227 thoughts on “North Florida at Pitt Basketball Thread”

  2. Pitt was only 2 years removed from a ‘winning attitude’ when Capel came.
    Now it’s been 7 years. Yet this announcer, Perry Carter…..is talking up Capel.

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  4. If Burton has a gimpy knee…and apparently he does. Why play him today ? Give him some more time to completely heal up. Surely we can beat the vaunted Osprey without him. lol

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  6. Freddy the Finn….is a much more defensive force in the middle than Hugely.
    And he’s getting better offensively. Pretty good find there !

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  7. Could be a good day for L’ville…the FB team is up 24-7 on Cincy and hope for the ladies to win the NC tonight in VB.

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  9. The color announcer is Perry Carter….coached at Tulane back in the 1990’s, had some pretty good teams and then he went to Miami, coached against Pitt when the program turned in 2001.

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  10. I hate when a PG has the ball on the final possession of the half and doesn’t pass the ball at least once. I almost never see a score when they hog the ball for the final 10-15 seconds. This is true for every team in the NCAA.

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    1. Yep Cummings should have gave it up, Pitt had the ball with plenty of time, approx 20 secs and didn’t even get a good look. He dribbled himself right into trouble.
      Freddy the Finn leading the Panthers with 10 points/3 rbs/2 blocks.

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  11. Is Hugely resting his knee today?

    I have been switching back and forth to the Louisville drubbing of Cincy in the Fenway Park bowl game.

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    1. Announcers said…….”Personal Issues’ . He was in uni on the bench.
      Maybe his hairdo wasn’t dry yet ! lol

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  12. Freddy the Flying Finn….the birth of an Offensive Force.
    Alley oop dunks….something Hugely can’t do either. Also doesn’t block shots.

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  16. A scrimmage game against very weak opposition….and now the real schedule starts. Hugely is obviously a mess and I would not count on him being solid for the tough road ahead. Dior Johnson…who knows? The young man has had serious issues and it is a shame because when you see his performances on videos he is an extremely talented player.

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  17. It will be very interesting to see what FF can do against ACC competition. He will definitely be outmusceled in some games, but he seems to be gritty and willing to mix it up so I wouldn’t count him out entirely. Can’t coach size either.

    If Hinson is lame and Hugley is a no-show I don’t see this team being able to compete consistently. If Dior wasn’t stupid off the court, and Hugley wasn’t injured and Hinson didn’t suffer with recurring knee problems it would have been at least a fun season to watch.

    But as my mom used to say, “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts it’d be christmas every day”.

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    1. Hinson and Burton should have sat more today to rest their knees.

      I was scratching my head when we were up 27 and both were still playing.

      Hopefully the door will be opened for Dior to rejoin the team. The chemistry has been fairly good without Dior and Big John. Tough decisions ahead for the Capel family.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is still enjoying his last weeks at UCLA.

    “I just love being out here with my guys, love playing football.”

    From Bleacher Report

    Liked by 1 person

    1. On D, Kancey, Morgan and Hill missing the bowl game.

      On offense, we only know of Warren and Slovis not playing as of today.

      Next men up…

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  19.  Believe Hugley is under 10 games.  Maybe a redshirt 

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  20. quite complimentary of the Pitt basketball program led by JC

    I know these guys are paid to play at Pitt but not paid for praise 🙂

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    1. Rice is playing So.Miss in the LendingTree bowl game – Rice has two players who recently entered the transfer portal, yet they started the bowl game and are heavy contributors.

      Pitt has a starting QB and a high end DL who entered the portal and have NO, ZERO, NADA intention of playing again for Duzz and Pitt.

      What’s up with that? Quitting is not a good way to live out your life. I would not hire either Pitt player to work for my company.

      Quitting has consequences that some people overlook. That is one of the reason’s why in military boot camp the soldier is pushed to the brink of quitting. (I said one reason – there are many reasons for boot camp, but breaking a quitter mentality is certainly one reason).

      No soldier left behind is a never quit moto affiliated with the US Marines.

      In business, you cannot be successful running a business with a bunch of quitters. In football, the same can be said. I’ll draw a line right there. I have stronger opinions that are better left unsaid.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Yea I agree. Don’t really understand the logic/reasoning…..other than just being self indulged/self absorbed …self motivated (which is ok but not in a team environment). So nothing matters except ME ME ME.
        If this is the future,….I want no part of these Generations.
        And God help America and the World !!!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I can’t say with 100 percent certainty, but I believe that when a kid at Pitt hits the portal, Duzz no longer considers that player a member of the team, and would not permit them to play. That said, while I hate the idea of kids opting out of bowl games or quitting by entering the portal, do I really want to go to war with a teammate who has a foot out the door already? No thanks.

        Liked by 3 people

  22. VT men’s BB clobbered Grambling today, 75-48

    Grambling beat Vanderbilt last week.

    Vanderbilt beat Pitt by 1 two weeks ago.

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  25. Hook ‘em was the two. I really think Pitt would have given the Horns more of a match. My daughter, the former volleyball player and Texas frosh is happy. Now I need Argentina to win tomorrow. I pray for a Messi Miracle.

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    1. Argentina(the country, the economy(inflation rate at 70%) is apparently a total mess…..so yes they should win. Bread & Circuses after all……….is it not !

      Liked by 1 person

    2. My Pitt colored glasses want to believe that Louisville was physically and emotionally spent after their epic battle with Pitt and didn’t have anything left in the tank for their match with Texas. The outcome was surprising though.

      Liked by 3 people

  26. Very disappointing showing by Louisville in the championship match. They looked tight from the beginning and never fully recovered. They only started fighting at the end of the third set. Anna DeBeer was one of the reasons they were off. She was not serving very well tonight as well as having problems receiving. Whole Louisville team had problems with the serve receive game.

    Texas has a very deep team. Logan Eggleston played up to her player of the year reputation in the match. Congrats to the Longhorns.

    Liked by 2 people

  28. Agree with a post above, why didn’t Capel play more of his bench earlier in the game. He’s going to shorten the bench as he always does in ACC games and not get some players minutes. This leads to lack of depth when injuries occur and transfers. Even if it is for short periods of time, use the freaking bench, give your best players a breather.

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  29. My guess on why the starters played so much is that this is the last tune up before Syracuse on Tuesday, then nothing till UNC on the thirtieth. Plus they didn’t practice much last week.
    Going to be tough with 3 guys on gimpy knees, maybe 4. Hopefully get news on DJ this week.

    .

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  30. Playing the bench is a Pitt problem. I am not going to bore everybody with a rehash of the football games where Slovis should have been catching time on the pine while Patti or Yarnell could have been receiving valuable minutes in a game. But, Duzzi was scared stiff to admit that Slovis was not playing like a 4**** or 5***** QB.

    Our women’s basketball team is the opposite story where our starting ladies probably could be playing more minutes. Baseball, ouch, how many times has the pitching staff been completely mishandled?…not funny! Sometimes I just want to scream at the stooopid TV set and say coach X YOU ARE A DOOFUS!

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    1. There is little value in mop up duty. But you might be right about not giving Patti a series or two during the game. Fear that he would do well and start a QB conversation that he didn’t want. It will be interesting to see how our QB plays in the Bowl.

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  35. Makes for an excellent group of QB’s next year. Look for a much more balanced offense.
    One more receiver and tight end, a linebacker and maybe a corner would complete the Christmas list.

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  36. Pantherlair confirms it’s Brookins, Maverick, and Polk as recruits and French-Canadian PSU transfer QB.

    Michey bailing looked like lemons in the QB room but suprisingly HCPN and Cig70’s made lemonade. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vay-air as the starting QB by game 4.

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  40. Steelers Nation is large in Carolina. Steelers draft position heading downward. Fighting to avoid Tomlin’s first losing season.

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    2. The Steelers picked a bad year to play the worse division in the history of the NFL. It got them 4 wins against Tampa, Atlanta, etc. The winner of that division will have 6-7 wins….and get a home game.

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  41. So what else is new? Lady Panthers basketball crushed by an excellent Louisville team. The Cardinals shot lights out and against our shrimp it was easy pickens.. UL has 6 women over 6ft tall. Coach White…nice guy in the wrong job.

    Football recruiting took a sharp upward turn today giving most of us hope (I think) that we are still relevant in the ACC.

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    1. Didn’t realize the size of this guy – and the offers he had…. Cignetti certainly didn’t scare him away.

      Since I can’t begin to spell his last name, I’ll just say welcome CV!

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. So how will Duzz handle it if CV outplays Jurkovec come Spring and Summer practice? I think I know that answer and may well end up being the 2nd best QB gets to play all season long absent injury.

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  43. Noticed that Alabama’s three high draft projection players are choosing to play in their bowl game.

    Obviously not every kid who is going to get a high draft position bags out on his teammates…

    Liked by 2 people

  44. I told you guys he was basically a lock. The plan is for him to learn the offense and start next year. I don’t think CV will challenge for QB1 this season.

    I know people were upset over Minchey but I’d take Jurk and CV in a heartbeat if that was the choice.

    Liked by 3 people

  45. Minchey is a four star QB. Christian Veilleux is not a better prospect. He has an average arm. I don’t see why folks are excited about him. It’s a body in the QB room. Pitt needs to do better.

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    1. Duzz and Cig offered a preferred walk-on QB from IMG in Florida a few days ago. His other PWO was from Rhode Island.

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      1. Patti and Yarnell will be gone and the recruit from California who decommitted from UNLV is a major project. Dartmouth will have his graduate degree and get on with his life’s work.
        Sometimes you need bodies for the scout team and if you really get lucky we may have found a future 3rd string QB.

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    2. Mr. Rocket I rarely disagree with you but in the case of Vielleux I think you are being too harsh in your judgement. When you see so many P5 schools offer a kid there has to be something that they see in his videos that makes them think….try to sign him’ The offer parade…………Az St, BC, Clemson, Duke (he can read), Indiana KY, LSU, Louisville, Mich, PSU, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse UCLA, Va Tech and WVU hmmm can they all be wrong?
      He needs more experience and coming out of Canada against mostly weak opposition is an issue. He will not be a starter next year giving him time to work on accuracy, footwork, field of vision and yes, arm strength. A project yes, but not a player without major upside. Kenny Pickett was not a world beater when he left New Jersey for greener Pittsburgh pastures…I really like this addition to our QB Room.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I was quite judgmental, LOL. Certainly hope he is the real deal. I do think KPs arm got stronger as he aged. We shall see.

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    3. Seems to me lots of QBs have average arms. You need to find one of those with decent mobility and an above average head for the game…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I don’t know how he pronounces it, but the French pronunciation is more “Vay-yuh.”
      Actually, you are supposed to sightly pronounce the double l. However, most dialects of French say such words rather fast. The result is that some of the pronunciation becomes more or less so subtle that it becomes silent.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Tyler could be a cap casualty after the season. The Bengals would save a lot of money by releasing Boyd. I know Burrow loves him, but Joe should be getting a new deal this offseason and will be in excess of $40 million a season. Some players on the roster will need to take the fall.

      Boyd to the Steelers. I can see it now.

      Liked by 2 people

  50. Seems like we are hearing different opinions about the arm on this Veilleux QB. After 2 years with the Nitters was arm strength ever an issue?

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  52. Are we sure that 1. Yarnell is gone; and 2. He can’t ever be a really good QB? I realize he only played one game (against Western Michigan…who beat us the year before), but his stats so far include a 75% completion rate, a QBR of 227.8, a touchdown and no interceptions.

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  53. Problem for Yarnell now is will he ever see the field at Pitt with CV coming to Pitt. I also don’t see why a QB 3 years out of HS and coming to Pitt in January needs an extensive amount of time to learn the offense. I however believe Narduzzi and Cignetti will never take the ball out of Jurkovec;s hands even if Veilleux vastly outplays Jurkovec in both the Spring and Summer practices.

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    1. I am not sure I understand why you are worried about a problem that probably won’t occur.
      The one to worry about is if PJ gets hurt (it has happened frequently) and CV isn’t ready to go. I heard he is recovering from injury. In any case it seems like Pitt has a QB for next year and one or two for the future.
      Patti and Yarnell have decisions to make on where they want to play next year. They are both capable of starting somewhere if they want to.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Jurkovec is by far the more experienced guy with two years playing in Cig’s system and reading ACC offenses. We have to hope he can stay healthy because Pitt has a very difficult schedule and he gives Pitt the best chance to win. CV has very little game experience and a year getting physically stronger and learning Cigs offense should have him ready in 2024.
        Plus if anyone wants to beat ND more than PJ….

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I’m not worried but my belief is that Narduzzi is more apt to put the 2nd best option on the field because of commitments he made when he recruited the 1st option. You I guess have already decided Jurkovec is the the best option before any training camp even starts.—My criticism is solely on how i think Narduzzi would handle the situation I described with Veilleux out playing Jurkovec over the course of the next 8 months. And that’s exactly how I think he handled Slovis this season in spite of him playing dismally in most games.

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        1. So you thought that Patti or Yarnell was a better choice without any real evidence. The coaches see these guys in practice everyday. Sure coaches make mistakes but I just don’t see them playing the lesser guy for any reason. We don’t even know how bad Patti’s ankle was or if he was making the needed throws in practice.

          We do know that Narduzzi favors experience over raw talent. Also Cig is the guy making decisions about the offense and Nard is pretty hands off.

          You can believe what you want but I think the worry is mostly in your head.

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          1. No question in my mind that Patti should have been given the ball when Slovis was performing so poorly. What’s the point about worry? If you haven’t figured out yet that my point was simply on my criticism of Narduzzi and some of the decisions he makes as head coach period.

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            1. I get that, no doubt Narduzzi makes questionable decisions but he plays the guys he thinks give him the best chance to win and seeing how he has the 2nd most wins in the ACC since he has been here, he has made mostly good decisions.

              He kept Paris Ford on the bench longer than most fans wanted, and later we learned why.

              Even though Slovis wasn’t as good as we hoped, Narduzzi stuck with him and he won the last four games. He is one of only four QB’s to beat WV and Miami in the same year.
              Yes it was a down year for both teams but still.

              Slovis won seven games, we won’t ever know if Patti would have done better.

              Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m shocked at this WR coming to Pitt from California…. Shocked, and I can’t help but be a bit skeptical…

      We do need the WR Coach to hit a couple homers this off-season.

      Go Pitt.

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    1. 6Ft 2″ Nice height…not a mini-receiver…..but, listed at 170 lbs….needs to eat his Wheaties.
      4 offers from IVY League schools I would guess that he can learn a playbook. The interesting thing to me is that he is coming from the LEFT Coast. Tons of talent in California…if some good players are willing to head East and experience the cold days of November it would be an enormous plus for Pitt. Also, the fact that Pitt has a strong academic reputation was possibly a factor in his recruitment.

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    2. Well after yesterdays commits Pitt is now ranked 51st in the country and 10th in the ACC this current year. I don’t consider either number sweet or strong.

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      1. The portal and NIL has made recruiting rankings largely irrelevant. I would love for Pitt to get all 4and 5 guys but it’s not realistic especially with NIL. If they did, how the hell could they afford to keep them?!?!

        I think the path for Pitt now is to get developmental 3* with the occasional 4* ( that they can afford to pay $$$ for his NIL deal) and grab good portal guys with eligibility to fill in the blanks. I hate this system but this is what it is now. Pitt doesn’t have the deep pockets to pay all of these guys to come here and keep them here.

        I would love to see how it would be now if the old school Golden Panthers were never disbanded. According to some old UPI article I saw ( that I cannot figure out how to link ) the Golden Panthers raised $11.5 million in 1990. In 2022 that would be approximately $26 million dollars! That would be enough to get some 4*s on campus and retain the good players to stick around.

        Another oh what could’ve been…

        Liked by 3 people

        1. Are there any scouting services that rate a college teams incoming players based on both HS and transfer players?

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          1. I believe 24/7 does but I can’t find or 24/7 hasn’t evaluated all the transfers.

            They do have a separate site’s that show HS recruits only, TP transfers only, and another that combines the first two.

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            1. Thanks Richard. I would think the combined ranking would be the best reflection of a team’s recruiting status in this brave new world.

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        2. Well it could be again with a different AD and Chancellor. Nothing wrong with a new Golden Panthers with proper oversight and compliance. Yet Heather doesn’t want to roll up her compliance blouse. She’s worthless.

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    1. Polk is very young and with a good strength and conditioning program, he will become more of a factor. The video shows his speed, however, it also highlights weak defenses.
      We shall see how he feels after getting plowed into by a 225 lb linebacker.

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  60. Buy it or don’t, but I came across this article from Morgantown with a former Eer player talking about Coach Neal Brown…

    “Neal Brown says one thing to the media and the exact opposite to the players. He’s just really phony.”

    “Neal Brown plays favorites and it’s really obvious to everyone on the team.”

    “It’s common knowledge within the program that the best players aren’t the ones that are on the field. Brown plays who he likes.”

    “The coaching staff makes a bunch of promises, gets players’ hopes up, and then almost never follows through. That’s how he gets these guys on the team and also why so many leave.”

    They have had 15 players leave according to the article….

    (I’m sure at least a few POVers would speculate that these comments would also apply to the Duzz…)

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. A player accusing a coach of not playing the best players is comical. The coach plays the players that will keep him his job. That would be the most talented that can get the system down.

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  61. Pitt should focus on the portal for immediate needs and recruiting for development and depth. I’d take the two QBs we got over Kenny Minchey 10/10 times.

    Oh, have I mentioned bowls are dumb? How can this upcoming game possible be a reflection of Pitt’s season.

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    1. Bowl games are now for next years team. Coaches get to see who will step up since most NFL bound players skip the game. Kind of cool from that perspective. Give new contributors a head start for next year.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Oh I get that. I just mean the W or L doesn’t mean anything. Bowl game are great for the coaches and extra practices. I’m just pointing it out to some of the nostalgic folks who think they actually count for something. Last year’s loss knocked us down one spot in the rankings and improved MSU one spot. It had no bearing on the season. I totally get the practicality aspect to them and who doesn’t like extra football? But … I don’t put any stock into the actual outcome.

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  62. Agree that Narduzzi more than made up for the loss of Minchey. Hopefully also making up for other recruiting defections with guys that can help right now. Losing some of next year’s freshman doesn’t hurt nearly as much when you are able to pick good ones from the portal that have some experience and are more mature mentally and physically.

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  63. I agree with you as well Tossing. The offer list for CV is much more impressive than that for Minchey. There is a video of him from 2019 on 247 where he talks about his recruiting from HS and how Michigan was a leader for him. CV had LSU, PSU, Michigan, Clemson, and Tennessee among his offers. That is impressive list and at the time of his recruitment, three of those schools finished the season in the top 10, with LSU and Clemson at 1 and 2.

    Liked by 1 person

  65. The bowl game may be interesting if you want to see some new faces play, but if you’re entertaining the idea that Pitt has a chance to win, I suggest you spend your afternoon doing something else.

    “This year Pitt will be without the ACC Defensive Player of the Year (DL Calijah Kancey), the runner-up as ACC Player of the Year (RB Israel Abanikanda), First Team All-ACC (LB SirVocea Dennis), multi-year starters DL Deslin Alexandre and S Brandon Hill and offensive lineman Gabe Houy. Plus, the loss of starting quarterback Kedon Slovis and defensive lineman John Morgan to the transfer portal.

    There will be more, decisions are coming with a few other starting offensive linemen, DL Haba Baldonado, WR Jared Wayne and others. Narduzzi said he’s aware there are more names, but he wants to let the players announce it.”

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    2. Excuses – in business, excuses like Duzz is throwing out there hold no water. You either produce, win and profit or go home without your job.

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  67. All the opt outs are great for Pitt in the portal world … you see guys opting out, mean you have guys going pro … Sign me up!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. UCLA reportedly has “many starters” that are mulling foregoing the bowl game. Happens to everyone….

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  68. Seems to me Pitt’s biggest need right now from the portal is a proven WR (or two).

    I expect Mumpfield to be much better next season. Would love to see Wayne back, but not expecting it.

    Go Pitt.

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  69. Pitt Women’s Volleyball finishes #4 in the final AVCA poll of the season! This is the second year in a row they finished that high! Quite an accomplishment given how much their roster changed between the two seasons. Very proud of these Panthers! Hail to Pitt!

    Next year’s team is going to be very young, especially the outside hitters. Hopefully Coach Fisher considers that when he puts together his OOC schedule.

    Louisville is losing a great young setter who is from the Pittsburgh area to the portal. This is a surprising development. Pitt already has three setters for next year unfortunately, so I do not see her coming to Pitt.

    Liked by 5 people

  70. As for Pitt’s recruiting ranking, I think it’s a fools game to worry about ranking since they are based on s. Pitt’s players who are 5.7 and have great senior seasons never move up to 4s, but lo an behold if ND or a BI0 or SEC school gets them they suddenly become 4*s.

    It’s all political. Just for fun I looked at the 2004 recruiting class. Reavis and McKillop were 3* and Kinder was a 2*. All three had good careers with Reavis being the clear “over-achiever”. AD is the obvious example.

    The star system is totally political and I think we should enact Reed’s banning of political views (ha ha).

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  72. Narduzzi would not say who will start at QB for Pitt in the Sun Bowl but did say Patti was on fire today in practice. It’s not like Pitt has many options at QB going into the game does it?

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    1. “On fire”. Ugh. Never once heard him say that about Slovis at any point during the season, spring practice…ever.

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  74. The problem with this Gracio kid is that it looks like he likes to hurt people. It looks like many times he wants to drive the QB 6 feet into the ground, which is a good thing but needs controlled, just can’t coach nastiness.

    He also looks like he’s turning 26 next year? I think he’s a keeper.

    Liked by 4 people

  76. Came across a site that lists and ranks the players in the portal -might be called On3Portal. Anyway, it lists 50 QBs! And they are from big programs. I can see how HS players lower down the rankings will be hurting…

    So here are a couple of rankings from this listing:

    Phil Jurkovec
    Kedon Slovis
    JT Daniels
    Christian Viellieux

    Go Pitt.

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  77. I looked at the WRs on the portal site. They don’t show Pitt being in the running for any of the top-rated guys.

    But down the list at 45th is a WR named DECOLDEST Crawford. We have to get this guy. He’s in the portal from Nebraska. According to the site, the top pursuers for Decoldest are Vandy and Pitt…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  78. Coaches get paid to win…Period. Yes, the bowl is meaningless to us fans and most players. But, a coach is judged by wins and losses. Don’t care if half the Pitt team sits this one out. I don’t blame them. But a coach, a good coach, will find a way to win. Otherwise, narduzzis $8 million isn’t worth a pile of meatballs. Let’s see what kind of crown King Pat wears after this game.

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  79. And speaking of players sitting out. The risk of injury is very minimal. An injury so severe that it could impact your combo showing or potential pro career. In any event you can take out insurance if you’re that worried.

    Everyone has their priorities. But if I were a player, I’d want to play. One last chance to be with my homies. My band of brothers. To enjoy all that comes with a bowl. To showcase myself on national TV. To go out a winner. To represent the university one last time. I think those things mean a lot.

    So I don’t begrudge those players that sit out and take a pass. But I personally would never be one of them.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I totally agree. I would also play. However, today’s generation is wired differently. Take the Steeler game on Sunday for example. Those two idiotic penalties Johnson and Allen took… today’s youth doesn’t see anything wrong with what they did. They think it’s cool/funny. They LOVE it!! The attitude today is, “do what YOU want to do and to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks with everybody else! As long as you are happy.”
      As much as I like the guys who opted out and appreciate their time at Pitt, they quit. I have lost SOME respect for them as a result.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Annie – I just saw it at PSN Daily Notebook December 19 – shown as a twitter feed.

      When the Pitt FB opt-outs are all said and done, we may have more guys on the “quit” list than Tx A&M has in the transfer portal.

      Liked by 1 person

              1. Yes you all are correct. Darren and Kim are her parents, Meg played VB for ND, Piper ended up playing hoops in college. My daughter played VB with Meg, who was a classmate of my son.

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    3. I saw it on the College VBall Transfer feed on Twitter. I tried to post the link here, but it failed to get through Word Press, UGH! It was posted on 12/19/2022. Let me know if you hear why she is leaving. She was a top recruit coming out of high school! I wonder if Louisville has another transfer coming in to serve next year.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I think they brought in a transfer last year that was the same year as Paige. I’m guessing the coach didn’t try to convince her to stay. I’ll let you know if I find anything out.

        Liked by 1 person

  81. The bright side of all the opt outs is that we get a head start on next years team and as was said it shows how many guys are looking forward to their pro careers.

    It is a shame we won’t get to see these players one more time in a Pitt uniform however Pitt Fans that didn’t show up for the Duke game shouldn’t complain about players wanting to prepare for their futures. Being healthy and putting up good numbers in the combine or on pro days can make a world of difference in $$$$.

    Fans have no problem with High School players leaving in January and letting their basketball, baseball, track or other team mates down.

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  83. Pitt may ask but few players give back substantially or else you’d most likely hear it. You’d have to make some good coin to give back like AD and really bleed blue and gold. Can anyone tell me what has Marinos or Fitzgeralds name on campus. Or even Martin and Reevis.

    Liked by 1 person

  85. Four of these players are captains. What does that say. Kids these days. But my parents said the same of my Gen X generation. However I do think that some frabric has been cut with this recent generation…gen Z. I think living in a world full of technology since their birth has something to do with it.

    These captains do owe it to their team and school. That’s what a leader does. Pretenders is what they truly are. You players can handle the criticism. You’re adults now and not part of the team anymore anyways.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. This has as much to do with changes in society as it does with the current generation, the dog eat dog, survival of the fittest, I got mine screw everyone else philosophy that exists today. NIL and the Portal are examples of the individual comes before the team. This system wasn’t created by the players. If you look at the portal site that John mentioned there is a NIL dollar figure listed for every player, how does that promote teamwork?

      The star system has been replaced by a dollar figure for each guy.

      I remember our first report cards had a line that said “plays well with others” I wonder if that concept exists anymore?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. That attitude permeates this generation. You outta be in business and have to depend on employees with this same attitude!!! …Glad some new kids are getting a shot…very surprised Nard is not throwing a little love toward Nick Patti who has been the ultimate team player…Nard, the same coach who kept telling us the QB competition was neck and neck through-out the spring and fall camps…Pat is a bit of a Dick IMO.

        Like

    2. If I were an NFL GM or coach I would take their disloyalty as a red flag come Draft day. But that’s just me…

      Like

    3. I hope we don’t see them on the sidelines in El Paso.

      We enjoyed their contribution to several winning seasons with no bowl victories. Let’s save the travel expenses for NIL contributions.

      Quitting is contagious – we need the players left behind to not have any quit rubbed on them. These players will already be undermanned next to the Bruins and also heavy underdogs.

      Like

  86. Today I think I’d be worth at least a bottle of Balcones. I can delay game and hold as well as any Pitt player. I’d strike it rich with NIL deals with liquor stores. 🤠

    Like

  88. An open question to the POV: How many of our opt outs will be drafted? and a guesstimate as to what round. For example..Kancey mid 1st round>>>Izzy 3rd round….etc.

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    1. All depends on senior day, combine workouts, etc. Most will not get drafted.

      Drafted: Izzy, Kancey
      Slim draft chance: Dennis, Hill, Hallet, Warren
      Very doubtful: Alexandre, Baldanado, Minor, Wayne
      No way: Houy

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Pitt defensive ends have to project as outside LBs in a 3-4 defense which most NFL teams use. Like Watt and Highsmith for the Steelers. Baldonado probably projects better than Alexandre, but Alexandre could probably play inside some.

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    1. they don’t even comment in the Forbes article on the one Tex recommends

      I agree with Tex 100% on his Balcones choice 🙂

      Like

    1. He doesn’t have to sit freezing his butt off during the game, LOL. He sits on a heated bench when not playing.

      Actually, wouldn’t it be chaeper to just add heated seats 🔥🥵

      Like

  91. Josh Allen grew up in California but learned how to handle Eskimo weather by playing most of his college career at the U of Wyoming (not exactly Palm Beach).

    Like

  92. If UCLA has no players opt out, Pitt will struggle on D. They lost too many impactful starters. We already know Pitt will struggle on offense, can Frank opt out?

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  95. Son of a beehive. Word Press is pissing me off! I posted this with a link to the article but it also did not go through. What is wrong with Word Press!#$@$@$@!

    Volleyball Mag published the top high school players in all fifty states.

    Pitt two incoming recruits from California are listed as #1 and #2 from the state. Torrey Stafford a 6-3 OH is listed as the top player just edging out 6-4 OH Olivia Babcock. It appears we will have two freshmen OH in the lineup next year.

    Like

  96. Reed or Richard: What I am doing wrong that my posts containing links keep getting blocked? There are lots of other comments with posts.

    Like

    1. I found and approved. It’s right above at 11:09am.

      You also have an earlier reply to someone that is still out there. If I read it right, it is just a reply to someone asking where you got your info. Your reply is just a link. I think WP doesn’t like replies or comments that just have a link.

      Not knowing the ins and outs of WP, try adding some verbiage with each reply that has a link. I think WP flagged your first comment and then flagged your second comment when it saw the link.

      I will approve the link only comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  97. By the way UCLA along with most of the major colleges with head coaching openings hired their replacements yesterday. UCLA hired the assistant from San Diego. As expected, they went cheap.

    Like

  98. That’s good news for Pitt. UCLA has some cheap administrators and is not so savvy at running a big time athletic business enterprise. Similar to Pitt.

    Buffalo had a chance to build a stadium near the waterfront in downtown or in Amherst, a suburb north of the airport near SUNY Buffalo. But instead they built in orchard park which is one of the south towns in the snow belt. Stupid decision. Plus it’s located in a rural area with very little business development. At least when I was there twenty some years ago. Great stadium to watch a game though and tailgate.

    Buffalo fans love the snow. They would never build a dome or even retractable roof stadium.

    Steeler game this Saturday expected to be around 8 degrees.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’ll believe Buffalo fans don’t want a dome when they poll the season ticket holders and their vote shows they would rather freeze. LOL.
      Same goes for Steeler season ticket holders. I’d take a nice dome any day but that will never happen in Pittsburgh.
      That being said, not sure how you justify a dome for eight games a year. It has to be a Tex multi-purpose facility idea.

      Like

      1. Correct

        Needs to be configurable to hold multiple events all year round

        Football, soccer, basketball, hockey, tennis, wrestling, volleyball, lacrosse.

        Venue for games and/or extra practice field.

        From an engineering perspective, I don’t think a retractable roof has been implemented for climates with heavy snow. The snows weight makes it a challenge on a flat surface. Would take plenty of costly steel reinforcement. My solution would call for a network of anti freeze tubes that would melt enough of the snow before significant build up and possible roof failure.

        And any retractable roof MPC must have gondolas. 🚠

        Easy way in and out. You can wave to all those stuck in traffic below you.

        Like

        1. The 70s baseball/football stadiums had the right idea just bad engineering limited by materials.

          Obviously PNC Park is incredible, but I liked Three Rivers better for football.

          Some brilliant engineer needs to design a MPC with internal movable stands, walls, etc. So it can change shapes and size as needed.

          Like

    2. Been to several Bills games they are a blast …

      file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/63/03/784D902C-77FD-439E-98F5-05AD1EE938AC/IMG_8056.heic

      Like

  101. It’s an exhibition game. Players don’t owe anything to Pitt for a game with no stakes. If they were opting out of a playoff game or championship game, I’d agree. Finish what you started. But bowl season is a conference and airing network money grab and that’s it. If you want a free vacation, go. But if you don’t care about the free vacation, with work I might add, then skip it. It’s literally a glorified preseason game just played after the season. It’s not a reward to the players, it’s a reward to the conference, school and the network airing the game.

    Like

  102. I think it actually is a reward to the players, most of whom will never play in an NFL stadium. In fact, probably half of the 8 Pitt players who are opting out will never play in a real NFL game. For us fans, it should be treated as a preview of the coming season where we can look at the newcomers and then discuss them throughout the summer!

    The TV money also adds to the ACC check and helps the conference to better compete with other conferences when the games really count.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I agree. A lot of seniors who will never get drafted want to go out winners as they go about their life’s work.

      Like

  103. A captain owes his teammates to play. And I believe a player owes their university and their coaches. But I’m old school.

    You think Bobby knight or Woody Hayes would have tolerated players like this.

    Like

  104. Why all the doom and gloom over the bowl game? Many on here have been saying Patti is better than Slovis…now is his time to bring. We have Hammond who is a hell of a runner so we will be ok without Izzy. We didn’t have a healthy oline until the end of the year so they will be ready. The only group that seems totally decimated in my opinion is the defense, but many on here were very critical of Eric Hallett so let’s see if anyone steps up.

    Remember guys, we are playing UCLA, not Alabama or Ohio State. I expect a competitive game from our Panthers.

    Liked by 3 people

  105. College BB and FB are semi pro. The school presidents and TV networks want it so. The players are now exercising their new rights. We are just fans that now have blogs to make opinions good or bad. Cash rules all.

    Like

  106. I just viewed a video interview on Volleyballmag.com that featured the Ohio State volleyball coach, one of her senior players who has just entered the portal, and the interviewer. The situation is that five OSU seniors (apparently all-everything type players), with a Covid year of eligibility remaining, have entered the portal. First assumption would be that there is something wrong in the program. But the point of the interview was to explain that the NCAA is going back to pre-Covid scholarship limits next year. The coach was faced with offering the five scholarships to these graduating seniors or offering them to incoming high school players. She couldn’t do both. So essentially for the sake of continuity of the program, she had to take those ships away from players eligible to return for another year.

    I am guessing, but don’t know for sure, that this rule change is occurring across all NCAA sports. Will probably present some difficult decisions for coaches who are already struggling with difficult decisions in this portal era.

    Like

    1. Found it and approved it. Just above at 1:48 pm.

      The 85-man scholarship limit was reinstated for the 2022 season for football. Was the video prior to the 2022 WVB season?

      The reinstatement of the 85-man scholarship limit was the main driver for the low number (13) of HS recruits for the 2022 class. I think PITT had 100+ scholarship players on the 2021 roster. Since Pitt didn’t lose many players to the TP in prior seasons something had to give.

      Like

      1. Thank you, Richard, and sorry to have to bother you. I was afraid that word would cause my comment to be blocked but I wasn’t smart enough to figure out a way to say it otherwise,

        Like

  109. The stay in Mexico policy was about to expire Wednesday. The Supreme Court is now giving it more time as lower courts further litigate the order. El Paso could have been flooded with asylum seekers. Their mayor had declared a state of emergency. But all should be well next week for the game.

    Like

    2. Covid policy?

      Anyway, no flooding of the border since Chief Justice stepped in.

      Mayor was worried about the migrants and sleeping I sheltered. Many don’t realize that El Paso can be a cold sunny desert come December.

      Like

    1. The Orange do not look like world beaters this year, but keep an eye on the one who got away, Judah Mintz….he was the shooting guard that Pitt badly needed and after watching the Capel trainwreck he decommitted and left us in no man land.

      Like

  113. Random questions :

    What happened to the decision on Dior?
    Barring an unlikely injury, does sitting out a bowl game really expedite combine preparation?
    What’s s the real reason John Morgan is flying the coop? To not stand in the way of new talent? Puhhhleeeeze!
    And, did anyone else catch the name of Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium? Great to see a non-profit spending their money so generously.

    Like

  114. Re: Pitt Football National Letter of Intent Day: December 21

    University of Pittsburgh head football coach Pat Narduzzi will host a press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex to discuss the Panthers’ National Letter of Intent Day December signees on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

    The press conference will be held in the second-floor team meeting room per normal practice.

    National Letters of Intent may be faxed/e-mailed on Wednesday beginning at 7 a.m. (ET). Pitt will announce its signings as they occur via Coach Narduzzi’s official Twitter account (@CoachDuzzPittFB).

    Additional content for Pitt’s signees will be tweeted via @Pitt_FB.

    Like

    1. Zi ?

      what, c’mon wwb, buy that new iPhone 14 or something

      I’d ask for an address to send one or some cash but I guess we’d only get a partial

      maybe Zion Williamson’s younger brother is coming to Pitt? does he have a brother?

      can’t be Izzy, Duzzi,

      damn it if I know

      Like

  119. Narduzzi said on the radio today that 2 colleges offered Maye $5 million to transfer. He wouldn’t name the colleges. He also said that colleges are getting very creative, offering high school players money in installments with some cash paid in high school and more cash upon arrival in college.

    Like

  122. Education…who needs education? On a wild guess, I would say that 75% of today’s P5 athletes are not deeply concerned about classes…OK make it 65%. The NBA needs to think like baseball and develop a minor league system that goes one step beyond the developmental league. When schools are throwing money around to high school players all pretenses are off….semi-pro basketball none of the fancy STUDENT/athletes talk. Too many of these kids are students of basketball….can they write a coherent sentence, pass a biology test, an American history exam, second-year French or entry-level college math (calc or pre-calc)?

    Football recruiting has become almost an afterthought with the BIG BOYS with deep pockets and huge fan filled stadiums throwing money around like beads thrown from floats at the Madis Gras. Yes, I am fully cognizant that there are athletes who take their studies seriously, however, when an excellent academic school like The University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)is caught creating no-show courses and phoney grades the alarm bells start clanging. Pitt will not be a school with $5 million hush money for SUPER ATHLETES!!
    THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!

    Liked by 3 people

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