attempt. No one sets screens, point guard never penetrates, and they hardly ever enter the ball to a post player. That’s why they always shoot way less fouls than there opponents. What do they do in practice. I know they don’t have blue chip talent and these kids do seem to play hard but without any semblance of a game plan they will never get any better. I was in favor of giving Stallings some time to get his plan in place but after watching 2 years of this his plan seems to be live by the three point shot. Recipe for disaster.sorry to say he’s gotta go.

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    1. I wish they did pass the ball around the perimeter, but they don’t…..whoever has it(usually Carr) dribbles for awhile and then the next guy gets it(juco beard) and he dribbles for awhile and then the next and the shot clock is about to expire. So a launch from 25 feet and beyond is imminent.

      You get somewhat open looks when you pass the ball around the perimeter quickly and then reverse it
      or you do the inside/outside variation.

      Granted the team has little talent, but this is one of the worst coached teams I’ve ever witnessed.

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  77. Baseball68, I have noticed that the majority of people who say he is an offensive genius are opposing coaches…who surely pump him up because he is an easy win!

    In any event, THEY ARE RIGHT. He is a offensive genius. We are just using the term “offensive” in the wrong way. 🙂

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    1. You’re probably right, since there is no attempt to get the ball inside and the rebounding(both offensive and defensive) is almost non-existent, opposing coaches love to play against Stallings, cause his teams play ‘soft’. So it’s not a bruising physical game that can wear on your players at all. And in a long grueling season, opposing coaches like less physical games. So they all love Soft Stallings.

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