227 thoughts on “Pitt at Virginia Tech Basketball Thread”

  3. Anybody out there? Pitt off to another miserable start. Hitting iron shot after lousy shot. Panthers shooting way too many shots from the outside where they are terrible. Call the basketball medics as soon as possible puleeeze.

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  10. If Capel is employed after this week then Heather has zero plan/clue/balls. The program has done zero under Capel and half his family on the staff.

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  14. Post didn’t show 17. 17. 17. On top line
    18 18. 18. On bottom line

                Word Prress gremlin strikes again

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  15. How long will Stallings be blamed ? When you see Wake Forest at 19-5 after 2 winning seasons in the last 15 years.

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  18. Interesting that Hugely was benched to start this game. His effort when he finally entered this game was less than stellar.

    Is Big John the next exit to the portal? Maybe Indiana or Nebraska. I’m betting on Kentucky.

    Pitt in better shape tonight (ikr) as they hold VT to only 35 vs 48 on Saturday night when they were down 27 at the half.

    “Only down 18 tonight at the half.” Capel’s half time motivational line.

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  19. I wonder if the ACC brass is putting any pressure on Pitt’s AD to do something about this embarrassment? This is not a good look for the ACC and it hurts everyone’s SOS which is a big factor in the calculation for RPI rank.

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  22. I could write a book the size of War and peace on all the things Pitt BBall does incorrectly on the court.

    Really hard to watch. No longer able to find an ounce of joy following this team. I’m sorry, this is not bad talent … it’s bad coaching!

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  24. Had an idea…. Much like the company that gets time share $$ back to owners, I’m going to start a company getting season ticket money reversed for Pitt fans!

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Pitt is so inept at hiring coaches it’s mind boggling.

    Ending up with Stallings has led to this debacle with Capel.

    Hire a proven coach, Heather!

    Hire Sean Miller. Forget the FBI investigation because no one cares about it anymore. It’s over.

    Time to start underachieving like Sean did at Arizona and lose in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8.

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    2. Sean Miller is a worse coach than Capel. No thanks. Imagine following up Stallings with Capel, then the trifecta with Miller. Yikes.

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        1. Well by your measurement, didn’t Capel make it to the elite 8? Miller routinely pulled in top 10 classes and got next to nothing out of them. He sucks. It has nothing to do with his cheating and lack of ethics, not that I’m a fan of that either, but you combine the ethics with his ineptitude as a coach, and you just made another dumb decision of a (hypothetical) hire. Take away Miller’s ability to buy recruits at Pitt and throw in his crappy coaching, and we have Stallings 3.0, with message boards going ballistic in about 3 years.

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          1. Capel made one Elite 8 back in the 2000s. Miller always had Arizona and Xavier in the NCAA tournament.

            I’m not even a Miller fan, but he’d be such an upgrade over Capel it’s not even funny. And Capel bought Blake Griffin, just as Capel was the bagman for Coach K when it was apparent Duke had to get dirty to start getting the One and Done’s.

            Remember the Zion Williamson investigation that went nowhere because the NCAA doesn’t punish basketball programs?

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            1. It doesn’t matter if both cheated, what I am saying is, as a coach, if you brought a guy to Pittsburgh that was no longer allowed to cheat (ie, he’s not at an Arizona type program where they turned a blind eye), then he needs develop a program and coach the guys he brings in, game stratgey, discipline, etc. You can certainly say Capel is bad at that, but Miller is bad too. So you don’t buy out one bad coach to hire another, Stallings 3.0. I’d take Archie over Sean, and I wouldn’t take Archie.

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              1. Archie drove a Blue Blood into the ground nearly. Sean did nothing similar at Arizona or Xavier.

                Indiana is reaping the benefits of firing Archie.

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  28. Close the Pete for bb and put the LadyPanthers volleyball team in as the home occupant. Move bb to Fitzgerald and schedule Taylor Alderdice.

    Liked by 2 people

  30. This team has no identity. There is nothing they do well. Someone should tell them that running the clock down when you’re losing by 22 in the second half is not a good idea. And maybe they could learn to box out around the defensive glass.

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  33. Hugley trying to get a pass over to a Pitt player cutting baseline forgets that there’s a backboard in front of him and turns it over OB with a bounce off the side! Haven’t seen that since 8th grade girls rec ball!

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  37. The 3rd teamers for the hokies are scoring on the Pitt starters.

    Horton passing up wide open shots tonight. Why?

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  38. Looking ahead at our schedule I think we should forfeit the games and save money on traveling expenses and electricity and heating at the Pete. Absolute garbage !

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  40. Hey Brooklyn, you mean we might lose to FlSt, NCST and UNC our next three?

    First half Saturday and both halves tonight, I don’t think I’ve seen any NCAA D1 team play worse… ever.
    That BS today about Pitt BBall buying into Capel and having each other’s backs is utter crap. I saw a lot of moping, selfishness and FU play by Pitt.

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  41. Watch for an exodus to the portal when the season ends. Maybe sooner.

    I can’t see what Hugley would gain by another year of this. Maybe odukale also. Who else? Wait and see.

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  42. I wouldn’t let Heather hire me a dog sitter let alone a HC. Narduzzi has one good year and she will pay him like a Top 5 coach. We are a joke.

    Liked by 1 person

  43. Why is Capel not on the post game explaining what happened???
    Out boarded 36-19??
    Milan Brown on post game??
    WTF?????

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  44. I’m hoping Heathers ridiculous half assed pat on the back endorsement of Capel in the PG today was similar to the baseball owners kiss of death.

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  45. I sucked it up and watched almost the whole first half just to try to assess things. I always try to keep in mind the lack of talent, but Pitt does not play well as a team. They still don’t cover the three point line, and they have no game plan on offense, they are a poor passing team too. And now you can add to it a team that will cave due to losing so much. I feel bad for the young men but it’s time to stop paying $3.5 million for this.

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  46. Pitt’s RPI ranking over the past ten years

    212 before this game
    189
    146
    185
    216 Stallings last year
    74
    54 Dixon’s last year
    81
    39
    44

    It uses strength of schedule in its mathematical calculations. The selection committee used these computer rankings historically but it’s been replaced now by NET.

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  48. I watched the first half tonight. I’ve watched most of the other games. This team is terrible. Tonight they were atrocious both offensively and defensively. And they lacked effort also. Getting out rebounded the way they did is tangible evidence of that. Rebounding is 90 percent effort. It’s getting really bad.

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  50. Capel is not the problem. His clueless assistants aren’t the problem. Heather Lyke is the problem. Do you have faith in allowing her to choose the next men’s basketball coach? Her comments today show that she is out of her league, incapable of evaluating Capel and the program (which ties back to the undeserved extension). If we’re drum-beating to fire someone, Ms. Lyke is at the top of the list.

    Liked by 1 person

  51. Something is up with Hugely. If he is creating tape for a move to the transfer portal then he will end up at a D3 program. Hugely is not innocent here. Some players are doing their best but he is not among them.

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  52. Marcus Carr drains a 3 for Texas on a last second first half shot! P5 teams continue to benefit from Pitt transfers..

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  53. Anyone figure out yet that watching Pitt BB is a complete waste of time? As for Heather she is simply playing out with the cards she dealt herself in extending the Capel contract. And its my guess she is going to stick with Capel and the half empty Pete for at least two to three more years.

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  54. Read and weep:
    Capel, who was hired by Lyke and given a seven-year contract in March 2018, signed a two-year extension through the 2026-27 season back in January 2020. At that point, Capel was 24-23. Since that extension? 24-40.

    From ppg

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    1. Very similar to when Narduzzi was extended. Narduzzi was something like 1-12 against ranked teams since the extension but then had that magical year with a near 24 year old Kenny and a very favorable schedule with Clemson in a down year.

      So unless Capel can get an elite point and shooting guard and schedules like Jamie Dixon, I don’t see him climbing out of this mess.

      This is the worst stretch of basketball since 1964 to 1969 when pitt had Timmons and Ridl. They averaged 6 win seasons. This stretch isn’t nearly as bad. Pitt is averaging 11 wins.

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  55. Pitt’s volleyball team will be touring in May in Spain and Italy against high level competition. Great experience for young adults who have achieved so much success. I am sure that they are truly thrilled to have such an amazing athletic and cultural opportunity.

    So, the obvious question is where do our bottom-feeding basketball team and coaches tour? Keep the answers civil because I want them to visit &%$.

    Liked by 3 people

  59. Pitt’s AD has a certain type of person she looks for in hires. She validates her philosophy every rare time she speaks with the public concerning votes of confidence or contract extensions.

    These desired individual traits can be categorized as interpersonal. Now I won’t argue they aren’t important but I will disagree with the approach.

    What are the primary responsibilities of a coach?

    In no particular order, recruiting, managing and hiring staff, developing players, establishing a culture, discipline, compliance, media relations, game day coaching, etc

    I just have never heard or read pitt’s AD saying that’s she’s confident or granting extensions because of the great game day coaching or the great recruiting or the assembly of a great staff. To our AD it seems to be more about player and coach relationships. Creating harmony and wins should follow.

    Interested in what others think.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. His next jump will be to G5 like a MAC school. He’s probably 8-10 years away from coaching in P5 assuming he continues his upward trajectory.

      Pitt really needs an experienced head coach with a strong rebuilding resume and successful track record with transfers.

      I’m not a big fan of hiring assistants, even if they came from a P5 school, for head coaching jobs at P5 schools. Not all assistants make good head coaches. Two different skill sets. Prove to me that you can coach first and show me your promotion history.

      See women’s basketball and men’s baseball at Pitt.

      Capel was out of coaching for far too long and was too used to how Duke recruited based on name and 💰

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  63. 1) How big is the buy out to get rid of Capel? I don’t think we can eat another huge buyout after Kevin Stallings.
    2) Why have we improved over the last five years at soccer, baseball, wrestling, football and volleyball but our pride…our front porch, our ticket out of the Big East has turned into a joke
    3) How much revenue is the university losing a year in lost ticket sales, merchandise, parking, concessions, from these last few years of basketball disaster?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. For soccer and volleyball, it’s 100 percent coaching.

      And soccer has recruited well using international channels…soccer academies in Europe and South America. Pitt soccer is now at elite status.

      International is something I think that basketball should try. Baltic’s and balkans.

      Historically Pitt has had solid volleyball and wrestling programs. But Pitt is on the map now for volleyball. Getting the recruits and transfers now despite playing in a dump.

      Tons of wrestling talent in the area. Penn state is currently ranked number one.

      Few if any northeast or Midwest teams are successful in baseball. Pitt is picked to finish just above BC in the ACC this season. Last time pitt made a regional was 1995. Crappy spring weather forces practices inside and cancels games. Would love to see a Fall schedule for baseball but the southern schools would be vehemently against it.

      And football had a fifth year senior QB when the whispers from Whipple were finally heard along with a very favorable schedule, one of the weakest in all P5. I expect another 6-8 win season and crappy bowl.

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    2. The ACC published a year or two back that 20 percent of the $400 million in ACC monies was driven by basketball. Mainly March madness.

      So I’d think that pitt basketball would be allocated roughly $6 million annually given Pitts ACC check is around $30 million. That pretty much covers the coaching salaries, administration costs and marketing. The other expenditures for scholarships, travel, recruiting, insurance, utilities, debt and other miscellanous things can be covered by a half empty Pete. $3-4 million.

      So basketball is breaking even or maybe generating a small profit. The key revenue driver besides the ACC money are the suites. The Pete has 18 of them. How many of the suite contracts are not being renewed. How many suites are empty? Those are corporate dollars.

      If Capel has five years remaining on his contract, that’s roughly $15 million hanging out there. His buyout would only be a fraction of that. Pitt could always tap the general fund or use the discretionary dollars from the endowment. No booster would cover the cost unless they picked the next coach.

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      2. The one thing that seems likely is Heather keeps him another year will be the Stallings level pressure to fire him. Don’t see how he turns team around after all the losing so far.

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  64. A thorough coaching search needs done. Why is that so difficult at Pitt?

    There are mid major guys worth taking a shot on over stiffs like Stallings and Capel.

    An issue is the lack of tradition and the school’s willingness to win. Pitt should have been a hoops powerhouse from 1951-77 with all the western PA talent. Instead, not a care in the world was given. Wasn’t Timmons a football coach turned hoops coach?

    I have less faith in Gallagher signing off on a good coach because of a transgression on the resume from years ago. The problem is at the top, where it all starts.

    Liked by 2 people

  65. Stillers are reportedly interviewing Louis Riddick for GM. Although the story is that they are leaning to promote from within … Omar Kahn and Brad Hunt

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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    1. And to think that Pitt could of had him as AD. 🤠

      Lou is a good man. He was on campus during my day.

      Lou may not know numbers and salary cap as well as the financial wizard Khan but he does know talent and how to assemble a team.

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  66. IMO the issues with Hugley are twofold

    1). On defense, he cannot defend the perimeter, and the ACC is loaded with athletic big men who can shoot from a distance

    2). On offense, he is constantly doubled and triplex teamed because his teammates are such poor shooters

    Not sure what the solution is but he needs to drop a few pounds

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  67. So if Hugley and Odukale enter the portal, does Capel get another year to make due with anothe brand new portal lineup?

    Then regarding a coaching change is it third time is the charm or three strikes and you’re out?

    Tex says this can be fixed in two years, I would say the odds are that doesn’t happen.

    If Capel can’t recruit to Pitt I am not sure who can. Plus how to you build a program in the age of the portal and NIL.

    Need a coach and staff with unbelievable recruiters and enough NIL support to get kids to consider Pitt.

    So much for NIL not affecting recruiting. Bag men on steroids.

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    1. You can build an experienced team quickly through the transfer. Look at what Texas is doing this year.

      Now granted they have a good coach and booster money. But Texas rebounded in under one year. So Pitt could just as easily turn things substantially around in two if they find the right coach and if they provide money to every transfer via NIL.

      There are enough boosters out there to create a $500,000 account for transfers.

      Texas is masterful at NIL. Pitt is still afraid of the water. Pitt needs to learn how to swim with the 🦈

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  68. An interesting comment made by Heather on the basketball situation was “I’m not sure we’re at the talent level we need to be.” This was mostly overlooked, but clearly she is aware that recruiting and player retention have not gone well. She made no reference as to whether high school or portal recruiting is the best choice, which suggests that it may be too late for Capel to start from scratch with high school players.

    It looks like Horton isn’t going to help much this year, and Burton appears to be in a slump at the worst time. Clearly, the book on Pitt is known: take out Hugely and Pitt will never beat you by shooting 37% as a team. As I mentioned previously, talented teams find their groove and start winning at this time of year, while untalented teams become exploited and lose morale.

    When Pitt continually runs the hot clock down, opponents know pretty much how many possessions Pitt will get in a game, and how many stops they need to make. Pitt had 40 shots against VT. They need extremely high efficiency to win games at that level of shot production.

    Another interesting comment from Heather: “There’s a time frame that makes sense, and we’ll play out that time frame right now.” Translated, Capel doesn’t have forever to turn this thing around. But it also suggests that he has a couple more years to produce.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. A couple more years? Not sure how you’re reading a couple of your conclusions drawn above, not saying you are wrong either, but I think any time frame has to be dictated by performance, and right now things are spinning out of control. You also have a program that is well known to go down a steep hill at the end of every season; that tells us something too. I would be shocked if Capel keeps getting the same results, along with a couple more years to prove himself. I do think he’ll get next year though, if nothing else, due to the contract.

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      1. 1618mt, bear in mind that she let Narduzzi continue for 7 years which tells us her mindset is to give things time. Now she is extending him which says she believes in this process. The transfer portal is also a factor in that Pitt could recover quickly like WF if the coaching stability is there. Also, some on this site are suggesting that Hugely and maybe others like Jeffress will transfer. I think these players like playing for Capel, and will probably stick around.

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  70. Fans that expect Pitt to win on the road are fools, it hasn’t happened except for St. Johns and won’t happen for the rest of the year. This team is not good and bashing them every game is redundant.

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  71. Austin made DC
    Riddick could be next GM
    Getsy now bears OV
    Should also be a Pitt HOF wing for coaches

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  72. Clearly we need Annie to write a letter to HL demanding that Coach Capel be replaced!

    That’s the only thing I can think of that’s holding this up…😊

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 4 people

    2. LOL John, I honestly haven’t watched more than 10 minutes of hoop all year, so I am not the one to write a heartfelt letter! I plan on being at the game on Saturday since my daughter will be traveling here with NCST. I plan on heading to Hemmingway’s to numb myself pregame so I can tolerate the mess. Honestly I’d rather watch the Olympics, but can’t pass up the opportunity to see my kid.

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  73. Recruiting is kind of dying. HS kids are going to get screwed. Transfers will become a higher priority for most schools while they let the Kentucky’s and Duke’s get the McD’s all-Americans. It’s a terrible time to look for a new coach with the landscape still shifting. The sport is so transient now, who do you hire? You can’t risk developing kids because they could leave right when they reach their potential. You need an ace recruiter and/or someone who can work the transfer portal and be able to coach a new team year over year. Players are going to come and go at a much faster rate than the 3-5 years that coaches traditionally had. Even bad teams have to deal with one and done’s now. The done is just another college team, not a professional one. That is the only reason I could see Heather riding Capel one more year. If anything, just to see if any clarity develops. The sport is in the infancy of a seismic shift to something we can’t quite see yet. I honestly have no idea how to hire a basketball coach in the current model. It’s literally like AAU. Tryouts every year and you take the best kids and let the others go to another team.

    Liked by 6 people

  74. Kept track of the Pitt game on my phone while at the UR Spider-George Mason game.
    (SMH, btw)

    Our 5′ 9″ 160 lb point guard hit a 3 pt buzzer beater for the win.
    He is the NCAA all-time leader in steals and his name is Jacob Gilyard. Really been fun wtching him the past few years and will be sorry to see him graduate.

    A guy in our section turned to me last night and asked, “Why are you always calling him Mardy?”
    “Sorry….its a mental block,” I replied.

    Liked by 5 people

  75. Tossing, couldn’t agree more but there’s another factor under the radar. It has to do with the likability of the HC and staff, so players will want to stay and improve, rather than portalize.

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  76. As a young kid, I think it would be tough to keep transferring from school to school. Moving is tough on anyone. And many coaches are on record saying the kids really need to stay a few years to develop relationships. Nobody likes a mercenary. There should be some limits on this Wild West of transferring. Some max number, some timeframes and some financial rewards and penalties.

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  77. A great example of using the portal to transform a team is Wake Forest. Check out their record. Almost all their players are transfers.

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 2 people

      1. The problem is I really don’t think he is a very good coach. So even he did build a class from the portal he would probably end up not doing much with them.

        Liked by 1 person

  78. As I recall, a player can only transfer once without sitting out a year. So it makes sense for a player to stay at least a couple of years with his initial team to see if things work out. Probably the right mix will end up being a standard recruiting class will be 3 high school players and one transfer to fill a specific need. Some players will leave which will keep the roster at 13 players over time. A first year coach will do what WF did initially to get going with a competitive team.

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    1. That loss may have said 5 points but they got their butts whopped worse than this one in the first half of that game. 5 points was 27 points at half.

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  81. I don’t think you can look at HL staying with Coach Duzz and expect her to stay with Coach C.

    My guess is that HL has seen enough, is not happy, and Coach C. will not be back.

    Go Pitt.

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    1. That is where I’d put my money right now.

      When he was hired, I anticipated much better than what has transpired.
      He had a nice run at VCU.
      He may have a hard time getting a HC after this and Oklahoma.

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    2. I hope if so, she’s preparing and quietly meeting with coaching prospects and scouts. Please don’t let this be another last minute coaching debacle!

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  84. I see Duzz was at the State Capitol today with the ACC Championship trophy .. which I’m sure went over well in Central PA

    Sent from my iPhone

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    Liked by 7 people

  86. Au’diese Toney with a double-double (14 pts – 10 rebounds) as 19-5 Arkansas beats #1 Auburn tonight.

    Always like his style of play at Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  87. That is what makes the Capel situation so frustrating. He has recruits playing good P5 ball elsewhere, yet a shortage of talent now after 4 years. A player goes to the NBA and two players get arrested. And finally the big man we have been hoping for. This all adds up to 4 years of confusion and termoil….

    Players appear to play hard for him, yet they seem lacking in basic fundamentals and confused at times. There is no depth and the team seems mentally and physically tired. Is Capel deserving of more time to work his way out of this mess, or is he the cause of this mess?

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Agree with you Voice.

      If we had top-level players playing with poor fundamentals, at least there would be some hope.

      Or if we had middling player playing with good fundamentals, again you could have some hope.

      We have middling players playing with poor fundamentals – which leaves no room for hope.

      You gotta at least have hope – otherwise what’s the point? Which is why I’m guessing Coach C. will not be back…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  88. Doesn’t matter whether Capel is the cause. He’s in charge. For the 4th year in a row Pitt Basketball is a huge mess with little hope for any future. Hugley is pissed, Jeffres is lost, we have 0 outside shooters and 0 good news on the horizon. The buck stops with Capel.

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  89. However the “bucks” involved in his signed contract until the 2026-27 concludes is where HL is behind the 8 ball. How does Pitt extricate itself from that contract without having to pay a kings ransom to do so? And its not like Capel has any reason to go voluntarily since he has to know his chances of being hired at any high level school now has diminished greatly with his dismal performance at Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. lol……brooklyn didn’t have many of their starters available. Pitt has their starters available every time….kind of a big difference.

      So would the felton awful years be forgiven with one above average year? What we watched this last week has been awful.

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      1. Should Narduzzi be forgiven winning the ACC championship in a down year for clemson but losing yet another bowl game? And making it 40 years in a row where pitt has lost at least three games in a season.

        I think Narduzzi is a one hit wonder. He loses Kenny and will be back to 7 win seasons. But the dooze will continue raking in the royalties off that one hit.

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        1. Bowl games don’t mean anything lol. MSU moved up one spot in the polls with a win … Pitt moved down one. Just stop. Lol. The only thing that matters is the ACC championship since they did not qualify for the playoff. The season ended there. Regardless of how much people complain … the season ended at the ACC Championship. The peach bowl was a pre-season game played after the season. Nothing more. Nothing less. The reward was being selected to be in the Peach Bowl … not playing in it.

          Playoff expansion won’t even happen because the coaches know the players don’t want it and that they will still have opt outs. No one wants to play more games for free … even if the games do have stakes. Bowls and the playoffs are going to have to start giving NLI’s to players to keep them from opting out in the future.

          How about enjoy a top 10 Director’s Cups standing and ACC championship? Like dude, be happy. You can complain when they lose a game in the fall.

          All we heard about ad nauseam from you before your hiatus was how bad Heather was because of the Director’s Cup standing … welp … All we heard from you before an ACC Championship was “All I’m asking for is a top 15 team, I don’t even care about being a national title contender” … welp …

          If you want more now that you’ve tasted success, fine … but holy crap … at least let the future unfold a bit to see what happens … Pitt got a top QB transfer in the portal to replace Pickett and a new OC that will be a whole lot more balanced … which I don’t care about … I liked the pass happy offense … but a lot of Pitt fans did care about …

          Stick to basketball … there are legit reasons to complain there … but even that will probably be fixed in the offseason … and it most likely will be an assistant from Duke, UNC or FSU … so be prepared to be angry that she didn’t go get someone more established. The basketball program is profitable even in epically bad seasons so the home run hire is probably not on the table.

          Football, however, won 11 games, won the ACC and will have the first or second QB off the board in the NFL Draft. We have two former and successful NFL players playing each other in the Super Bowl.

          Save your hate for next season. I’m confident Pitt won’t be undefeated so you should at least get one chance to be angry.

          And, oh, Pitt should pay Duzz top 10 money. Don’t be cheap … ever. In the world of sports you overpay and ask for forgiveness later. Pitt spending big on a football coach will pay dividends later, either with Duzz or because other coaches know Pitt pays well and will line up for a job.

          Liked by 6 people

          1. It’s not hate.

            But mediocre coaches have a tendency to revert to the mean which is a 7 win season for Narduzzi. Pitt will be overpaying for mediocrity.

            Yet the program will be stable and the players will all get along and stay out of trouble and get good grades and complete their community service projects. How about putting up some consistent ten win seasons first.

            And if pitt overlays, where is pitt going to get the money for a better coaching staff, bigger recruiting budget, more marketing dollars for promotion, engagement and building a larger supporter base. All legit questions to ask. Pitt won’t achieve stability excellence unless those things happen.

            If Vegas is already pegging pitt at five wins, I’ll side with Vegas. They are more the experts than either you or me. I see Narduzzi making $1 million per win next season. To me that’s criminal.

            Liked by 1 person

              1. And complaining about a bowl game when your star doesn’t play and your second string guy goes down in his first series. Man you’re grasping at straws. What are the chances of winning a bowl game if Dorsett or Marino sat out?

                Liked by 3 people

            2. Wait until he reverts to the mean, then. You wanted a top 15 finish and you got one. Lol. Pitt returns 75% of its returning production … the reason Pitt is at 5 wins is because they lost a QB and OC so they are unknown. So, you’re mad again because Vegas doesn’t like Pitt? C’mon. Lol.

              You just can’t enjoy a successful season. If I recall you were all over Jamie Dixon, too. For someone who swore they just wanted a top 15 team, that’s kind of sounding like it was all for show.

              Again, who cares? Not your money or budget. Pitt has a $100M budget and a well paid coach … that will look good to a lot of coaches looking for jobs if Pitt needs a coach … that’s a good thing.

              You just don’t like Duzz or Heather so even their successes will be ignored. “I want a school competitive in the Director’s Cup” … “I want a top 15 team”

              … oh wait, they did it? … I change my mind … I want to be angry about the same crap I was angry about before so I’ll just move the needle … no way I can give Duzz or Heather a Pat on the back … you crack me up, man … Sitting in your high castle laughing at Pitt fans for liking their school. How dare you like your school? How dare you enjoy a season. Don’t you see it was a mirage and there’s a man behind the curtain?

              Pat leaves or Heather leaves … Pitt doesn’t hire someone on your shortlist … 5-7 more years of complaints. Rinse and repeat.

              I can’t remember the day you came back to post … did it happen to be ground hog’s day? Asking for a friend.

              … and if you don’t want to be happy, stick to basketball … you’ll have your chances to complain, because that’s what you do … in the future … Pitt won’t be playing for the national championship next year so there will be opportunities for the fake rage …

              I, literally, can’t defend Capel so have at it … I’m not even defending Duzz or Heather by the way … just acknowledging they had some W’s this year.

              And that’s the thing … You’re obsessed with Duzz and Heather and can’t let them have a win. Your disdain for them clouds your judgment. I wanted Duzz fired, too. Still not a big fan. I said the only thing that would save him was a top 25 finish … well, he got it. So, with that, he gets rewarded. That’s how it goes in sports, man.

              So either your mad Duzz won because he’ll be here longer and that ruins the joy of an ACC Championship or you just enjoy being angry at Pitt.

              “one good season” … “one hit wonder” … always something … until he’s gone, right?

              Liked by 3 people

              1. I’m glad I didn’t go into dentistry. I’m pretty good it appears at striking a nerve.

                Yes – I won’t be happy until both Narduzzi and heather are gone because I have seen no sustained progress. Only stable mediocrity.

                Outside of 5-6 programs, pitt is not very competitive in the ACC. Have Pitts financials improved? When will pitt begin operating at a surplus? Has Pitts athletic gifting increased? Has attendance and season ticket holder sales increased over time? Is pitt getting the booster and fan support for victory Heights? Was that too ambitious of a project given its massive debt load? Is pitt building its brand and fanbase? How have those hires worked out so far in both basketball programs, baseball, softball?

                All legit questions to ask to determine if progress is being made and if pitt is on the right track towards excellence. That should be the goal correct?

                When is Pitt going to get out of the ACC basement in most sports? Can this years football success be sustained going forward? Can the dumpster fire in basketball be put out?

                I have to seriously question the Pitts AD to make sense of basketball when she says naively that Jeff just needs more talented players. How about a more talented coaching staff?

                Liked by 1 person

                1. Top 10 Directors Cup? ACC Champs and top 15 finish? Two things you demanded? No progress? Lol. Comical.

                  Well, unless Duzz takes another job he’ll probably get another 6 year extension. Unless Heather gets a new job, she’ll probably get one too … both with big fat paydays, too. Oh no, Pitt is spending money and I don’t like the way they are spending it. Boo hoo.

                  It’s a budget … it’s supposed to be balanced. Lol. Pitt makes a ton of money outside of athletics … they don’t need a surplus like some of the football factories … Pitt spends all of their budget … like their supposed to do.

                  You get yourself so deep into the weeds on this crap that it doesn’t even make sense. All of it comes down to you not liking Duzz and Heather. That’s it. And if they leave and Pitt hires two other people you don’t like, it will be the same thing. Success doesn’t even matter. Pitt football was successful and a national headline.

                  Yet … here we are …

                  With Pitt’s success, you always have a “but …”

                  Liked by 2 people

          2. Pitt would have moved up to #9 which is 5 spots with a win, not one spot and would have been a Top 10 team, so please stop. Every team wants to close out a season with a win. Kids being recruited watch those bowl games.

            Liked by 1 person

            2. … and recruits were already signed, sealed and delivered by the bowl game … signing day was 10 days prior.

              Like

        2. But Tex, if Coach Duzz does win 7, that’s only one win shy of his ceiling…. 😊

          Maybe you missed it but we won 11 games – something I thought I’d never see again…. Was a great year in my book – heck we won the ACC. Championship game with hardly any Pitt drama in the second half…. My ticket says thank you.

          I guess we must wait until Clemson has another “down year” to win it again. Course Clemson should have a better roster than us, along with Miami and UNC…

          Seriously, you’re a passionate Pitt fan – I hope you got some enjoyment out of last season.

          Go Pitt.

          Liked by 1 person

    1. Talk about a narrow-audience vocabulary!

      “Super patient hips through the release and isn’t fooled by the eye candy. Creates friction on the cutback. Flings himself across the catch point like a grasshopper.’

      Another crap aspect of sportswriting today. That would be like a POV writer stating:

      “Ike has cobra strike speed in his tungsten strength rebuttals to negative missives pertaining to the Medici-like personnel decision making of the Pitt Head coach.”

      Liked by 9 people

  94. No outside game to keep opposing defenses from collapsing into the paint and causing havoc with our weak offense. Hugely frustrated and I believe he will seek greener pastures next year.

    Like

  95. Lacrosse a new sport for pitt kicks off Friday at highmark. I expect the pitt women to take their lumps just like the women’s soccer team did for years. The ACC is the premier lacrosse conference. But it’s a popular and growing sport. Now if only pitt could add hockey. By the way tennis was cut for lacrosse. I don’t have a problem with that.

    But read the article and notice the mention of summer camps and the wording around showcasing campus and connections and associations with being on campus. And how this is good in attracting future students and building the brand.

    Funny how they don’t see playing on campus that way.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaabk/adding-lacrosse-bigger-boost-to-pitt-than-just-one-sport/ar-AATBHzZ

    Liked by 1 person

  96. If Capel can’t convince Hugley to stay his coaching career may be over and not just at Pitt.
    Lack of recruiting, retention and player development, off the field issues. What does he have to sell.
    I think this is his last stand.
    He should have a nice nest egg to fall back on though.

    Like

    1. Gary appears to love Tex

      who doesn’t really? 🙂

      anyone here able to tolerate reading FB PFF on this? nauseating mostly, at least on the Capel and Pitt BB posts and comments I’ve seen there

      Like

    2. I might get in trouble for saying this but women value different qualities in people than men.

      Typically the softer skills. And there’s nothing wrong with that but you can’t completely ignore the harder skills.

      Heather appreciates the interpersonal and likes to avoid conflict. Her philosophy is one of harmony.

      Men typically have a different approach to managing things and people. Balance I think is key and I just think heather is too far on the softer and personal relationship side. She’s just more comfortable there.

      And no it wasn’t me with a different handle posting on that board. They drink spiked Koolaid over there.

      Like

        1. I can analyze people by what they say and how they act. Human nature and personalities aren’t too difficult to understand.

          I also think Narduzzi is an insecure narcissist.

          Much bravado, arrogance and ignorance. Locking the gates. Hiring washed up coordinators so they don’t pose a threat to his job or steal the limelight. Utter disdain for the media and fans.

          How many coaches from Narduzzis tree have made a name for themselves once they left. I can only think of hafley.

          Narduzzi is king and he wants a certain kind of subservient knight and considers us all jesters in his court.

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          1. Oh we know your thoughts on Duzz and Heather. Lol. You let them ruin the football team’s best season in 40 years.

            Like

          2. I also can analyze people Tex, for instance you’re full of it. You also love to make people laugh with some of your own narcissistic comments. For instance…. your last comment.

            For myself, I don’t personally need your opinion because you couldn’t stand Narduzzi and Heather before they were on the job day one. Then again, it’s good to have you back opinions and all. Bonus? UPitt seems to have comeback with you.

            It’s a weak attempt at a coup d’etat.

            Like

  99. Guys, lacrosse is huge here in Maryland and is a blast to watch in person. Non-stop action and usually double digit scoring. I love watching the HS teams play and U of Maryland sometimes also.

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    1. Agree Reed, my son played lacrosse. Hockey on grass with hitting, player substitutions on the fly, quick end to end transitions and higher scoring. I have attended some of RMU’s games also and watch the championship on TV. I believe it is in Baltimore every year or used to be.

      Like

  100. I was wondering why the Pitt Ladies LAX team was no playing on campus. Surely, the soccer field could be converted by alternate lines and netting. RMU plays on their football field.
    Well, a LAX field is 10 yards longer than soccer. Pitt built its soccer field without a yard to spare. Seriously, not good foresight.

    Like

    1. here in HoCo which is about the epicenter of lax in the US the fields are all lined for soccer, football and lax and the lax goals are all portable

      our HS girls team won states last year and has won before, my 10th grader should be a contributor on the team this year and they likely will make another run

      the sport is fun to watch, boys much more so than girls with all the contact and harder shooting both allowed and for obvious reasons

      Like

  101. Best hair champs of the offseason … #H2P

    Liked by 1 person

  102. Ice T. Pitt did not really drop tennis for lacrosse. It would have cost several million excluding the land to build even a low end indoor and outdoor tennis facility to be able to recruit and become competitive. If you can’t be competitive, no reason to play that sport in the ACC.

    Like

    2. “If you can’t be competitive, no reason to play that sport in the ACC.”

      Er . . . how’s that basketball team doing these days?? Time to get out of the ACC, or will the ACC kick us out first?

      Like

    3. I agree. Ridiculous that pitt had the sport when it did not support it. Just like track and field. Haven’t had a track or field on campus since 2000 when Pitt stadium was still standing.

      Lacrosse was a no brainer for Pitt. Growing in popularity, relatively low cost, premier conference, good regional talent for recruiting.

      Liked by 1 person

  103. Our recent problems.

    I don’t think they are “all” on John. He is a good player (one of our best) being asked to do too much.

    We would have zero chance to be competitive in any game without him.

    Lately, he has increasingly become the focus of discipline and blame. I find that confusing, not understanding what that hopes to accomplish except resentment. Coach him up. Say what needs to be said in private. Publicly making him the face of our failure (when there are so many other reasons) seems wrong and counterproductive.

    Like

    1. Shouldn’t we be able to run stuff that takes advantage of teams overplaying the position of the court Hugley is on?

      I think when they forceHugley out higher, it leaves them vulnerable down low on the opposite side of the lane.

      Like

  105. Didn’t the Big 10 just eliminate their divisions? I guess the championship game will just have 1 playing 2 for the ACC title if they go ahead and eliminate the divisions.

    Like

  107. Act the Lair 2 of their 5 staff team picked Pitt to win tonight versus FSU. Somebody better go over there at the Lair to see what these two that picked Pitt were drinking this afternoon.

    Like

  108. I moved to Baltimore area 45 years ago. I’ve been to numerous lacrosse games. My golf partner was an All American at Towson and is in the LAC Hall Of Fame.

    I hate the sport and think it was invented by Mad Magazine!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Any post that conjures up images of Alfred E. Neuman, Spy vs Spy and Don Martin has to get a “like”. Thank you, Dan!

      Liked by 2 people

  110. Lacrosse is a major sport in the Noo Yawk suburbs of Long Island and Westchester. Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Georgetown, etc etc all strong programs have a number of players from the Empire State. When I lived on Long Island (21 years) I would often see lacrosse sticks being carried. Lacrosse can be a fun game to watch and it is not an easy game to play>>>I would love to see
    Pitt have a men’s team. Our women are going to have a rough few years against teams that have much greater experience, however, I believe that based on the profile of our new coach we will show improvement if she can recruit and get quality transfers.

    Like

    1. Here in Houston there are two sports where white players have a chance: baseball and lacrosse….don’t see many bros with lacrosse sticks..maybe college is different…maybe not.

      Like

  111. 7 Long Islanders on the Lady Panthers lacrosse team>>WOWZA. The sad thing about mentioning Long Island (over 2.8 million population) is that we do not touch the basketball talent (men and women) in recruiting.

    Like

  113. If I put serious money on the over for Pitt FB wins in the past 4 years, I would be golfing in Maui right now and the POV would be the furthest thing on my mind

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 2 people

  117. Horton turned the ball over and jogged back on D.

    Sit him down on the bench. I’d rather see a walk on play.

    Like

  118. Pitt wrestling drops from the top 25 in the coaches poll.

    It has not been a good season so far for coach Gavin.

    He should be safe as I believe Heather extended him recently. IKR

    Like

  119. Pitt shot 25% from the floor in the first half. They can’t make a layup. Thee assists. That was a totally inept first half.

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  123. Horton finally going off from 3. Has 6 of them. Pitt with inexplicable stupid turnovers first half. Running Florida State ofc the floor by 7 now.

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  143. Anyone else hoping that Heather takes the opportunity now to extend the Capel contract a couple of additional years? 🙂

    Like

  144. Headline from ESPN –

    “Pitt survives brick fight downing reduced Florida State”

    I have an early morning business meeting, so I turned off the brick fest at the half – “rest better than the fest”.

    Not much on the POV this morning about the game, so I turned to the sporting news giant for my info –

    Femi – with 3 points in 40 minutes (all FT’s) – he missed the 2 I saw him take.

    Hugely showed better than the 2 VT games but continues to be a shell of the player we saw in the first half of this season. Conditioning? Attitude? Hoping Capel’s mentoring works for Big John.

    Horton carried the offense. Interesting how he goes from 2 points on 5 shots to 24 points on 15 shots. You can’t score if you don’t shoot – who doesn’t get that? And on a team that greatly lacks scorers…

    The bench had 4 guys score a combined 2 points. That is with 3 starters sitting much of the first half with 2 fouls each.

    I glad for the road win – my gut tells me Capel will be back next season – let’s hope he gets a talent reload through the portal and a PG who is a coach on the floor.

    Like

    1. EE – one interesting point brought up about Hugley during the broadcast – they said Capel has compared him to a freshman since he only played 7 games last year, and with the workload he’s had and the extra focus on him defensively Capel is saying he’s hit the freshman wall. It could be a convenient excuse, but it makes sense. It could be a mental fatigue thing.

      Liked by 2 people

  145. It seemed that Burton got his points when Odukale was working at point. Then Burton took over and was dribbling too much an missing shots until he got hot at the end and won the game. It was very hard to watch even when Horton had his cluster of threes.

    Like

  146. Two T’s on Hugley really didn’t help. Yes FLST was depleted but Pitt hadn’t won a road game in ages so a very nice trip home for the kids. A new experience. Better defense from Jeffress in his few minutes and Mo just a freak of nature. Most unexpected.

    Queue the kool-aid criticism.

    Liked by 1 person

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