126 thoughts on “Pitt at Syracuse Basketball Game Thread”

  1. If they defend the three point line impeccably they can win. If they hit some threes themselves over the zone they will win. It’ll be tough for both.

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  2. Normally the Cuse 2/3 zone will morph into a 3/2 or a matchup zone. Tonight they will sag on Hugley and stay in the 2/3 all night.

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  5. “And the numbers say…”

    Coach’s Hot seat #1: Todd Graham, Hawaii
    Coach’s Hot seat #2: Whipple’s boss Scott Frost, Nebraska
    BTW: Coach Narduzzi is an amazing #119 out of 130
    Coach Narduzzi makes ball park $4 mill
    Coach James Franklin of Penn State (hot seat #43) makes $8 mill
    Final AP and Coaches poll:
    Pitt #13 in both polls with 741 and 742 votes
    Penn State 0 votes in both polls
    Penn State trolls: enjoy your winter, spring, and summer angst.

    Liked by 6 people

  6. Pitt about to get blown out missing 8 of last nine shots. Pitt has good movement against the zone but they fail to overload sectors making it easy for Cuse to defend.

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  11. They will not be able to force the ball into Hugely unless they switch to a double low post with Gueye. Otherwise they need to do it the old fashioned way with Hugely at high post and shooters in each corner.

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  16. Hey Dan, glad to see you here. Hope your knee is healing well. This will only be my 2nd or 3rd game watched so my comments might be a bit off as usual. Don’t know much about this sport or any other one for Pete’s sake! So we are 10 down…..we can win this.

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    1. Happy New Year Huff. Knee is improving but still shaky. Going to try to put off knee replacement surgery til September and make it thru one more golf season. 9-12 month recovery and much pain!

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  17. Standing in the high post is a tough target. Flashing to the high post makes it easier to penetrate via pass. Timing needs to be right with flash and baseline cutter….

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  19. Huff, Pitt cannot win this if they try to match Cuse 3 for 3. They need some stops and transition baskets, and unfortunately must win without Hugely who Cuse is taking out of the game.

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  20. Uh oh, whoever number 3 is does not know how to attack. He was supposed to flash to the high post. Instead he tries to set picks for the guards. Not a good look there.

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  21. Huff. Pitt is dead. No one can make a shot. A. Lot of flashing going on but no overloading. It allows Cuse to just stand around with their arms up. I’d turn it off now. You’ll just get mad. God they miss Horton! I’m out

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  23. Wow, this is hard to watch. Agreed anon, but Pitt will struggle to score in transition because they can’t rebound the dang ball.

    The bank is open from the free throw line for femi. 7 minutes into half with no bucket? Did i hear that right?

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  25. Capel yells at Jeffress to shoot it when a 7 footer is in his face….ugggh! Yes, the shot clock was expiring, but it was expiring due to lack of a strategy for attacking the zone. This is rough. They need to play hard D and get into transition….they can’t beat the zone with their personnel. Stated differently they cant beat the zone, attacking it the way they have the first 8 minutes of the second half. Zero buckets still?

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    1. the anti-clinic! Spot on dan. I am starting to think I brought this on by finally watching part of a game. Uggh, awful performance.

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  27. I would put the second team or walk-ons into the game and have them set up in a 2/3 zone. I would make the starters watch from the bench how syracuse beats that zone and then sub them back in. I know Dan, I am reaching here.

    We can’t rebound on the defensive side. No attempt to box out. If the ball bounces to pitt on the miss, we get it. If it bounces any other way, we don’t box out. Basketball is a physical game. Whoever plays the most physical, gets to the line the most and gets calls by the zebras.

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    1. Pitt is the worst boxing out team
      I’ve ever seen!

      And yes Fran I watching. Ugh.

      Just no outside shooting talent in a league ( ACC ) that demands it as a bare minimum.

      Liked by 1 person

  31. Dan come back! Misery loves company.. we are all suffering through this horrendous episode of basketball..

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  32. Voice, good to see you. I didn’t want to like an anonymous comment earlier, but i shoulda…

    Only one basket after 13 minutes

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  37. Somebody on here just mentioned pitt needs to keep playing fast and going transition to help them score and then the announcer finally sees that! Goofball. I am thinking our blogging is more entertaining than the announcers…well, maybe not!

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  39. I just don’t see much energy tonight. Capel already threw in the towel. What has happened to Jeffress? He has regressed this year. They should play Santos more against zone teams.

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  40. Jeffries is simply out of his league in the ACC. He’s nervous and tentative on everything he does. Simply, he’s overmatched and he knows it.

    Wasn’t that fun everyone?

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  41. I had fun dan, voice and isnore. Thanks for making this a positive blogging experience in the face of that awful performance by our Panthers. Not sure what all the other acc teams have, but our team is a mess…at least in solving a zone. Maybe they are better against man 2 man.

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  42. I’m up and down on Capel. Surely he knows the 2/3 sagging zone would take out Hugley tonight.
    Where were the zone overloads and screens for shooters! And yes, you do screen defenders in a moving zone!

    I’m wondering if Jeff is feeling the heat and pulled that 2023 recruit out of his butt to save it! So where are the 2022 recruits? All of this is almost coaching malpractice!

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  43. Dan, they had things working somewhat in the first half, but couldn’t handle Cuse’s halftime adjustments that took Hugely completely out of the game and shut down Pitt’s outside shooting. Capel knew he had no Plan B so he pulled the plug and sent in the subs.

    Liked by 1 person

  45. They are getting used to the zone. A few 3’s makes ia win possible. Their defense has been excellent, very few second shots. Maybe they can get some transition.

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  46. What’s somewhat surprising is that the Cuse guards are not good ball handlers, so more pressure could have produced more transition opportunities. But Pitt let them set up half court and fire away which is playing right into their hands.

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  47. Well I finally did turn the game on earlier tonight and after Buddy Boeheim sunk a couple of long bombs while PITT chunked up a few shots that had no chance of going in I quickly decided to cut my losses. Don’t get me wrong as I do love the Panthers hoop team and believe the program will get straightened out sooner than later and that’s with or without Capel. Still not sure about that dude?

    TonyinHampton, Thank You for the shout out in the last article, your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Fact is I’m still struggling just a tad with my heart now. Low EF and Afib, I gotta tell ya that I gave it my all while playing hurt all season, didn’t sit out the bowl game either.

    aj32, yeah Mr Bald puts out a great blog or vlog. He’s been to most of the former Soviet Union countries, Cuba, India, South America and Mexico. Very popular, POVer’s should check it out.

    That’s pretty much what I’m regulated to for now, watching Youtube most of the I’m awake. That and sleep. BTW, I’m still slapping myself over this years PITT football team. So unfortunate that Patti got hurt in the Mich State game, PITT wins that one easily with him.

    Lots of oldtimes on the POV with varying health issues. God Bless you all that aren’t struggling with all that and continued with good health. I was considered a young guy in my late fifties but the wheels fell off. No worries here though, I’ve got a football season to get ready for. H2P, I’m already seriously thinking about restarting up my season tickets for next year. Man did I miss the Fran/Wolfe/JoeL and friends tailgate this year at the RED 5-A lot. It’s OK, put it on me!

    Liked by 8 people

    1. ike – My mind is continuing to milk the Pitt football season we just enjoyed. There are so many big plays etched into brain.

      -Kenny’s pass and Krull’s catch in the rain in OT against UNC;
      -Sirvocea’s pick-six on the shovel pass against Clemson;
      -Jordan Addison snatching the would-be INT against UVA and running it in for a TD;
      -AJ Woods INT and long return in the ACC Championship game;
      -And on and on….😊

      Keep enjoying it ike, and take care.

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 8 people

  48. Pitt BB is simply unwatchable.—-On the FB front a late post on the Lair had a stream of white smoke coming out of a smoke stack. In Rome a new pope has been chosen but in Pittsburgh does it possibly mean a new OC will be named very shortly.

    Liked by 1 person

  49. Or the Pitt Pope is the new OC…
    Actually someone posted on the Lair a few days ago that the choice would be made today and the announcement on Thursday.
    Maybe the same blogger posted both…

    Uncle Iek, hang tough my friend…hoping to see you this year 🙏.

    Liked by 6 people

  50. Pitt is back to being a football school again until the eggheads decide to kick it down again.

    As for hoops, unwatchable. The sport is unwatchable as well. It could be 10 years of losing records and is trending that way. This will be six.

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    1. Sadly Nate, I agree with you. The NBA has been unwatchable for years. College hoops is quickly trending that way for me as well.

      Pitt basketball is BROKEN. I don’t know that Capel is the guy to fix it as he seems to be doing the same or in some ways a worse job than Stallings, which was previously unfathomable.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I haven’t watched a second of the NBA this season and used to be a big fan. I’ll watch a Golden State game I’m sure in the spring as it is fun to watch Curry and Thompson shoot the ball.

        College ball is just awful. I used to watch it every night but now borderline loath it. I watched one half of Cuse-WVU and the end of the second half of the Gonzaga-UCLA game in last season’s tournament. I used to live for March Madness.

        The Pitt chancellor sure took the air of the basketball balloon for the fans.

        Liked by 3 people

  54. Another speculation on the OC from the Lair is that the Eagles QB coach Brian Johnson could be a prime candidate. A much younger guy than PN usually choses for a coordinator position however. But he was the OC at Florida and Utah in the past and worked under Dan Mullen. If that’s the case I can’t seeing him being announced until the Eagles are eliminated from the playoffs.

    Liked by 3 people

  55. The rating system may be arbitrary and flawed but it is surely great to see Pitt finish just outside the top 10.
    Especialy since it has happened so seldom in recent memory. I think it does help with recruiting, not as much as winning the ACC, but hopefully there will be years when we don’t win the ACC but finish with a high ranking.

    The ranking will not carry over because the ACC is not highly thought of and because KP is gone, but luckily with Slovis and Patti we should again be competitive.

    I would still like to see a Tight End and Linebacker picked up from the portal, but I didn’t see too many that stand-out. The linebacking will be the biggest questionmark going in.

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    1. I agree Gordon. There is a 4 * tight end for Alabama that just entered the portal. He is from Chicago. I think that he would be an excellent pick up. I agree that LB is the biggest worry though.

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  56. So the first half of the game last night was unexpected and fun, but obviously when the shots don’t drop you won’t keep up with the sharpshooters from Syracuse. Hopefully this game was a one-off and not a sign of things to come.

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  57. Pro Football Focus is the most overrated over used source in media.

    There is no way (even though they claim it), that they rate every player on every play with analysts that actually know what they are looking at. You have to know the play call and player assignment on each play to evaluate what they say they evaluate. How do you know an O lineman was beat on a blitz without knowing what the blocking scheme was? How do you know DB got beat without knowing the scheme and coverage call? I call BS.

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    1. A few of us pointed to how long it took Frank Beamer to get the Hokies up to speed when discussing the length of time its taken Duzz to get Pitt “in the conversation”.

      Do they build on it or will we look back on it in a couple years as the zenith of the Duzz era?
      We all know the path down can be brutally fast.

      Will make for much more interesting discussions this off-season than the last few. Or if not more interesting, at least different.

      Liked by 2 people

  62. I agree with NRS on PFF. In the fall, they have a grade on every college football player by noon on Sunday.

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

      1. A 205 lb defensive linemen? If he’s not fast enough to play linebacker, then he’s looking at several years to crack the lineup at DE, regardless of whether he’s a 4 star or a 2 star.

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  65. At Pitt he was listed as a DE however. But at 200 lbs he probably had to move to LB to play at Pitt. Pitt has several on their roster that seem to be “tweeners” unable to get on the field because they just don’t fit in at one position.

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  66. I’m not surprised that N Brown is in the portal. I am surprised that he saw no action and didn’t even make the travel squad (neither did Eliot Donald). The 3rd four star from last year, Nahki Johnson, at least made the travel team, though not much PT

    I was hoping they would try Brown at OLB (listed as DE)

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  67. I’m somewhat surprised Brown isn’t fast enough to play linebacker, but if he was he would have been practicing there. Still need three more portal entries to be at the 85 limit.

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  68. I have been tracking the TP since it started in Oct/Nov of 2018. I am surprised that he was the first Pitt recruit that left after one season. All the others at least lasted to at least the start/during of their second season.

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  69. D linemen take time to mature, especially at that weight. He needs at least 45 more lbs of muscle.

    Probably looking around the weight room, he read the writing on the wall.

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  70. Pitt have asked him to move on, too … “you’re not going to get playing time any time soon …” … Pitt needs space and with more high profile players entering the portal, Pitt may have been honest with him. If he didn’t put in the work or didn’t develop in year one as expected, it may have been a gentle nudge …

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  72. Well if Slovis ends up playing like the 8th best Heisman candidate in 2022 Pitt will have a good chance to return to the ACC title game once again.

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      1. Sounds like an interesting candidate…. Has the experience and stats to attract QBs, TEs, and WRs…. If he’s the guy, would explain Slovis and Mumpfield jumping on board…

        And he’s from Texas – at least he’s not a west-coaster… 😊

        Go Pitt.

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  78. I’m excited for it Reed! Most likely I’ll be out again for tomorrow night but the replay will be fun to see all the POV stars. If you do more Zooms I’ll probably be in. Everyone already knows how I’ll answer most questions. Time to give others a chance.

    The Andy Rooney part of the Zoom meeting should be a face to face with …
    ……..REED and RICHMAN discussing a Point/Counterpoint conversation.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. I wonder if there any legs to it. That’s a legit win by Duzz if that happens. May even be a potential HC candidate on staff if Duzz gets poached in the future.

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  82. I just found a mail from Pitt in my personal mail inbox, asking me to complete a football survey.

    Was a good, in-depth request for feedback. I suggest filling it out of you got such a request.

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  84. Pitt led the ACC this year in average women’s volleyball attendance! Way to go Annie and everyone else! The more money the program can earn, the better the facilities and coach’s pay!

    Liked by 3 people

  86. Pitt athletics is now ranked 10th in the Director’s Cup ratings. Just think how good it would be if Pitt had a male AD!

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  91. Good idea for an article.. Narduzzi + Heather = Myth Busters! or Reality Revisited!

    Trying not to rub it in but I’m busting a gut laughing right now.

    Liked by 3 people

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