120 thoughts on “Jacksonville at Pitt Open Basketball Thread”

    1. More bad news from the anti-Narduzzi’s:

      “Narduzzi was announced as a finalist for the 2021 Dodd Trophy Tuesday morning by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. as one of the five coaches who has best embodied the foundation’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity — on and off the field.”

      “The Dodd Trophy is the sport’s most coveted coach of the year award because it looks holistically at all aspects of what a coach’s position should entail….These five finalists not only led their programs to new heights on the football field this year, but also in the classroom and throughout their communities as well.”

      Liked by 2 people

  7. Anyone else see NC State get a slap on the wrist for the FBI investigation. One-year probation.

    Dixon used to lose a lot of kids to State and Mark Gottfried back in the day, and he’d probably still be the coach at Pitt if he landed some of those kids. The NCAA will let you cheat. It wants the best available product for the NCAA tourney, which every dollar for ticket sales goes into the NCAA’s pocket.

    Heather, for the love of God, let Capel cheat to get some talent. Quit being afraid of the NCAA. They’re gutless. It’s like the early 80s all over again for Pitt: being scared of the suits that comprise the NCAA.

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    1. I RARELY make a negative comment about any POV’er in fact if I remember correctly you were the only poster that I took a stance against about 3 months ago. You wanted Pitt to lower academic standards to win at all costs in football….yeah, be the school that has the make believe classes “ala North Carolina”.

      Well, natebailey4 I have no idea who you are, what you do in life and I don’t care…..however, I do care that Pitt keep its nose relatively clean in recruiting. SHAME ON YOU for your win at all costs attitude!!

      Liked by 3 people

      1. How did I write that Pitt needed to lower academic standards? Pitt’s standards are in line with NCAA rules, not higher, so I mistyped, it was misinterpreted or you’re making stuff up.

        Seriously, do you really care if Pitt is a little dirty? You must have hated Pitt football from 1976-81 and hoops’ small rise in 1986. If you think those coaches were clean and Pitt wasn’t a little shady, then you’re in denial.

        So if you ever call for a coach to be fired for graduating players and not winning, THEN SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!

        Liked by 1 person

      1. The company I worked for a few years back, bought another company that had a ceo that was native american. He often said ” it is wise to not judge a man, until such time you have walked a mile in his moccasins”. Great advice then and a gracious reminder by the M squared.

        In this case, never judge an opt out decision by the alleged successful medical treatment in a tent….

        No sure those go together but I am on limited sleep. Apologies in advance if it appears to be a curveball.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, thank god JRN. Because unlike the Peach Bowl, the Senior Bowl is an opportunity to:

        Get exposure to NFL coaches
        Play with other players who are expected to be drafted
        Showcase one’s skils in a lower risk enevironment & modified NFL rules while under the watchful eye of many more NFL scouts than bowl games.

        You know, some folks don’t understand or accept these facts. Crazy isn’t it?

        Just in case there are any of those folks reading this, here is some more detail.

        The two teams are coached by coaching staffs that are selected from two NFL teams. In recent years, the coaching staffs have come from teams who finished near the bottom of the league standings, but whose coaches were not subsequently terminated.

        Organizers stipulate a number of specific rules for the game, some of which are intended to reduce the chance of injury (e.g. “All blocks below the waist are prohibited”), and others that simplify what the teams need to practice and prepare for (e.g. “Only four rushers allowed, no 5-man pressures or blitzes from secondary permitted”).

        The game is also the players’ first time competing under the slightly different professional rules (e.g. receivers must have both feet inbounds for a legal catch vs. just one foot inbounds in college football).

        The week-long practice that precedes the game is attended by key NFL personnel (including coaches, general managers and scouts), who oversee the players as possible prospects for professional football.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. JoeL – I still don’t understand anyone comparing playing in the Peach Bowl to participating in the week-long Senior Bowl activities – just makes no sense to me…

          Go KP!

          Liked by 1 person

  10. There’s no need to cheat anymore!

    From what I hear, the NIL has basically replaced under the table cheating in basketball. Some colleges have set up NIL Committees full of boosters and promises to recruits.

    Have no idea what Pitt has/has not done.

    So here’s how it works;
    my NIL Committee gets you a no show job;
    We gift you a painting and then set you up with an art broker to sell that painting for $100,000

    NCAA is helpless

    No need for cheating anymore. Gets rid of street agents, possies and lowlifes surrounding AAU Basketball.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Good one, MM. I’ve wondered about the POVers putting together a modest NIL deal…

        🤔

        How ‘bout the Fran/Wolfe/Bartholomew POV Tailgate…

        H2P!

        Liked by 3 people

  11. But Dan can make free throws even with a bum knee, so he is worth at least $125k.

    There are no more bagmen, unless it’s the head coach in a one on one meeting with a player. NIL changes a lot, but the even bigger one is coming to a college near you with respect to the Obannon case. As things currently sit, universities may have to pay up to $5k to each athlete student to use their likeness. Start doing the math and it will cost Pitt millions more every year.

    Right now they get stipends for cost of attendance. The athlete students are now able to eat what they want, whenever they want. What gets me is that athlete students don’t get charged for nutritionists, strength coaches, wellness coaches, sports psychologists, trainers, dr.’s, head coaches, coordinators, position coaches, consultants, tutors etc. STUDENTS get none of that for free. The pay for play model will take D1’s 130 football teams to 75ish. Supreme Court should have fun with this decision.

    Liked by 1 person

        1. NRS…you are correct..I went back and looked @ the head-line -is now suspended for a couple of more days versus cancelled.

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    2. As a J…E…T…S fan this made me laugh out loud….garbage football every year with NO HOPE for
      improvement!

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  14. It will take a few years of complete chaos in college sports before Congress gets fed up and passes some controlling legislation to bring some sanity to the situation. Obviously, there is now a system in place for unlimited payments of all kinds without any rules or policing of the situation. What could go wrong?

    I’d like to think that some colleges or donors will get burned when they write a $100k check to a player to do ads for OSU or Bama, and then after they cash them they declare for the NFL. Colleges will soon start to lobby Congress to get something done, but it may take a few years to sort out.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Voice – expecting Congress to solve a problem? I’m skeptical…

      As you stated “What could go wrong?”

      H2P!

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  15. @Gordon Conn … Hopefully, the Horton stuff gets resolved and he can play again for Pitt. If not for Pitt, for himself. Live and learn. Don’t let a lapse in judgement define you.

    Liked by 4 people

  17. Since this is a game day post, J Ville plays great defense full court! Pitt should own then inside. If Burton and co.can get a few 3’s to fall, I like Pitt today.

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    1. GC, those are good programs..recently saw on on Blacksburg and it has me and JeanieB thinking about going in a couple of years…have never been to Beamer Field.

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      1. It used to be Worhsam Field at Lane Stadium. Wes Worsham was a booster alum in Kilmarnock who owns(owned) a large irrigation company. Did they rename it?

        Hard to get lodging in Blacksburg/Christiansburg during game weekends. The school runs a hotel for its hospitality degree program and is a good value. Book early, B.

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  20. Good read on OUTKICK by Bobby Carpenter “Do bowl games still matter?” Trie to post it for you but it’s not showing up on the POV…. Ole Miss QB is suiting up for duty in their bowl game!

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  22. Ole Miss qb needs to do so in order to regain his draft status. I think it slipped a bit over the last couple of games. I originally read he was going top10. Now I read where they are not thinking a qb goes in top 12. Very weak qb class, but the experts say that and come draft day 6 qb’s go in the first round. Weird!

    Bobby C and I cross paths every so often. He is getting much better at getting away from his focal point of OSU on everything and understanding the plight of the other 120 teams.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I suppose its a supply & demand thing as well?

      Just scanned through NFL rosters and identified 8 teams needing a QB of the future. (Steelers are on my list, btw).

      The inventory looks like this:
      Matt Corral, Ole Miss.
      Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh.
      Sam Howell, UNC.
      Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati.
      Malik Willis, Liberty.
      Carson Strong, Nevada.
      Tanner McKee, Stanford.

      Corral is ranked somewhere around 17 and Strong is right near him.
      Ridder and Kenny have similar rankings 10-11 and are higher than the rest.
      Have heard great things about the Liberty kid.

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  23. A haiku about Pitt basketball following the traditional Chinese 5, 7, 5 syllable format.

    Ladies of the night
    No longer want free tickets
    Bring back Jamie Now.

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  24. Pitt up at the half…woo hoo.
    Thought I heard Wolfe on the broadcast ask his granddaughter if she wanted some dip n dots…
    Small crowd??

    Liked by 4 people

  25. Pitt up by 2 at the half. Dominating inside but can’t buy a basket. I see Capel has really simplified the offense into a triangle pick and roll.
    But that matchup zone J Ville is running has stopped Pitt cold. Key against that MAtZone is to get the ball to the top of the key and run your offense from there. Pitt’s basic problem is missing shots. Fix that and Pitt wins.

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  28. Much better O movement by Pitt up 15 lights out shooting. If we can get one more guard to shoot, this team can be good. Maybe very good!

    Liked by 1 person

  30. My daughters were visiting today so I only caught the last 10 minutes of the game….Pitt from what I saw Pitt was not a turnover machine, Femi located the basket this afternoon (minus foul shots) and the Twig continues to show that he is a REAL player. Jacksonville appeared to be a very weak opponent and the ACC schedule will be a real eye-opener for this team…hopefully we can 4 or 5 ACC games.

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  32. My Christmas dream: it’s discovered that the Jacksonville BB team is actually better than 3/4 of the ACC Teams!!

    (My dreams never seem to simulate reality, but I can dream, can’t I?)

    Liked by 1 person

  35. This is the most dominant inside Pitt Basketball team I can remember. If we can get Horton back and anyone else can hit a few 3s we might be a decent ACC team.
    Maybe win 4-7 games. Pitt plays very good defense and is relentless on the boards. JVILLE is not a bad team but not ACC caliber.

    I am impressed with the progress Capel has made.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. just read this thread and honestly Ike, that is exactly what I thought
        (but wasn’t going to type it)

        short a little lithium, or at least in the middle of dose adjustment 🙂

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    2. Agreed. Been to most all the home games including exhibition. Coach Capel still leaves a lot to be desired, but imo in the last 3 or 4 games some of the kids have made noticeable strides, as has team cohesion on the court.

      Ezeakudo is doing well playing point for 20-25 minutes or so. This lets Femi do his thing shooting and not worrying about running the team or making assists which is not the best part of his game, he honestly does better concentrating on getting creating his own shot.

      Gueye has really improved, looks way more comfortable in the simplified offense. He is going to have some issues in ACC due to his lack of bulk but he can counter with his quickness and long reach. He really made some entertaining backdoor cuts today.

      Hugley is looking better every game and not forcing it against the double team, and is using the assist to help teammates score. He just needs to stay away from the cheap fouls. I think he gets frustrated because the refs keep letting him get mugged, but that is the life of a good big man. Very unselfish player.

      The defense has really improved. If Capel can just get his kids to actually have the patience to stay with a play and play as a unit (with Femi being the disciplined designated go to one on one player when needed) I think their defense can keep them in some games.

      Still lacking another outside scorer but Burton is starting to heat up a little. I think Jeffress is so close to a breakout game one can taste it.

      I’ll give Capel some credit. He is not the best on the floor coach, but he does seem to be adjusting to situations better and has his team hustling and competing for the most part.

      Notre Dame will be fun next week. IMHO either a blowout if ND is shooting hot out the gate or another kinda ugly, close, ‘controlled chaos’ defensive game that Pitt may have a shot at to win in the end. I’d bet the former but will not be surprised by the latter.

      H2P

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Tommy — appreciate your post.

        A game like today makes me wonder why we can’t find a three-point sharp-shooter like so many of our opponents have – even a team like JU had an outside shooter who sounded better than anyone we have…

        Go Pitt.

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  36. Great to start the Holidays with a win. Nice to see Femi fid his 3 point shot.
    Probably need to replace him with Santos at the end of games when foul shots are needed.
    0 for his last 4, good thing the game was pretty much decided.
    Gueye is fun to watch to bad he is a grad student, if he puts 30-40 lbs of muscle on this arms and shoulders he will be a force.

    Burton starting to look like a player.

    Hope they don’t get too discouraged with ACC play starting next week.

    It seems like hard defense has been keeping this team in games, hope they keep fighting.

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  40. Shape up POVerys… Peak beat you – you “ Slackers.”…. Bad move… hooking up young lovers… say it ain’t so…. His essence will be drained…. ole story- I once had an assistant FB coach who told the cheerleader futureMrsBigB to “ stay away from my FBplayer!” History repeating itself…. Go Nick… show this left coast softie watch a got!!!!!!! Hail to Nick!!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  41. I see where GT RB Gibbs is transferring to…….Alabama!

    Yikes! I don’t remember him, but I guess that’s good news for Pitt…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s probably because he rushed for -10(that’s right, minus!) on 10 carries with a long of 2 yards against Pitt’s defense. He did, however, catch 6 passes for 125 yds because one went for 71 yds.

      I guess he’s thinking the SEC defenses will be easier than Pitt’s😉

      Liked by 4 people

    2. my kid’s not thrilled, had hoped to see GaTech make a bowl during his time there but if all goes well(for me) he won’t and next year will be his last shot(even better for me 🙂 )

      Liked by 1 person

  43. Slovis has a strong arm.
    Slovis throws a good deep ball.
    Slovis stands in the pocket.
    Slovis is Slow-vis.
    Expect the sacks allowed to go up, don’t blame the OL.

    How many times did Picket, who is a good but not great runner, extend plays? It is a must.

    I like the effort by PN to keep the train rolling. I hope it works. Depends on the OC.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. He’s 6-3 and 210.

      Threw for 3500 yards and 30 TDs as a freshman. Not bad…

      I’ve read where he’s slow and I’ve read where he’s mobile enough. Supposedly he had leg injuries – hopefully he recovers and can move good enough.

      We definitely have been spoiled by Kenny’s ability to extend plays and to run for first downs…

      Go Pitt.

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  44. Max Browne .. our last SC transfer… and there was once upon a time a 5 star potty john transfer named Ricky.. and the other Arizona flush… me thinks his name is —- Yellen…. Go Nick… show’m watcha got… kick Sparty’s butt….

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  49. From Twitter:

    Slovis transferring to Pitt is a great example of how we’re a soccer school

    — Rialb Trauts (@stjblair) December 21, 2021

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  52. Here’s a video I found about Slovis’ time at USC:

    You can check out some Trojan fans weighing in in the comments as well. Sounds like he’s had some injury problems and some confidence issues, and wasn’table to progress much after a strong freshman season. Not quite sure what to make of it all. I hope the new OC is someone who’s good at working with quarterbacks.

    Liked by 2 people

  54. I’ve mentioned before how Pitt has certain schools with whom they seem operate in parallel universes. Nebraska was one, now USC seems to be another. We have gotten 3 transfer QBs from USC and Pitt receiver Yogi Roth was on Pete Carroll’s coaching staff at USC. Any other Pitt/USC coincidences?

    Liked by 1 person

      1. There was another four star RB from the DC area who flipped from USC to Duzz a few years back.

        He ended up in the transfer portal.

        Liked by 1 person

  55. getting Slovis says a lot about Pitt as a program imo

    says a lot about PN and hopefully our ability to sustain at that next level – one of Reed’s Zoom topic questions

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  57. Slovis seems like a Pitt/Narduzzi kind of guy. Three star diamond in the rough. Hope all the QBs that stay get a fair shot for next year.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah, Narduzzi and his lousy 3 stars.

      This big play in the portal makes the bowl game even more important now? You ask why? Not getting that 12th win will start off the the KP era in a bad way. More pressure without Kenny. It might also cure the mute button inflicted on a few of our realists. Obviously not Huff the Third though, the King of realists! 🙂 Just kidding, hope to see or hear you on the next Zoom Zoom meeting.

      Liked by 2 people

  58. I imagine 2 people know who the new OC is going to be…

    Slovis and Coach Duzz, maybe Heather…

    (BTW, my phone’s spell-checker automatically changes “Slovis” to “Alicia.” Huh? 🤷🏻)

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  60. Kenny Pickett and Mark Whipple put PITT on the map for transfers like Slovis. He’s a huge get who, before last season, would never consider coming to PITT. Kudos to Coach Narduzzi and his staff. Like danh72 says, there are no guarantees with this transfer, but he will certainly bring some hyped up competition from the QB group.

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  61. Like Slovis better than Max Browne.

    But, alas, seeing a very similar UNBRIDLED enthusiasm among the same Pitt Faithful who thought Browne was end all.

    Minimus Browneous or something to that effect I believe was the name I had for that “SOP Savior” from USC.

    Let me work on something for Slovis the latest edition.

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    1. There is no comparison between Slovis and Browne. One actually played for three years and the other played in three games. Browne was a former five-star recruit who fans were hoping he’d be like Peterman utilizing three guys who scored 10-plus touchdowns each the previous year.

      Both played at USC. That is where the comparison ends.

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        1. I seem to remember three games analyzed on here from his senior year before he was benched. The other 11 must not have been in meaningful situations.

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          1. I just looked it up, he threw a total of 19 passes in his first two seasons before the starts and quick hook as a junior. I’m shocked he played in 14 games total at USC.

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  64. Did Pitt just kinda make this year’s class a lot better by signing an experienced QB like Slovis?

    When we play WVU and UTenn next season they will both have experienced QBs. Maybe now we will too…

    Since he’s been here, seems to me that Coach Duzz has been pretty resourceful at addressing needs. Hasn’t always worked (especially with all those TEs we tried), but he goes for it…

    Go Pitt.

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  65. Does anyone else think having the Biletnikoff winner on the Pitt roster may have helped Slovis with his decision on what team to transfer to? PN deserves credit also but I think our WR roster which also includes freshman All American Bartholomew may have helped greatly.

    Liked by 1 person

  66. Narduzzi’s QB recruiting continues to make Chryst’s at Pitt look elementary. And Paul was the noted Guru of QBs.

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  67. There are never any guarantees but getting a guy that had that many yards and TDs as a freshman could make a world of difference and give Pitt a real chance to have a great follow-up season.

    If Pitt can also find another star wide receiver and tight end to add the mix and perhaps a linebacker and a lineman for each side, who knows.

    More top guys may actually want to come to Pitt as our record improves and more Pitt grads stand out in the NFL.

    Liked by 1 person

  68. Speaking of names…

    —Kedon Slovis has to be a made up name. 😊

    —Has any basketball team ever had more vowels in their names than the current Pitt Panthers? 🤔

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  70. So which was the most important for success next year?

    1 signing Slovis
    2 O-line comes back

    I imagine the receivers and running backs are real happy

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