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2022 Football Schedule

Editor’s Note: First of all, thoughts and prayers to Reed and his family through this trying time. I think we can all agree to that. Second, I emailed with him briefly today and he expressed his gratitude for keeping the blog running smoothly (Richard gets credit for this too). We’ll need your help with that, so I’ll ask you all to continue to keep the conversation civil and observe the usual rules of decorum. And with that, feel free to discuss the 2022 schedule.

Per the Pitt Sports SID

Pitt’s 2022 Football Schedule Revealed on ACC Network

PITTSBURGH—Defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Pitt will play a compelling 2022 schedule that features eight bowl teams and a primetime national spotlight for the revival of the “Backyard Brawl,” it was revealed this evening on ACC Network.

The Panthers’ 12-game slate includes seven home games, including a highly anticipated season opener against West Virginia at Heinz Field. The Panthers and Mountaineers will open the first full week of the 2022 college football season on Thursday, Sept. 1 before a national television audience on an ESPN network.

Additional home season highlights: 

·        Pitt will host a Southeastern Conference opponent for the first time when Tennessee visits for the “Johnny Majors Classic” on Sept. 10.

·        The Panthers’ road back to the ACC Championship Game includes three crucial Coastal Division matchups at Heinz Field: Georgia Tech (Oct. 1), Virginia Tech (Oct. 8) and Duke (Nov. 19).

·        For the 68th consecutive season, Pitt will play traditional eastern foe Syracuse. The Panthers host the Orange on Nov. 5.

·        Rhode Island (Sept. 24) rounds out Pitt’s home opponents. The Panthers and Rams meet for the first time as head coach Pat Narduzzi faces his alma mater.

Pitt plays its road opener at Western Michigan on Sept. 17, closing out a two-game scheduling agreement.

In October, the Panthers make consecutive ACC road trips to Louisville (Oct. 22) and North Carolina (Oct. 29).

Two November road games—at Virginia (Nov. 12) and Miami (Nov. 26)—figure prominently in the race for the 2022 Coastal title.

With the return of 18 starters, Pitt is already garnering mention in early Top 25 listings, including The Athletic (No. 11), Athlon (No. 19), Pro Football Network (No. 19), Sporting News (No. 24) and Yahoo Sports (No. 24).

Season tickets are currently available at PittsburghPanthers.com and start at just $180. Fans have the option to pay in full or take advantage of an interest-free monthly payment plan. For pricing, seating maps, season ticket holder benefits and more, click here or call (800) 643-7488.

The Panthers conclude spring drills with the annual Blue-Gold Spring Game presented by PNC at Heinz Field on Saturday, April 9. Additional spring game details will be forthcoming in the near future.

The Panthers’ complete 2022 football schedule:

Sept. 1 (Thurs.): West Virginia   

Following an 11-year hiatus, the “Backyard Brawl” gets the Thursday night spotlight on an ESPN network.

Sept. 10: Tennessee

Pitt has won all three meetings with the Vols, including 41-34 last year in Knoxville.

Sept. 17: at Western Michigan

The Broncos defeated Nevada, 52-24, in the 2021 Quick Lane Bowl.    

Sept. 24: Rhode Island

Pat Narduzzi was a three-year starting linebacker for the Rams from 1987-89.

Oct. 1: Georgia Tech*

Pitt has won four consecutive games against the Yellow Jackets.

Oct. 8: Virginia Tech*

The Hokies visit Heinz Field under first-year head coach Brent Pry, an Altoona native.

Oct. 22: at Louisville*

Pitt plays at Louisville for the first time since a Big East encounter in 2011.

Oct. 29: at North Carolina*

The Panthers used overtime to top the Tar Heels in each of the last two meetings.

Nov. 5: Syracuse*

The Panthers have won 17 of the past 20 games against the Orange.

Nov. 12: at Virginia*

Jordan Addison’s 62-yard touchdown clinched the Coastal and a 48-38 win in last year’s game. 

Nov. 19: Duke*

The Panthers own a 7-1 series advantage over Duke in ACC play.

Nov. 26 : at Miami*

Pitt seeks its first win over the Hurricanes since its 2017 upset.

Dec. 3: Subway ACC Championship Game

Pitt looks to return to the ACC title game in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium for the second consecutive year and third time overall.

*ACC game

108 thoughts on “2022 Football Schedule”

  1. That is 1 lousy schedule for season ticket holders.
    Jamming all the home games by 20/8 with only Duke and Cuse left.
    Man just terrible.
    The later games are more important in a good year.
    Plus end at Miami and I don’t see us playing Thursday night at UNC.

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    2. Well, if the Fox Bet Sportsbook is any indication, Pitt will have trouble winning more than 3-4 games next year. According to them, Pitt has a +30,000 chance of winning the National Championship. This is worse odds than Clemson, Wake Forest, NC State, Miami, UNC, L’ville, FSU, VT, UVA, and BC in the ACC. That’s right, there are 10 ACC teams with better odds. Pitt’s odds are the same as GT and WVU, but 4 times worse than Tennessee’s +8000. Only Duke, Syracuse, and WMU are worse than Pitt’s. Talk about disrespect for the ACC Champions!
      https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/college-football-odds-national-championship-lines

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Check out the schedule reveal on the Pitt athletic website. Pat Bostick opens it up followed by players. I can’t figure out how to post the video here. Pretty neat how quick they got it up.

    Liked by 3 people

  5. Speaking of scheduling, here’s a tidbit about Pitt baseball for ErieExpress. Pitt playing baseball games in February is just weird…

    “We are less than three weeks away from our first game in the sunshine state. Our season will kick off with a four game set against Canisius in Port Charlotte, Florida at Centennial Park on Friday February 18th.”

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Major Major – Thank you for that baseball news. Now that gets me thinking about Spring.

      Pitching will be the key for continued success from last season’s team. Gone are two key pitchers – the ace was drafted to the MLB and the best reliever portal hopped to the hoopies.

      We have a HC who is best known for pitching, (2) returning starters and a bunch of young, live arms. The D should be very good – 3 of 4 starting OF’s return (4 with DH rotation), 3 of 4 IF’s return and several catchers who shared starting duties are back as well.

      I like our chances for a good season in baseball.

      Go Pitt!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Rumor has it Alexandre is moving inside to DT. If true it would appear Pitt feels real comfortable with getting Hayes much more time on the field come 2022. I like the move if Alexandre doesn’t end up become a liability at DT.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Way OT…RIP Dr Johnny Fever.
    (Old TV reference)

    Not only do I not like the schedule for all the reasons stated above, the spring game falls on my buddy’s daughter wedding date…crap!

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  8. Silver lining … front loading the schedule with home games means that we can be wearing shorts for 5 out of 7. 6 of 7 if you are Fran.

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  9. It does appear we get the toughest ACC matches on the road vs last year when we played them at home.
    That may be a problem with a new QB. I also wish we had the tune up games prior to WV and Tennessee.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Upside to opening up with the Hoopies and Vols is winning both games…. Man would that set the atmosphere for 2022….. fire up the grills in Red5.

      Upside of playing the E-I-E-I-Oers on Thursday night- couple of more days to get prepared for “Good Ole Rocky Top!!!”

      Bring’em on and lock the gates!!!

      Liked by 4 people

  15. The spring game is April 9 at 1 pm, and will be televised on ACCN … as will all ACC spring games

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  16. Good things about the schedule:
    Warmer weather for home games.
    Lots of coaching turnover, Miami, VT, Duke.
    The non-conference games are very good warm ups for a new QB and the team. TN will be tough this year. Winning the Coastal is goal number 1.

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  18. Thought on Pitt basketball.

    Emphasis on D and extending the bench to keep guys fresh to not crap the bed the rest of the season.
    Read an article today and that’s Huggins recipe for finishing their season better.

    “It really comes down to defense,” he said. “If you’re getting stops, you’re always in the game, and defense will turn to offense.” He also spoke about more guy contributing.

    I’d love Pitt’s identity to be known as great D and toughness. Hugely gives them the toughness identity to build around. Recruit with that in mind. If your going to play physical and with intense D, you need a bench.

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    1. Funny. I would like their identity to be a team that can actually, you, SHOOT. You can’t win every game 60-57.

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  19. ACC Network is showing the ACC Championship game with Wake Forest at 3 PM today. Prior to that at 1 PM their show, The Huddle, will discuss each ACC team’s 2022 Football schedule.

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  20. Dionjag, you may be right about 9 pm start for the Spring game, who knows? But if you go to the Pitt web site, click on teams, click on football calendar… it shows 1 pm (as of a few minutes ago)

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  21. Situation resolved (I believe). If you got to ACC web page, they have a listing of when they will be airing the spring games, and for Pitt it lists 9 pm (tape delay)

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

  24. I watched TCU beat Oklahoma last night to move to 15-4. I’m wondering, was Dixon given sufficient time at Pitt to adjust to an ACC style of play and the new recruiting requirements? Given that in 4 years Capel hasn’t even achieved mediocrity, should Dixon have been given the benefit of any doubt for a few years of average records and recruiting as part of a transition to the ACC?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I don’t follow basketball closely but maybe Jamie was ready to “move on.” Glad he is having a great year.

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    2. I think I’m in the minority on this one, here it my take:

      I don’t think Dixon ever changed, very good coach and person, from his Pitt days thru his TCU days. He is the same guy today that he was a decade ago. WIth Dixon, his weaknesses was always well known to be his recruiting prowess, or lack thereof, which is why his Assistants’ recruiting expertise and University support were always key for him to be successful. Specifically, when he moved away from recruiting a certain style of kid, with the defense & rebounding first mentality, and a good mix of blue collar/role player guys, he went out of his element and was doomed to failure. Too bad to, because his style is very similar to Bennet’s and could’ve worked at Pitt, even in the ACC, if he would’ve/could’ve continued bringing in those types of players. I am not sure if Dixon tried to recruit a different type of player when we moved to the ACC, or if his staff was just inadequate.

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  25. Not happy that the WVU game is on a Thursday night during Labor Day weekend. Those of us that are out of towners cannot take Friday off given that you already get Monday off.

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  26. Know what sucks and is somewhat ironic – that since mid-September I have been dealing with these heavy family issues and didn’t have the time or energy to closely follow Pitt football…and they go and have the best year in forever.

    Well, there is always next year for Pitt football and I sure hope they repeat their 2021-22 performance!

    Liked by 12 people

    1. Almost all of the games are available over the internet and are quite enjoyable especially the games Pitt won.

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    2. My father – a transplant from Virginia in 1960 – quickly adopted the Pens in 1967 (season tickets) and got Steeler tickets when Three Rivers opened. Died at age 38 in 1973 of a heart attack and never saw the Steelers or Pens achieve what they have. A real shame.

      I’m grateful to have witnessed all of that and more, including this past Pitt FB season. Any success going forward is gravy. My gut tells me we will be in the hunt for the Coastal again; whether we win it or another championship game requires a peek around the corner.

      Liked by 8 people

      1. Not sure how that connects to your comment Reed other than both situations were terribly unfair for a couple guys who each invested a lot in their teams during leaner times.

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    1. Rivals has Pitt football 2022 at two 4 stars: Samuel Okunlola and Ryan Baer. pittdad2, out of curiosity, who are the other two 4 stars recruits and what recruiting site christened them 4 stars? kindly submitted TIH

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  28. I don’t buy the story line that somehow Gallagher and Barnes pushed Jamie out.
    My impression was that Jamie did not want the move to the ACC, had lost all his ace recruiters,
    couldn’t attract big men or point guards and when TCU came calling, totally his decision.
    Barnes did let him out of his contract without a hassle which seems like the only fair thing to do.

    The sad thing is that if Steven Adams would have stayed, Pitt might have won the ACC in their first year
    which might have changed everything. That is about the fourth time I can think of when losing one guy really hurt Pitt basketball.

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  29. Jamie was definitely pushed out. He lost his ace recruiters because Pitt would not give him money for his assistants and he was vocal about it. Pitt being cheap cost him his staff. He also wanted a change of scenery, which had a lot to do with the new leadership at Pitt. So, both can be true. He was pushed out and he wanted to leave.

    Pitt being cheap was a theme … Capel absolutely trashed the state of the Pete when he arrived.

    I, personally, will never work for someone who is frugal. One of my key tenants while I work.

    Steve Adams hated his time at Pitt. He was not fond of Dixon and felt that Dixon was manipulative in trying to get him to come back and forgo millions in the NBA.

    Once Dixon started recruiting better, his player development system started to crumble a bit and he pushed back a little. After Blair left, the bigs felt Dixon held them back on purpose to get more seasons out of them.

    The mismanagement started with Dante Taylor, and carried over to Khem Birch and then on to Steve Adams. Dixon rebounded a bit with Mike Young but by then the house of cards was already crumbling.

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    2. Was terrible the way Adams was used in his only season. Rarely got to touch the ball unless it was a rebound. He had no good reason to come back…

      And I also suspect that the mid-use of Adams gave opponents’ recruiters all the ammo they needed to convince any bigs not to go to Pitt…

      Go Pitt

      Liked by 1 person

  30. The schedule always annoys me because of the frontloading of home games, most of which are OOC.
    This year is no different.
    I absolutely hate the home opener on a Thursday night. Sucks for a number of reasons.

    Rather than just bitch about it, I will make a suggestion on how to fix this nonsense.
    Bear with me – I start with CFP thinking.

    The P5 agrees to a CFP format based on the following:
    1) Top 6 ranked teams are in. Top 2 get a bye.
    2) Automatic bid for each of the P5 conference champions (or P4 if B12 is moved to G5)
    3) Two at-large bids for the the highest ranked teams not getting an automatic. That means it could be another P5/P4 school, a G5/G6 or an Independent.
    4) The P5/P4 schools agree that they will play 10 conference games, effectively limiting OOC to two games.
    5) OOC games are played Labor Day weekend, the second week or Thanksgiving weekend. This permits the historic rivalries to still be played.
    6) New Years Six Bowls all become CFP games. WIth less OOC games in the regular season, the other bowl games become a smidge more interesting.

    The ACC:
    1) Adds WVU.
    2) Lands Notre Dame for FB as it sees that their access to the CFP is dminished.
    3) Reshuffles the divisions… Pitt, WVU, ND, BC, Cuse, Louisville, VT
    4) Pitt and WVU become a de facto rivalry game.

    As a Pitt fan:
    I get more meaningful games including an annual Backyard Brawl and ND
    I care less if the AD schedules two rent-a-wins or adds some games of interest.

    One can dream…

    Liked by 3 people

    2. I need to edit the CFP. stuff.
      1) Automatic bud to each conference champion of the P5 (or P4)
      2) One (or two) at large bids available to highest ranked non-conf champion in 1) above. Could be a G5 or more likely the loser of an SEC championship game. A small window for ND or another Independent.

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    3. It’s 4 or 8. That’s been made clear and no one has incentive to go to 8. Duzz basically spoke for everyone when he said that it’s too many games … which, if you read between the lines, means that players will still opt out. People forget they only played 11 games when most of the pundits played. Now you play 13, 14 or 15 at minimum. I don’t see it moving from 4, ever, unless players are paid for additional games.

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    4. JoeL and all POVites,

      Correct me if I am wrong but I thought it was stated many times that WVU does not meet the minimum academic standards of the ACC and will not be considered for membership. Perhaps this has changed. Anyone have additional updated information?

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  31. Pitt Media day announced for tomorrow at 11am with Narduzzi and Cignetti hosting. There may be a few of the transfers included i believe.

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  32. Remember… not only did Jamie not want to leave the Big East, he was betrayed. In the late spring of 2011, he was the lead man for the Big East in recruiting TCU to join the conference. And then a few months later …..

    Guess you can’t blame the decision to join the ACC, but you can’t tell me that Dixon was embarrassed and teed off at both Nordy and Stevie(although of course he would never say anything publicly. And don’t forget that he had already turned down great opportunities to stay at Pitt

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  33. My concerns with the FB schedule are TN, VA, NC and Miami. Maybe the Coastal teams all self destruct and we will the tie breakers. Anything to win.

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    1. Im worried about WVU (they will play with emotion), TN (they will want revenge and will have the same QB), UVA (same QB) and Miami (same QB). Im not as worried about UNC, who will brekaing a new one in. VT needs a QB, but will probably play better defense immediately. GT mired in mediocrity – same for Cuse.

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    2. Name me one year when some ACC pundit did not name Miami as the favorite to win the Coastal Division. Yet since 2005 Miami has never won the ACC Championship and only once won the Coastal Division (2017). In the 2017 Championship game Miami lost to Clemson 38-3 which was by a larger margin of defeat than Pitt’s championship loss by in 2018 (42-10). And once again we are hear the yearly refrain the “Ü” is back this time with their 8th coach since the Coastal Division was created in 2005 who we are again told “he will change the culture”. Don’t believe it ’til you see it.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. i thought they outlawed that move? Can’t believe he got away with it again. Probably next time too.

      did anyone find it interesting that there were no complaints about the reffing when we played BC?

      Liked by 1 person

  37. I’m watching it too jrn, never gets old.😎😎
    I can still hear Scooter yelling “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” after an interception.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. On a different but related subject, I haven’t heard anything about a Narduzzi contract extension. Am I missing something?

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  40. I will be away from commenting for a couple of days>>>getting my back surgery tomorrow and will miss Media Day. I hope that it turns out to be loaded with good news. Cignetti’s coming out party.

    Liked by 2 people

  42. Any POVers attending the LOI Event tomorrow night?

    I’m planning to go. I imagine Lastrow and Richman will be there.

    Go Pitt.

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  44. I think maybe Dixon felt betrayed by Pitt after passing by other opportunities and then being blindsided by the move to the ACC. He probably needed time to upgrade staff and adjust to the ACC. At that time, 20 win seasons were expected, and Dixon’s major failure was poor results in the NCAA tournament. The TCU opportunity came up at the right time and he jumped at it. That’s my take..

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  46. A prayer for Reed and a shout-out to Dan. Your observations on Pitt basketball from December have been linked to Chris Peak’s free hoops board. Very good to read your sounds observations again. Reed, we’ve had some contact through the years and you are in my prayers, you and your family.

    Pitt basketball has done a thorough job of running me off. I don’t think about it, don’t really know when they’re playing, and check the scores when I think about. I only keep my You Tube TV subscription to rewatch this terrific football season. In the hoop glory days of 2009, I went to the Seton Hall game at the Prudential Center – we were #1 in the nation – and was asked to leave the stadium because I had attempted to take a photo of the team up close. Ah, fond memories of the good old days.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you Tony,

      A few of the Lair folks took the time to send me thru Reed a scathing commentary on my comments including name calling and personal attacks. I try hard to be objective but my passion for good basketball makes me overzealous at times.

      I know my passion sometimes creates emotional disagreement.
      But…. I’m appreciative of those on this site that express it without personal attacks!

      I actually thought of quitting today as I’m dismayed by the volume and tone of the Lair folks.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I occasionally look to the lair for hoops info, especially since its not covered much on this blog, but Dan I totally agree about that site and posters; it has always struck me as a place for a few young guys playing internet tough guy from their moms’ basements, so I can only take so much. I prefer analytic stuff and appreciate your comments on the topic.

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  47. John, I will attend the LOI event. Scooter is doubtful.
    Annie, Wolfe and Rich are planning to attend also…see you there.

    Liked by 2 people

  51. I’m not seeing any confirmation or comments about commitments rolling in on the fax machine. Neither here nor on the Lair. Is this not Letter of Intent day? Am I missing something?

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    1. There are no more nooms available at the Inn. Pitt needs to unload some scholarship players not add any more.

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      1. Well that should make the recruit highlight tape portion of tonight’s LOI event pretty short. What are we going to do, other than drink on the PTG Trucking tab?

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  53. Good for Noah and his family… young man wants to contribute and compete of the field of play… family can all participate at Art Rooney Field!

    Happy Ground Hog Day.

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  55. Hoping Felton did not see his shadow this morning and that we will not have 6 more weeks of bad basketball!

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  56. Wolfe, they should show all the recruits highlights presented by their position coaches plus comedy from Hillgrove…
    And drinking of course…😎

    Liked by 3 people

  58. But he came here for a girl?

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  59. Interesting that Slovis talked to both parties, including Pickett, and he chose Pitt. Then again, his choice was really a very logical one; Pitt is the better team and has excellent playermakers on offense plus a stable coaching situation. Nebraska = not so much.

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  60. Mack Brown, the head coach of your 2021 6-7 Tar Heels, after coming off a “wasn’t-as-close-as-the-score-would-indicate” 38-21 bowl loss to South Carolina was just given a one year extension and a $1.5M raise to $5M year. If this is the ACC bench mark for paying head coaches after a mediocre year, what will Narduzzi negotiate?

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  62. Like

  63. The Cignetti transcript is up on the Lair paid site. I think it was very informative. For what its worth I think he will end up being an upgrade at OC for Pitt. That’s even after Pitt averaging 40 plus points per game this past season. OK, now pass the Kool-Aide please.

    Liked by 1 person

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