in Pitt Football 150 Words

Pitt vs Virginia Tech; 2/3/2021

Here is the Gameday Thread for today’s Pitt Basketball game. Today we play the Virginia Tech Hokies at home starting at 8:00 pm.

Following are some websites that might help you all get ready to cheer the team onto a win.  These can be used for in-game commenting research also.

Pitt Basketball Homepage

Pitt Basketball 2020-21 Schedule

Pitt Basketball 2020-21 Stats

Pitt Basketball 2020-21 Roster

Sports-Reference.com Pitt BB Homepage (current & historical)

Here are some sites for info on our opponents:

ACC Basketball 2020-21 Standings (w/ links to team pages)

Virginia Tech 2020-21

I’ll try to keep these threads updated as far as actual days and opponents are jerked around due to C-19 rescheduling.  If you see something wrong with any post just email me at rkohberger@gmail.com and I’ll try to fix it as soon as possible.

HAIL TO PITT!!

145 thoughts on “Pitt vs Virginia Tech; 2/3/2021”

  3. Gobblers don’t look overly big….tallest starter is 6’9″ and the next 4 leading scorers are all
    listed as Guards, ranging from 5’10” to 6’4″.

    Tall teams are hell on Pitt, so maybe we have a chance tonight.

    There have been plenty of upsets of ranked ACC teams by the unranked ACC teams this year.

    Let’s Go Pitt !

    Like

  11. Sibande starting. I swear Capel reads this blog! Od makes 2 foul shots…amazing. Tony’s form has always been awful like most streak shooters and he can’t buy a basket.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well, I think most mentioned to sit X and let him understand he needs to play under control. Well, I also think we detailed how to beat the 2-3 syracuse zone before the second game, when he looked clueless the first one. You ust never know!

      Like

  23. Relying on you guys for details. I don’t have game on. ACCN is all Duke….

    Maybe Xplaying under control and we found a shooting guard?

    Like

  28. Good first half for Pitt. Best half ever for Xman. Tied at 31. Something really off about Champ.
    I think Tech has figured out he’s not 100%. Champ hides it well but is favoring his left side.
    We just need to stop Alula and we can hang.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. X-man with 14 points….keeping Pitt in the game. Well tied.

    Toney and Horton both missed easy baskets off excellent passes by X.

    Like

    1. I’m saying Pitt is going to win this game. I don’t see much difference in the 2 teams.
      Mutts is having a career game or Pitt is up large.

      Like

    1. apparently he was benched. Our top notch investigative reporters indicated he started for the bench team. Good move by capel after last games shenannigans.

      Like

  48. Just checked the score. Need this win. Hokies are starting to gobble too much down here in Central VA after beating the wahoos.

    Like

  50. Dan72, I don’t see the bad stroke that YOU mention often with Toney

    always looks different as a lefty and while not perfect, seems to follow through smooth

    Like

  51. Keeping my fingers crossed here… Glad I didn’t turn the channel earlier in the 2nd half when we couldn’t buy a basket. Hold on guys! DE-FENSE!!

    Like

  58. these refs are horrendous….giving VT all kinds of time to setup their press. Touch fouls galore.
    blaming pitt for the goof ref falling on the floor.

    Liked by 1 person

  61. I guess our coach does not teach his players to not foul with a big lead at games end.

    Poor coaching…yes

    Like

  69. Yummy…i love deep fried Gobbler….as predicted.

    Gobbler good with bourbon and beer chaser.

    Like

  73. Career game for X, nice to see him play his game. And a big smile at the end.
    First win against a ranked team that beat VA and ND in their last two.
    Hope some prospects were watching.

    Like

  74. I put a curse on Muttly Mutts in the 2nd half. As predicted…..Pitt wins !

    And I gave X-man….a rune.

    Like

  75. Great win and terrific comeback for Pitt. Xman with the best performance by a Pitt point guard in maybe ….forever. All due respect though, VA Tech is not all that ….and a good match up for Pitt.
    So…we got beat by two teams unconscious from three point land and another that was a bad matchup inside. If we can take UVA this weekend, it’s a new season for Pitt.

    I’d start X on the bench every game from now on!

    H2P

    Like

  76. agree Dan, and Femi looked solid all around and even at the FT line

    X didn’t force things as much, dialed himself back for the most part

    we hit some 3’s while Tech hit very few early, then X hit his few and controlled himself from there

    Like

  77. as I maintain … often it is WHEN you play someone as opposed to who. Pitt had a big win vs Duke and Wake Forest benefitted. Va Tech has a big win vs UVa, and Pitt benefits

    and then …. there is Good Johnson … and Bad Johnson

    Like

    1. Virginia Tech coach Mike Young after 83-72 loss to Pitt:

      “Let’s be honest: Pittsburgh was the more physical team. They were the tougher team tonight. … They were hungrier. They were more desperate. Great work from Coach Capel and his staff.”

      Pitting happens to everyone

      Like

  79. That might have been the best performance ever by a Pitt PG. 32 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds & 2 steals.
    And only 2 turnovers.

    Cudos to the X-man !

    Like

    1. I witnessed so pretty impressive performances by Brandon Knight (in the Garden mind you) that dwarf last night’s X-man off the bench effort.

      But, it was fun to watch X-man go at it in the Pete.

      Like

  81. Great, unexpected performance tonight. When shots go down it sure creates energy on the defensive end. Might play another home game this Saturday versus Wake. If so, great chance to get to 10 wins.

    Like

  85. No question a big win for PITT tonite and a fun game to watch. Poor Dan who accepted the challenge of breaking down this team and trying to explain to us all what the hell is going on with them.

    Thanks for the shout out fellows as it’s always good to read that you guys haven’t given up on me. As far as my health goes and I don’t want to take up valuable space on the POV so I’ll make this short. I’m still in maximum test mode after going through the surprise surgery. I seem to have have gained a grip on my weight loss as I actually gained a few pounds the past week. I’m back up to 158 lbs now so I’ve only lost 50 lbs or so since this nightmare began. Liver, kidney and heart test results pending.

    So lets get back to PITT sports and savor this nice win tonight. Take care all and thanks again…… ike

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Hi ike, we all are as excited by your weight gain and seeing your posts as we are by Pitt’s surprising win last night. Keep on keeping on buddy!

      Liked by 3 people

  86. Hey Ike….when you recover….we all meet at Uncle Ike’s Sandbar & Grill on the OBX.

    I’m sure BigB has been there at Corolla, NC

    And leave your wallet at home bro !

    Like

  87. Ike – it’s good to read your posting(s) again. Keep fighting the fight. You & Angie are on my daily prayer list.

    Champ had a quiet double-double last night before fouling out late in the game. He only had 8 offensive shoots, and was heavily guarded and harassed on all 8. That open thinks up for Xman. Horton and Toney. The supporting cast of AKC, Okudale and Nike played much better D than in the 3 previous games.

    The offense needs to continue to be run through Champ, but he needs at least 8 attempts per half. No need to force it with Champ as long as the team distributes the ball amongst the others when Champ is double teamed, there should be good opportunities to move the ball around to gain open shots for the others.

    Next up UVA who sits alone at the top of the ACC (with a loss to VA Tech). I believe Capel found a way to make his team believe they can win as a team for at least one more night. Let’s see how that translates to the next game.

    Let me be clear – that is not a “we’re back” type of posting. We won last night – great win – now show me some more.

    H2P!

    Liked by 3 people

  88. Wolverine, I’ve been to Uncle Ike’s too!
    Bought some t shirts there a couple years ago for a good friend. 😎

    Always up for an OBX trip!

    I’m now 3-1 when I listen to Billy and tape the game…and 1-0 using a ouija board.

    Rick, good to see the game didn’t ruin your night out…haha.

    Liked by 3 people

  90. BTW, a 7-6 East Carolina beat #5 Houston last night. Just another example of a team not being properly focused before the game.

    Like

  92. Already a good start to the morning with a comment from Ike & a win. Ike’s is the most important to me.

    Dan’s coming article will be a tad more positive than his last few. But I hope he keeps making suggestions for improvements.

    Liked by 2 people

  93. Hang in their IKE we are all cheering and praying for you.—–Great to see Pitt’s comeback win. How would this team look if it had the inside presence from a player like Aluma on its squad? Pitt gets so little scoring from around the rim that Aluma could actually turn Pitt into a ACC title contender. Right mow I’d take a Chevy Troutman clone playing center for us currently.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I agree with all you said. However, I’m not so sure that Chevy can play the same way in the ACC as he did in the Big East.

      I may be wrong …. but I see many fouls that Coulibaly is called for that would have been ignored by BE refs

      Like

  94. OT: Pitt Football got another power walk on to commit this week, Matt Metrosky a 6’2″ 290 offensive lineman from Greensburg Central Catholic. On the OL Pitt can use any help it can get from any source going forward.

    Like

    1. don’t underestimate the power of the walk-on. Aside from the obvious … Morrisey, Aston, Idowu, etc …. check out MJ Devonshire’s interview yesterday. When he decided to transfer, he said the 1st contact he got from Pitt from his close friend, Eli Kosanovich, a walk-on QB currently at Pitt. Note he said he considering PSU (maybe WVU) but Eli had a big influence on him

      Liked by 1 person

  95. BTW, you may remember that Brandon Honorable, a 3-star OL commit from Detroit, did not sign his LOI back in the early signing period. Pitt did sign 3 other 3-star OLs as well as the ex-TE Mormon (and walk-on Metrosky)

    Anyway, I just checked Rivals and 247 fully expecting him to have signed his LOI elsewhere yesterday …. but nothing. And could find no update on him. Both still list him as a Pitt commit

    Like

    1. I believe his grades my be the big problem for him currently. Sounds like a Lackawanna College candidate to me.

      Like

  96. Glad to hear you’re in good spirits Ike. Pitt wins can help do that for you🤠

    Hope your tests turn out just fine. Don’t be shy about popping in. That was popping…not pooping.

    Liked by 1 person

  97. Well pitt officially landed with the 23rd ranked recruiting class based on rivals. In a large part helped by its large class. Pitts class had three 4 stars out of 23 for a hit rate of roughly 15 percent. By comparison, Penn state had a class of seven 4 stars out of 16 or roughly half.

    Glancing through the top ten schools, all had at least 70 percent of their class rated as 4 or 5 stars (pitt sits at 15 percent). So that means on a football field, pitt will have two elites on offense and another two on defense. A school like Alabama has ten elites on offense and another ten on defense.

    The talent disparity is enormous.

    Like

  98. 4 Preferred Walk Ons signed with Pitt yesterday: the previously mentioned Nick Lapi and Matt Metrosky as well as Taelen Brooks a RB from Westinghouse and Ak’Bar Shabazz a CB from Georgia.

    Like

  99. Wondering what the disparity is in resources too…just above board quantitative numbers like total salaries of staff not just the head coach.
    Obviously can’t track bag men either.
    Is that info available from a reliable source. (I include Tex as a reliable source 🤠)

    Like

    1. Pitt stacks up well facilities wise for football. How can it not right? It shares pro facilities. And Pitts athletes also have nice housing and their own cafeteria.

      But obviously bama does pay their coaches far more. And like what huff said, they have all these consultants and advisors. Why doesn’t Walt help consult?

      Pitt doesn’t have the bagmen but I don’t think it takes much money for a five star to pick alabama.

      Bama didn’t become bama until saban. He built the modern day alabama. He’s the culture. He’s fully supported by the administration and over time has gained their trust and accumulated more power.

      Those elite schools are ‘all in’. They have the money to spend. They have those large and well maintained front porches and manicured lawns. Pitt has a very modest yet respectable porch with a few dandelions and crab grass.

      Elites have tapped kegs of cold beer on their porch. Pitt hands out warm lemonade.

      And Pitts idea of renovation is just to slap a few new coats of blue and gold paint on every few years. The elites idea of renovation is continuously expanding that porch and making that front lawn into a putting green.

      As a recruit, which would you pick?

      Like

        1. Yes. And Pitts southside facilities aren’t too shabby. It’s more professional and business like as well. I think that helps keep the players focused and serious about their scholarship.

          Like

  100. Yes, Pau Finebaum was gloating yesterday as the Alabama was deemed by the experts to have the best ever all time recruiting class by any team ever. And of course, the other usual suspects were in the Top 10 …. Ohio State, LSu, Clemson, Georgia, etc.

    But get this, according to Rivals, Michigan was 10th. Michigan was 2-4 last year.

    Why anyone would compare Bama to Pitt (or about 115 other D1 schools ) is beyond me. Heck, these days, there may not even be a comparison of Bama and Michigan. Note that last 2 times Mich played Ohio State, it lost 62-39 and 56-27.

    For that matter … in the national title game last month, Alabama scored its 52nd point on Ohio State with 13 minutes left in the game … then coasted from there

    Like

    1. Alabama recruits a bit better than Michigan but not by as much as many think according to Rivals. Michigan has finished 9th (2021),11th,10th,24th and 4th over the last 5 classes. It could be the coaching or development of talent that makes the difference with that comparison….or the talent evaluators are wrong. We know that is not the case however for the most part because you can look to see who had the best recruiting classes and look at who is in the playoff discussion each year and it probably isn’t off by much. Michigan is that outlier as is Penn State (both usually in top 10-15 recruiting).

      Alabama brings in head coaches as football consultants so that they can impart their wisdom and teachings unto Saban, in exchange for their own coaching rehab and potential landing of great positions. If Saban procures one new nugget from a head coach, he gets that much better. Genius! Not sure why Narduzzi doesnt do that, even with lower level head coaches who might be looking for another chance someplace else. That is the only comparison I have seen to Alabama and Pitt here. And that comparison is valid because it takes very little cash to make that happen. Risk v. Reward.

      Like

      1. why would experienced analysts come to Pitt? Wouldn’t they go about a dozen or more other schools instead? Bama just signed two former NFL head coaches as OC and line coaches. They are paying about twice as much for these two as the Steelers are paying for their recent hires at the same positions.

        You can continue with your ramblings all you wish but very little of what you seem to say makes any sense to me

        Like

  101. Nice Sunny morning in Pittsburgh with a Pitt win and a post from Ike.

    Looking forward to Dan’s review. It seems when you least expect it, Pitt does something good.

    Hind sight is 20/20 but VT only hit 9 threes making them a better matchup. They also were due a let down after beating their rival and best in the ACC VA. VT’s focus on Champ left more room for X to negotiate.
    Starting from the bench X played his best game as a Panther. I’d say he had something to prove and a little chip on his shoulder. Not Champs best game but still a double double, what a player.

    Great to see the players respond to their Coach. Defense wins games. And nine threes helps.

    I’ll bet after a hard fought first half no one though Pitt would be the one to pull away in the second, with VT unable to make a run to catch up.

    ACC basketball is a funny game.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Vegas kind of thought something was up…….but overall agree. Didn’t watch as it was not on ACCN so I had to rely on the 10-12 pov billy hillgrovers here for commentary. Hopefully X learned the lesson. Did VT have a big man or two or were they the same size as us basically?

      Like

      1. the best player for VT was undoubtedly their center (6’9 Aluma) who scored 30 points and had 10 reb. Coulibaly, Brown and Champagnie couldn’t stop him down low …. and he was 4-7 from the 3 pt line

        The rest of the Hokies was 5 for 23 from three. There were quite a few open misses from 3

        Like

  102. Granny handing out lemonade and cookies versus bikini clad women handing out beers.

    How Pitt sells itself and promotes compared to the elites

    Like

  104. OT — Pitt Women’s BB had a nice Zoom “Chalk Talk” last night. Assistant Coach Terri Mitchell handled it and did a great job. Said Pitt’s top recruiting priority right now is a post player and they are involved with over 20, with a couple of them in the transfer portal.

    Coach Mitchell also revealed that she had just found out that she has been named to the Hall of Fame. She was head Coach at Marquette for 18 years where she won 348 games… Congrats to Coach Mitchell.

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  105. Average Recruiting Stars were :

    Clemson 3.95
    Miami 3.63
    UNC 3.53
    ND 3.44
    FlSt 3.24
    GTech 3.13
    Pitt 3.09
    Va 3.04
    Lville 2.95
    BC 2.92
    Duke 2.83
    VT 2.81
    NCSt 2.80
    Syr 2.73
    WakeF 2.68

    I put ND in there because of all the ACC games that are on the schedule. They are almost an ACC school, except they are not.

    WVU 3.25
    Dairy High 3.44

    Like

    1. Va Tech is typically around 3.2

      They had a terrible recruiting year.

      Not surprised that wake and Syracuse are at the bottom

      Surprised Florida state didn’t do better

      Pitt is just slightly above their historical star average. Pitts historical range is 2.95 – 3.05

      Like

    2. and what do all of the following (except ND) which are rated higher than Pitt have in common?

      Clemson 3.95
      Miami 3.63
      UNC 3.53
      ND 3.44
      FlSt 3.24
      GTech 3.13

      Like

      1. On campus stadiums?

        Big ten schools like penn state, tosu, Michigan and whisky recruit predominately Midwest and mid Atlantic guys.

        Yes, they are all state schools

        Like

      2. They are all in the ACC? They all are good and recruiting better than Nard? I hope this isn’t the weather argument. To hear some, global warming has gotten it to where the practices and games are mostly played in very comfortable temperatures in the burgh. The regular season wraps up at end of Nov, first week of Dec. where the temps are just not that bad anymore.

        Miami battles against professional hockey, professional baseball, professional football and professional basketball?

        Gtech battles against baseball, basketball, football?

        Lucky WVU, Dairy, OSU, Mich.,MSU, Northwestern, and others are blaming the weather too.

        Pitt does really well if they can get a recruit on campus, because the weather is not bad. The problem is getting them on campus because the football is.

        Like

        1. Exactly. Most recruits who get on campus for visits love it. Narduzzi is on record for saying the key is to get them to visit.

          Pitt doesn’t recruit poorly because it’s a northern school and talent doesn’t reside in the area.

          Tcu and Smu lie in talent rich areas. Their recruiting stinks. And believe me the talent in dfw is far better than the talent in Atlanta or Raleigh or some hick town in South Carolina.

          Like

          1. FIU, FAU, and USF would be top25 every year if it was all about the players wanting to stay warm.

            Narduzzi is also on record as saying, I don’t coach or no anything about offense. But yes, I agree that he did say the part about getting kids to campus. It ain’t the weather folks. It’s the football.

            Like

Comments are closed.