GAME POSTPONED
Here is the Gameday Thread for PITT Basketball as we play the Clemson Tigers at home at 4:30 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 2020-21 Schedule
Pitt Basketball 2020-21 Roster
Here are some sites for info on our opponents:
ACC Basketball 2020-21 Standings (w/ links to team pages)
Clemson Sports Reference Homepage (current & historical info)
I’ll try to keep these threads correctly updated because actual days and opponents are being jerked around due to C-19 rescheduling. If you see something wrong with any posts just email me at rkohberger@gmail.com and I’ll try to fix it as soon as possible.
HAIL TO PITT!!

This game was postponed, Reed.
Wolfe ( Farmers High School of PA)
Sent from my iPhone X
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But if we had played Clemson, who would have won? The Pitt defense was better against FSU, but the lineup is far from stable. I give Capel credit for shaking things up, though. Depending on if Toney is out for long, they could be lucky to win maybe 2 more games. I think they would lose against Clemson if they had played them. So all things considered, this postponement may have been a good thing.
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Pitt baseball pounded Indiana State today….10 to 1. So we took 2 of 3 from Larry Bird’s Sycamores.
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Pitt will get pounded come ACC play. Pitt has MAC level talent.
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Maybe Heather can move us to the Missouri Valley for baseball. While she’s at it….basketball too !
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We’d get pounded there to
Heather is one year away from accepting the Sparty job. I’ll bet my Texas citizenship on it. Took me 20 years to get it.
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‘Debbie Downer,’ you are, Tex. At any phase of a conversation it seems. [Sad trombone sound insert here.] No one can say you’re unreliable, though.
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Vinegar makes you regular and consistent. 🤠
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Basketball has struggled ever since Hugley (sp) was suspended..
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Just a coincidence. His stats are almost identical to those of Coulibali’s, Playing lesser competition,
I might add.
Pitt was 3-0 immediately following his suspension, so that does not compute in that regard either,
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Stop with all the Hugely talk. He will never see a Pitt uni again. Many more issues than just him.
Sounds like he may need to get some things in order and wish him well.
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Pitt (9-9), Psux State (7-12) & Temple (4-10), the 3 big state related institutions in PA. Should
play a Round Robin for the right to be Worst State related college basketball team in PA, with
resulting Trophy.
They could name it after the Goobernor.
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Looks like 2021-22 will be another season with poor play from the center spot. This has gone on way too long, since Zanna graduated after 2014. Why can’t a coach who was hired for his recruiting chops not have a better center? Capel had time before Hughley to find a better pivot man.
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It’s easy to recruit at Duke. The name sells.
Pitt rhymes with a banned word.
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upitt?
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Poor recruiting is all part of Pitt’s brilliant tactics to remain excellent at mediocrity.
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It honestly has to be by design. Because sheer randomness and chaos would produce excellence once in a while.
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What’s really crazy, is when we do recruit a Top rated 5 star player, many cases the recruit is a dud.
In fact in all cases (all 3 of them), they were duds.
In Hoops I can name a few:
Dante Taylor
Khem Birch
Steven Adams (no. 5 recruit in entire nation) only avg’d 7 points & 6 rpg a game
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Well, Adams usually only got to touch the ball when he got a rebound. Never got a chance to develop on offense – kept busy setting screens away from the basket…
Go Pitt
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Brilliant tactics to remain excellent at mediocrity. Pitt has fine-tuned this skill. It’s amazing how good at “average at best” Pitt is.
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You can’t be serious.
https://www.cardiachill.com/2021/2/15/22284783/pitt-steel-gray-alternate-uni-2020-uniform-year-steelmaking-capital-city-pittsburgh-panther-football
Comments are worth reading.
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They were even worse looking on TV in high def,,,…than they were up close.
On TV, they were non-descript coal mining outfits, that you couldn’t even tell what
the thing on the helmet was. It looked more like an alien than a panther. lol
I watched that game in a local bar and was ashamed that my alma mater would wear
such atrocious rags on a nationally televised game.
For that alone, yellow blouse should be sent back to Ypsilanti via Fed Express !
Along with whoever else ok’d that decision.
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My favorite is “looks like long john underwear”
Haha
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Yes for a coal miner.
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A good laugh. But maybe a chest thump for all u Koolaid drinkers.
https://www.cardiachill.com/2020/11/27/21722244/pat-narduzzi-the-hero-pitt-football-needs-right-now
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OT: some impressive milers on the Pitt indoor men’s track team who competed last week at Clemson’s Tiger Paw Invitational – from The Pitt News:
“The highlight of the meet came with the men’s mile, when Pitt took three of the top five spots, including first. Addison, a junior, finished first with a time of 4:04.08. Senior Josh Higgins did not finish far behind in third place with a time of 4:06.44. Sophomore Jack Miller rounded out the top five with a 4:07.”
Those are three impressive times on an indoor track – not world class, but dare good.
Senior High Jumper Laurey took 1st place also. Hope he has the fire to win a national championship. He has the talent…
H2P!
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If Pitt played in the Big East, they would probably place in the top third in most events. In the ACC with better competition, they are placing in the middle to the bottom third.
It doesn’t help that they’ve been without a on campus track and field since 1999.
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Will we win again this season? What does Vegas say? The most depressing news I’ve heard this week about Pitt sports is Capel’s extension. I’m sure I knew about last January. Like so many things about Pitt sports these past few years ,I just choose to forget it.
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Pitt is stuck with three bad contracts right now. They are financial albatrosses.
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For those still confused about whether Femi Odukale is in fact a POINT Guard, ever played POINT Guard, ever played high school basketball.
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Since that question is answered now.
Is he a good point guard?
Is he Pitts future?
Can Pitt win with him?
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I see talent.
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I have been pushing Femi from day one. He sees the court, handles the ball to his left and right appropriately, has a big frame to shield the ball from smaller point guard defenders, distributes well.
If you want negatives, he misses 40% of his foul shots. The good news is that he doesn’t get a lot of free throws because he distributes. I will also disagree with those that say he can’t drive like X. True, but he doesn’t end up in mid-air with no options, only to chuck the ball towards the hoop and complain about being fouled. Only our point guard can make a 3 and give it right back via technical for talking trash to his opponent.
Femi is definitely old school and I like it. When he got his technical a game or so ago, he really tried an impressive move to lock the offensive player into steamrolling him so he could get an offensive foul called against the other player. Unfortunately the ref caught him with the hook. Regardless, it was a heady play. Good on him. I would roll with Femi and take my chances versus roll with the X right now. X is predictably unpredictable. Femi is solid, not perfect, but solid. I think I like Levance Fields as a pointy. X is more out of control than the Krauser.
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Some might have read this already
https://www.cardiachill.com/2021/2/11/22277362/pitt-football-three-rivers-stadium-best-games-panthers-wvu-psu-dan-marino-tony-dorsett-kevan-barlow
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https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021/02/21/pitt-baseball-takes-series-vs-indiana-state-with-10-1-win/
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YSU loses to defending national champ (FCS) in the opener. They host Northern Illinois next Saturday
https://www.wkbn.com/sports/youngstown-state-falls-to-north-dakota-state-in-head-coach-doug-phillips-debut/
This Saturday, Bobby Mo opens up at James Madison. On March 13th, they host Monmouth
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CoachCapel:
9 wins so far, an improvement over last year.
What has he had to work with?
X at point, no reliable big, Champ injured, 3 frosh getting playing time.
How many more wins would another coach have at this point in the season with this kind of talent?
Lack of recruiting is a big concern.
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Sorry grizz, I like Capel, but unfortunately, he is also the one responsible for the talent acquisition. In basketball, it is much easier to go from a nothing institution to an everything in a couple of seasons if you can recruit and coach. Having trouble seeing either right now, but I haven’t thrown in the towel yet.
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Just sayin ……
We all saw how talented FSU is …. but here are their 3 losses
12/19 UCF 86-74
12/29 Clemson 77-67
1/30 Ga Tech 76-65
and just a week ago, they needed OT to beat Wake Forest 92-85. But beat UVA 2 days later 81-60
as I continue to maintain, head scratching losses happen to almost everyone. Pitt lost a few games they should have won, no doubt, but until we get more and better talent ……..
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Damn – no one told me!!
I’ll leave it up because you guys have comments going – I’ll edit it to “postponed”
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Trib piece about Pitt BB…
https://triblive.com/sports/senior-nike-sibande-still-could-offer-pitt-hope-for-the-future/?utm_source=second-street&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Triblive+-+Daily+Sports+Email
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It seems pretty clear that Capel thinks he can plug a few roster holes through the transfer portal to win in year 4 rather than recruiting a couple of Freshmen. Maybe he can if he is just looking for a paint eater at center. But I’m not so sure about the PG spot. Sibande coming back along with Horton gives them some depth at the 2 guard position, but it looks like X Man, and maybe Femi, will man the PG position next year.
Will they be better next year? If so, the improvement must come from improved center play, and a more reliable 2 guard performance from either Sibande or Horton. The other positions are stable but won’t really improve much. Don’t expect X Man to change much. Jeffress may get better as a backup somewhere, but it won’t be a game changer. Do you agree with this assessment, Dan?
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So won’t X be in the NBA? Yes, the players returning will improve next year. Problem is the other ACC teams will have a ton of new (1year then NBA) players and will crush Pitt with elite transfers. When we joined the ACC we were already a step behind. Now post Stallings, we are
3 steps behind and falling further back. Hobie…this team will have to reach hard just to be mediocre in the ACC! Without a point guard and a stud at center this team s doomed.
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The greatest need is at Center, a guy that can defend the hoop, rebound and convert second chances would make a world of difference. It would also open space for Champ and Toney. Hugley was that guy, although some say his numbers were only as good as Coulibaly’s he was just getting started and no one was going to push him around like they they do the two others. It is really a shame. There would have been a lot less criticism of Capel’s recruiting had he come on strong.
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The Numbers are the numbers.
Coulibaly 5.4 ppg 4.1 rpg 0.9 apg 51.3 FG %
Hughley 5.1 ppg 4.3 rpg 0.4 apg 39% FG
Defensively against the weakest teams and players (st francis, drexel, Niu, Gardner-Webb) on
Pitt’s schedule……Hughley amassed a total of 1 blocked shot and the above stats.
Actually he was a liability on defense, which is why his minutes were limited.
So this re-invention of him, as another excuse for this team’s decline is bogus.
Further proof.
Pitt went 3-0 and those were their 3 most impressive wins of the season
immediately AFTER HUGHLEY WAS SUSPENDED.
Those being the 2 wins over Syracuse and the 1 over Duke.
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Guys – I sent EJ the POV suggestions for more school spirit, etc. just now – and because i may get some feedback right away I want to all to see what I edited and sent.
https://pittpov.com/2021/02/22/povs-submitted-ideas-for-school-spirit/
I’m sure there are some omissions, errors, etc… in that list – please don’t bring these to my attention as I just spend about 10 hours hammering this and a cover letter in shape to send.
For the POV’ers who have submitted articles – now that we have six or so games until the next BB game I get to proofing and publishing those.
P/S: I know what you guys are doing – sending so many articles in that, because I’m too damn well behaved, I have publish them. Thus prolonging my decision about the blog.
We’ll deal with that subject in detail later. 😣
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Without Hugley Femi is the only freshman that is contributing. He is going to be good. He can play a lot of positions, point, 2 guard or small forward. Hopefully his game progresses in all facets.
Jeffress should benefit from a year in the weight room. His confidence is definitely lacking which is not good for a guy that needs to shoot the ball.
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In other words….’Wait until next year’
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What the hell is a “teardrop” shot in BB – these new terms are killing me.
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In my opinion a teardrop shot is difficult. The player has to be in total balance to shot the ball usually in a kind of lop the ball motion. The ball softly goes into the basket. Maybe Dan can explain better.
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Welp, it could be the last second shots from vanderbilt or villanova that went in, causing a teardrop…
A teardrop is typically used by a smaller player. As the player moves toward the bucket, typically a larger defender moves over to contest the shot. Not having a snowballs chance of shooting the ball regularly (due to shot blockage), the offensive player puts a much higher arc on the shot so that it extends above the defenders outstretched arms. It is typically a much softer shot as it hits the rim, or swishes thru.
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