233 thoughts on “Clemson at Pitt Basketball Thread”

  3. Pitt matches up very well with Clemson. Pitt is quicker, more intense/intimidating and shoots much better than Clemson. I really like our front court matchups today. Go get em Pitt!!

    I will not comment again til halftime. C u then

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Cummings is not doing a good job at PG. Cold to start the game again…I guess we have them right where we want them then… 😠

    Like

  11. So why do we even play first halves?
    Pitt ice cold to start. Clemson ice cold to end. Game going about how I thought.

    Like

  12. Fouls are piling up for Clemson. I hope this effects their 2nd half play. We need to defend the 3 better in the 2nd half.

    Like

  14. Good play by the Panthers with a couple of subs in. Santos didn’t do much, but at least he didn’t hurt them. Hinson should be fresh for the 2nd half. Foul shots are dropping, but they need to shoot better in the second half.

    Like

  17. This game is tighter than I thought. Clemson defense has been terrific. Pitt’s lack of inside offense really hurts.

    Like

  18. Pitt with 10 3’s….almost 40%…..but as dan said….we could use some more easier inside shots. Capel giving lots of minutes to the subs…so maybe game is tighter cause of that.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. I understand why Pitt’s big men bacteria the post. It creates driving lanes. But Pitt is passing up gummies inside to do it.

    Like

  29. End chaos has been typical of Capel teams since day one. I’m shocked at how Clemson has outplayed Pitt down the stretch. 9-0 run late was killer

    Like

  31. Just too long to get a shot at FG for Pitt. Heck of a game. It won’t be our last loss. This is the ACC

    Like

  34. For a change we stunk at the end…10 straight loses to Clemson. Should have seen this one coming…

    Like

  36. Too many minutes for the subs + for some reason they took the ball out of Burton’s hands for a couple key minutes, when Clemson went on that 9-0 run, near the end.
    Maybe 2 football wins equals 10 basketball losses. Pitt has lost to Clemson 10 straight games.
    lol

    Like

  38. Fede is not playing well right now. His inside game is off, the ball is not falling for him. Sometimes Hinson loses focus. Clemson shot 41% from beyond the arc, higher than their season average. And the subs are not contributing enough.

    Like

  39. Hinson’s missed foul shots down the stretch were killers.

    On offense, we had a couple close in shots we wanted, but they didn’t fall.

    This makes the Duke game bigger. We can’t allow a losing streak.

    Like

  41. Must be being a vintage Pitt fan. First thing (almost) I thought of, after beating Virginia, was Pitt only needs to beat Clemson to be ranked. They’ll lose, almost certain. They did, right on cue.

    Like

  42. Pitt was outplayed on both ends of the court by Clemson in the last 2 minutes. Clemson made clutch shots, Pitt didn’t. When you get outplayed in the last 2 minutes like Pitt did, you lose. Congrats to Clemson.

    Like

  44. Btw……the first 2 years Capel had Pitt at 11-4…..yes they lost game 15 to go 11-5.

    So Capel usually beats one of the biggies, once a year.
    Last year it was UNC at Chapel Hill, year before Duke at Pete & year before that UNC again at Deandome.
    So I wouldn’t be surprised if Pitt wins at Duke and those loses to lowly GT in Atlanta.
    So again we don’t get ranked.

    Like

      1. Yea that’s the big question, will this team fall apart like previous Capel teams in the 2nd half of the season. His job will probably depend on it. As if they fall apart, the good 2023 recruits will more than likely start bailing, like Judah Mintz did last year and now he’s a stud for Syracuse.
        The theme is this year we have older more experienced players unlike previous years,
        so maybe they’ll more unlikely to totally collapse in the 2nd half. Perhaps.
        What I see, is we’re very thin (no pun intended ) on the Front line. If Hinson or Freddy
        get into foul trouble, you’re into the Twins as subs(like today). And while they’re going to be decent down the road….they’ll be pushed around, plus they’re more perimeter shooters than inside threats. Hinson did foul out today and Freddy was on the bench with 4. So
        that was a factor in Pitt losing today. Could use another big body……Hugely anyone.

        Liked by 1 person

  46. The elephant in the room (no disrespect) is if Hugley is able to clear up the issues that are troubling him and bring that big body under the basket to add to the offensive versatility.

    Like

  47. ^^ yes they lost game 16 to go 11-5. (really should proof read these before hitting POST)

    I forgot though….. Capel has already beaten a biggie this year (UNC)
    Actually two biggies….along with Number 11 UVA.

    3 Biggies could be a stretch. Pitt has only won ONCE EVER at Cameron Outhouse Stadium.
    The old timers might remember.
    A Sam Clancy, Sammie Ellis, Terry Knight, Carlton Neverson led Pitt team wandered down to Tobacco Road in 1979 and somehow managed to beat a Number 3 ranked Duke team 71-69.

    That would be something if somehow we can pull it off, 44 years is a long long time.

    Like

  49. Just got home, it was a back and forth game and we got cold at the wrong time and they got hot. Both Cummings and Hinson had off nights. Hinson’s missed foul shots ended up being the difference. Could have put them away. They do have some very fine shooters, smooth and silky, nothing but net. Pitt got very few easy baskets and they had too many.

    It still was only a one point loss……

    Liked by 1 person

  50. Also way too many forced shots tonight not working it for the open man, although Clemson D is very respectable.

    Like

  51. I hope this game is a good lesson. Missing critic fouls late, trying an ally OOP to our non athletic center,
    going cold from the field at a critical time and lack of coaching adjustments at the end.

    Glad we learned these lessons today … not in the NCAAs !

    Hope this game does not start an epic Capel losing street.

    Like

  52. basketball basics: Points in the paint: Clemson 34 Pitt 14
    Turnovers: Clemson 7 Pitt 16

    So, on an off night for Cummings and Hinson we end up losing by 1 point because we were
    unable to play cool, calm, smart basketball at end of game. Not the end of the world. The ACC is a suicide league and Pitt will in my opinion probably end up 5th or 6th,,,,way better than recent years. Today the DOOKIES topped BC by only 1 point…think about that for a few seconds. If you want to hear basketball fans crying and screaming take a look at the Hoyas. TOTAL DISASTER!!

    Liked by 1 person

  53. Pitt did not have 16 turnovers, I looked and see 6 or 7

    the alley oop was fine, Nelly didn’t make the pass well, should’ve been at leas catchable, it wasn’t touchable

    Nelly played tight most of the night and especially near the end, not his usual self

    there were a few open 3’s and even more good 2’s that were missed including Elliot’s missed 2 after giving up the open three to drive it late with about 3 minutes remaining which would’ve put us up 4 then Nellie missed an open 3

    Elliot’s drive was a mistake but he ended up with a good shot and just missed but that’s not his game

    Like

  57. Cummings was 3-11, 0-3 3 point shots
    Hinson 4-11, 3-8 and 3-7 free throws.
    Sibande and Santos were no help either.

    Cummings and Hinson forcing too many and Hinson’s foul shooting inexplicable, clunked three off the front of the hoop.

    Hugley on the bench getting even more inexplicable.

    Like

  58. Was really hoping Santos would get a three-ball to fall – he really could use a confidence boost. His shot at the end of the half was such a pleasant surprise. Pitt so rarely makes a shot at the end of the first half.

    Basketball is a funny game – all those possessions and you lose by one point…

    I do cringe when Hinson goes to the foul line, though he was money late in one recent game…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  60. Plan A – let’s set up Elliot he’s hot. Run him off a double screen. Plan B pick and roll to Hinson. Plan C set up a lob pass to Fede.

    Instead we just run a motion offense praying someone gets open and makes a shot. Again…. Have a frickn plan!

    Like

    1. Agreed, it seems the plan is for Burton, Cummings or Hinson to drive into the paint and get off a shot or pass, but too many times Cummings and Hinson got caught in no man’s land and threw up a prayer. Burton has the most success, he is quick and creative. Cummings just missed too many of his open shots. Clemson D was pretty stout so very few easy buckets.

      They really need to figure out who has the hot hand and who is cold. Have the guy who is hot keep taking threes, until it opens up inside. Also they need to at least try to feed Fede underneath, doesn’t seem to be part of the plan. They really need Hugley.

      Like

  61. We lost by 1 point to a very good team. I am encouraged by this team’s play. They will be in a dogfight with every ACC team. When was the last time we could say that?

    Liked by 1 person

  62. You would expect an experienced team like Pitt to be able to hold a 7 point lead with 3 minutes to go. Very disappointing to see how easily they gave it up at the end.

    Like

    1. Agreed, but the shots stopped dropping, the reverse of the last two games. Also the defense just didn’t get it done, but give Clemson credit, they made some tough shots when it counted most.

      I would have rather seen Jorge take that three than Santos, but Santos the better defender. Guillermo getting a little better each game, but a healthy Hugley would really help.

      Like

  63. Lack of any decent inside offensive game by our centers will hurt Pitt all season long. If the outside shots aren’t falling it will be hard to win against top ACC team IMO.

    Liked by 1 person

  65. Duke game now becomes very important

    had we won, we were playing that night with house money

    JB needs someone else to also play well, not below their usual which is what everyone else did yesterday

    I think the team felt the weight of being at the top of the ACC and didn’t handle it well, now maybe the experience will help later when it can decide if the season is over ?

    Like

    1. actually Elliott played well but needed to take that 3 rather than drive (and GDG too had good stats)

      Hinson played overall OK except at the FT line

      everyone else below average, not drastically below, just below

      I’ve heard Santos can shoot, haven’t seen that yet

      .
      like a few stated, Dior and/or Hugely make the difference yesterday

      one other thing, passing wasn’t quite like it’s been, the “ball having no eyes” and the ball moving to the other side of the court wasn’t happening, maybe because of the defense, maybe the lack of inside game allowed better perimeter defense?

      Like

  68. Davis is a tweener much like Wright was. Pitt will have a hard time finding a place for on the 2 deep roster outside of special teams IMO.

    Like

    1. We are in desperate need of Linebackers.

      This may be a desperate move.

      We may need RB’s too – no word on the C’bo front as to whether he will return (did not play in the bowl game) nor whether Daniel Carter comes back for his COVID year.

      D.Davis could transfer in under either option. Whether it’s good for Pitt is up for debate.

      Like

  69. I don’t get the negativity, I watched this guy at Gateway for four years, he was a top 100 guy coming out of High School. Do you think that Pitt personell is on the same level as LSU? He would help at either position at Pitt. Also makes Pitt a destination for the best WPIAL guys.
    Maybe helps to get Cephas to join in the fun.

    Like

  71. BrianDohn
    Brian Dohn
    NATIONAL RECRUITING ANALYST
    PROJECTION
    2-3 Round
    DAY 2
    COMPARISON
    Malcolm Jenkins
    NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
    Safety build with body type to carry 210 pounds. Physical, tough and plays nasty. Has man-cover ability. Mentality to play in box and runs well enough to play free safety. Nickel ability. Capable blitzer. Instinctual player who tracks ball well. Good change of direction. Strong on jams and re-routes well. Shows good acceleration and closing speed. Strong tackler. Must continue to add upper body strength. Refining back pedal and adding hip flexibility important. Ability to play for elite program as true freshman. Second day NFL draft pick potential.

    Liked by 1 person

  72. The cliche is true. Basketball is a game of runs. I didn’t have a problem with the late collapse. It was more Clemson executing than Pitt not making plays. It was a hard fought conference game. I felt that they probably should have kept the small lineup that got them the lead but that’s risky in and of itself.

    Hugley’s interior offense would have been huge but I’m still not sold that he fits this team defensively. I’d rather have the Fede, and even the twin, on the defensive end. Not too worried about the squad, overall. They were not going undefeated the rest of the season.

    They’re also not a great team, so they will lose some games like this. Good teams learn from losses like this. Pitt is still learning how to win. How to close out games. It’s a process. Just sit back and enjoy it and watch them grow from it.

    You want them peaking at the end of Feb going into March … not the end of December going into January.

    Ideally, we’ll see an even better team in about 45 days. This is not an established team like the heyday of the Dixon years. Going 30-5 and staying consistent all season is not part of this team’s journey. That takes a few years to develop the right program culture. Pitt’s still trying to get there. For the first time in what feels like a decade there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

    The key is to keep building on it. Build on the losses. Build on the wins. Build on the culture. Learn what it takes and expect that from the next generation.

    H2P

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I think Hugley pounding on their big guys yesterday even for ten or 15 minutes would have loosened things up in the middle for Burton and Hinson. Also much more opportunity for some bunnies, which were sorely missed yesterday.

      Like

    1. I think Davis just wants to play, wherever he can get on the field.

      Pitt probably has more need at running back, but two starters left at safety so he might fit there.

      Liked by 1 person

  74. It seems that other teams are beginning to take Fede seriously, and the game plan is to seal him off under the rim and then let the remaining players shut down the 3a. With his thin build, Fede can be handled by one guy inside. The lack of ball movement was quite noticeable, and was partly because they didn’t have an interior player to take the pass and then kick it out to the hot perimeter shooter. This team wins when it shoots 3s.

    And Dan is right that they had no set plays designed to get the hot hand a good shot. If I recall correctly, they had 2 remaining time outs that could have been used in the final 3 minutes to set up a plan.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I think that now that there is film on Pitt they won’t sneak up on anyone. Just too many missed shots and bad shots taken yesterday. Hinson had the opportunity to put the game away at the foul line and didn’t. I’ll take three point shots vs mid range jump shots all day long.

      Like

    2. Seemed to me the plan down the stretch was to spread the floor and have Burton drive on his guy and either get a shot or pass it out to a player on the 3-point line. But should have had someone other than Santos in the corner opposite Burton…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. There are times when Capel seems allergic to time outs. Once Clemson got the lead down to one possession, we needed a TO to set an offensive play and talk through what Clemson was doing offensively. I honestly don’t like the give Burton the ball and clear out offensive scheme. This team plays best when they run the offense and move the ball quickly. It keeps shooters in rhythm and opens up driving lanes. All that said, stuff adds up: Hinson’s missed FTs, Cummings’ missed layup late, Elliot’s missed runner in the lane late, and, oh, that’s right, the TWO phantom out of bounds calls that should have been Pitt ball. Those were terrible calls that were obvious to everybody except the refs apparently.

      Liked by 1 person

  78. Pitt wrestling ranked #21 is struggling with wvcc in tge Backyard Brawl at the halfway point in the match.

    Major disappointment so far.

    Like

    1. So he’s taking Petrino’s place. Bobby lasted two weeks there, LOL.

      Can’t wait to see if Marion’s go go offense translates to a higher level of football. If he has success, the next move is OC at a power five conference. Good move on his part.

      Like

  82. No surprise. Marion has one goal….he wants to be a head coach and he is on a path to achieve success in two or three years,

    Like

    2. Makeup call for the even worse face mask penalty not called. That head ref loves to be seen on TV. About five years ago some lady blogged about how good looking he is and after it was researched that his crew started throwing more flags.

      Like

  85. 3 Pitt QBs starting in the NFL and playing at same time, Flacco, Peterman, and of course Kenny. How often does something like that happen?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Flacco a Pitt QB? Not. I wouldn’t consider Jordan Addison a Pitt WR.

      I’m sure Flacco never mentions Pitt as his college nor will Addison. You think the draft board will show Pitt for Addison? When he announces his school on MNF, will he say Pitt? Will either give back to the Pitt program? LOL

      They don’t consider themselves Pitt men, neither should we.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Agree on Flacco, not sure on Addison, he did win the Biletnikoff and a championship as a Panther. Good question is whether Pitt puts his name on the wall if he is a first rounder. My guess is they do. He did play 2 years here vs. one at USC, doubt he gets a degree from either unless he negotiated that as part of his NIL, LOL

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Pitt will surely promote his award for recruiting purposes but don’t ever expect Addison to mention Pitt again or give back after he gets his millions. If he does those things then I would change my mind.

          Like

  86. Pitt wrestling team list the backyard brawl today in a very uninspiring fashion. Pitt has 4 guys ranked in the top 8 of their weight class – only ten other teams in Div 1 can say that today and wvcc is not one of them.

    Underperforming is a nice way to describe what happened.

    Our # 1 ranked 141lb stud lost his first match if the season giving up a take down with 15 seconds left in a tied match to lose. Two of the other top ranked guys won and because the match was over, HC Gavin did not send out our # 5 heavyweight with no chance to win the match.

    Pretty much a drubbing…

    Like

    2. How can Pitt wrestling be so mediocre with western pa wrestling having the best h s wrestling in the US?

      Like

  88. Unless you’re Paul Hackett or Steve Pederson. Forget those guys.

    And, oh, Mike Haywood – Fraud Graham – Kevin Stallings

    Like

  89. Paul Hackett may have been a lousy coach, but he didn’t leave on his own for greener pastures. Plenty of Pitt men have gotten the boot, but are still in the family. Like Foge for example, even Stallings. But the others are forgotten history…

    Like

  93. For us to be ranked in FB or BB we would need to be undefeated with a couple of 5 stars and own several newspapers. It is what it is. We are in bracketology though. Must be misprint.

    Like

  94. NRS, that could end up being a long list because Pitt has made some pretty bad hires in the past!

    Like

  96. Sam Howell had the “IT” factor in his 1st start….Hoping Brennan has a great year at NC State and, likewise, Phil Jurko and Sam Hartman at ND in 2023. Also want to see Van Dyke find his 2021 form at another school besides our nemesis the U…all those guys playing in the ACC and WOW would it be great if they all end-up as starters along with Kenny and Howell on NFL teams…The ACC had the best QBing in the county the last couple of seasons IMO

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Right Biggie B, I just wish that more people realized that at the time while PITT was mowing the teams down with their great qb’s.

      Like

  97. Great to see Kradel and Zubovic returning…solid, physical OL in place to protect Jurko and open holes for Hammond…that’s where it all begins on the “O” side of the ball…looking forward to 2023…We will win 10 games with the OOC schedule just serving as tune-up on the run to the big game in Charlotte…

    Liked by 1 person

  98. From the Lair, C Peak reporting Zubovic and Kradel are coming back for another season at Pitt. If counting that means 4 of the 5 OL starters in the Sun Bowl are returning. Add in Goncalves and B Taylor and you the 4 count. Also Jacoby, Moore, Collier and the freshman Baer will also add to the OL group.—We think Davis is the commit signaled by Narduzzi.

    Like

    1. I think the OL will be better. Kradel is a better center than Drexel. Zubovic got bumped when Kradel was at guard. Baer and Taylor will be very very good.

      Like

  99. Davis is extremely interesting because as a superior athlete, he can be placed on offense or defense. When the dust settles I believe he will be a running back. I like the little that I have seen of C’Bo, however, for some reason, Cignetti has not given him many opportunities
    to shine, he seems to be a strong runner with that little bit of shake n” bake that adds extra yardage.

    Liked by 1 person

  101. Something is strange about C’Bo. He should have played in the Sun bowl. Even if transferring, he was no different than Patti who is transferring.

    So far, no WR portal pick ups?

    Like

    1. Unfortunately we may never see a healthy John Hugely this season.—From critical condition in Cincinnati to going back to Buffalo today for Hamlin. How many people are released from the hospital when still listed as critical?

      Like

  104. Pitt has not given an exact reason for Hugley’s absence other than to say he’s not hurt, is not being disciplined and is in no legal trouble.

    The numbers that were coming up on the scale? ⚖️ 😀

    Like

    1. He is up and walking. I’m sure evaluating into his heart and lung damage, recovery as well as evaluation of cause will take quite a while. The fact that he is up and walking is amazing.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Whoa Nellie: The Capel brothers, The Canary Island brothers and maybe the Finnish brothers….move Pitt to Philly…the City of brotherly love>>>> I am sorry just could not resist this stupid statement.

      Liked by 1 person

  110. For most normal players coming back from injury, the coach would start inserting him for a few minutes at a time to adjust to the speed of the game and get the reflexes back. Then increase the minutes as appropriate. With Hugely, there is nothing going on. It looks like a redshirt is planned, or he will end up transferring. Something is just not right here…

    Liked by 2 people

  116. Guess the “experts” who rank teams missed the boat with TCU.

    Would have been fun to watch Michigan get dismantled – not that I watched much of the TCU game…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  119. It was sickening to watch if you are a true fan of college football. Last nights game made the case for the NFL taking a handful of the Power 5 schools and creating a minor league system which they cover all the expenses that’s my opinion. The precipice is deep and wide between college and professional ball and it was on full display.

    Liked by 5 people

  120. Should have put the TCU vs Georgia intra-fraternity FB champs out there last night. Would have definitely been a more competitive and spirited game.

    Like

  122. Voters in polls must have mis read the Sun bowl score or worse yet knew the score. College FB is already semi pro.

    Like

  125. Pitt finishing in the top 25 is an amazing accomplishment considering, they were 4 and 4 at one point in the season won their last 5 including a bowl with 8 starters out including their biggest stars.

    Liked by 4 people

  128. IMHO, we still need to find more guys who can make plays at:

    WR
    Edge Rusher
    LB
    RB
    TE

    Duzz generally does a decent job of addressing the weaker or thinner or less experienced areas of the roster…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  129. TCU is not a terrible team no matter what the score said, however, the game shows what I and many other POV’ers have been saying college football has become almost a joke with some schools turning their teams in to semi-pros. The bottom line is that the gulf between the haves and the have nots is very W I D E. Pitt will never again be a top playoff team in this system. When strong programs like Michigan and Ohio State as good as they are would most likely get bombed by UGA (although not as badly as TCU) the inequity becomes highlighted.

    The NFL and the TV money will find a way to form a “minor league” college system with conference realignments. NIL money both over the table and under the table will be the fully out of control way to sign up future pros. Conferences like the Big 12, Pac 10,11,12 and the ACC will be AAA like Indianapolis, Buffalo or Sacramento in baseball. When you think about it what would the score have been if Alabama played against TCU? 48-17 ??? I love competition that is REAL competition, however, last night’s fiasco was a DISASTER for college football.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I watched very little of the game. My takeaway was how UGA was able to sub in DLine and DBacks without absolutely no drop-off in talent/skill/performance. That is a huge difference between Pitt/P5 schools and the “Elite”. Keeping the defense fresh is a killer and accounts significantly for the difference in strata. No way TCU should still be ranked #2.

      H2P!!!

      Liked by 2 people

    2. isnore…I don’t have a ton of time left so the sooner we become Triple A the happier this ole camper will be…we will have a lot of very respectable company up and down the new league(s)on the “other side of the tracks!!!” Maybe we get an exclusive COLLEGE FB network where all school except …., …., and …. are discussed…a breath of fresh air….

      Like

      1. Big B I am on the short end of the stick too. I turned 80 5 days ago and I have another back operation coming up on Monday. I don’t mind watching AAA football (I still enjoy watching my Penn Quakers play Ivy football). If the competition is reasonably level football is fun to watch. Last night’s debacle was a tune out for me. I just want Pitt to have enough income to keep the non-revenue sports alive,,,,volleyball, wrestling, baseball, soccer, etc. The ultimate decision is in the hands of the TV moguls and what they are willing to pay for AAA and AA football. “Money talks and nobody walks”.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. isnore — Happy Birthday, five days late….

          And best wishes for all good results on your back operation.

          Stay Panther Tough.

          Liked by 1 person

    3. Last night should put to rest the ridiculous idea of a 16 team playoff. Also IMO, all non-Power 5 schools should be exempt from the NC playoffs and have their own NC game,
      The Bozo Bowl…

      These schools have zero chance of ever even being competitive in a NC football game in today’s college football environment. It’s different in BB in that if you a couple of hot shooters going you could get to the final or Final 4. Football is 22 against 22 plus the special teams players. BB is 5 on 5 with maybe 1-2 players off the bench.

      No way we should be subjected to garbage like night.

      Liked by 1 person

  130. I was looking at a Pittsburgh newspaper form back in the 60’s on-line trying to find an old high school score…on that Sunday morning edition they had all the college score in a column listed by the regions the games were played in i.e. East, South, West and Midwest…PITT and PSU both had west Coast games and lost by the way but all colleges scores were represented such as Clarion/Edinboro/Slippery Rock(Slimy Pebble)..How soon do the talking heads on ESPN start looking forward to next years CFP and the 24/7 spewing of OSU/ Georgia/Alabama with nary a mention of the rest of the college football world…did I miss any body ??? Could someone resurrect Dave Dials-BigB needs a little “Prudential College Scoreboard” need the score of the Holy Cross/Colgate game…………….

    Liked by 1 person

  131. TCU is a very good team that didn’t prepare well for Georgia. They clearly had defensive breakdowns and did not execute a passing game that should have been much better with their quarterback. The TCU offense couldn’t stay on the field long enough to give their defense a rest, and clearly the TCU defense was gassed. This appears to be a coaching failure due partly to the approach to game preparations taken by the TCU coaching staff.

    Liked by 1 person

  132. I believe one of the reasons TCU had this miracle season is because this isn’t your dad’s Big 12 conference. Texas finished the year unranked, Oklahoma was awful due to getting their roster raided by USC (we felt your pain), and Texas A&M is now in the SEC. Baylor is down from years past. The Big 12 now looks a lot like the ACC…a conference of pretty solid teams that are competitive with one another but not quite the talent of the OSU’s, Bama’s, Clemson’s ect. If TCU had this same roster ten years ago, I don’t think they would have beaten their own conference foes.

    I’m still not sure how TCU beat Michigan, but TCU was in trouble playing GA after the Dawgs didn’t play their best game against Ohio State. Kirby lit a fire under the Dawgs after that game and they were out for blood…kind of like the bad timing we had playing GA Tech right after they fired their coach and they were fired up.

    Like

  133. Che Newabuko the speedy Texan who did not see the football field will run on the track team this spring. Will he still be on the football team? Can he handle kick off returns? Does he have the ability to catch passes (he can outrun coverage). Time will tell.

    Like

  134. I have heard arguments to the contrary, but to me that National Championship game shows that you need more teams in an NCAA FB playoff. Just like in basketball, you may get some Cinderella upsets, as well as underdog drubbing in the first or second round, but you don’t want that kind of disparity on display in the Championship game.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Not in football…in BB it’s 5 on 5, not 40 on 22 like in last night game. In BB you can get a hot shooter or two and advance. It doesn’t work that way in FB where like last night, men are beating on on clowns…

      Like

  135. Last night was a cruel reminder that be happy with 8-4/9-3 seasons for Pitt. Now with the NIL having a huge impact and Pitt not having a strong fan base that donates oodles of money, it’s going to be tough just to get back to the ACC title game with no more divisions.

    It’s OK though to be bitter about how the eggheads operated football from 1982-2014. There was a window in 1981 to keep the train rolling and the administration wanted no part of it and hoped Sherrill left.

    Pitt could’ve stayed really competitive heading into the 1990s and early 2000s under Gottfried as the money wasn’t crazy yet and local players were still aplenty. College football changed for good with USC’s dynasty, to Texas winning big and then Alabama changing it all under Saban starting in 2009. It became about money, TV deals (eyeballs), and fancy facilities, i.e., the arms race.

    Coaches are saying it now: they need money for NIL, not those fancy facilities to keep up with the rest of the pack. So, yeah, I’m bitter at how the Pitt eggheads operated football and athletics overall for a long period of time.

    Like

  136. Michigan beat PSU and tOSU handily then got beat by TCU. tOSU looked like they were going to handle Georgia till the fourth quarter. Georgia’s lines totally manhandled TCU yesterday, which is somewhat surprising. The TCU QB had no time to throw.

    Like

  140. Glad the media gave Pitt a spot in the Top 25!
    One could guess the dramatic conclusion to the Sun Bowl got some folks’ attention.

    Three ACC teams (and Duke just missed getting in). Need to get that up to 5+.

    Liked by 2 people

  141. TCU had no business in the playoff. Best teams that didn’t include Alabama is not a best teams list. Now, TCU earned the trip … but they were not a top 4 team in the country. A 12 team playoff should get you much better teams at the end.

    That first round after a monty off takes a half just to get the rust off. A 12 team playoff starts right after the season.

    Liked by 1 person

  143. There was a good article in yesterday’s (Monday) Wall St. Journal comparing Georgia with TCU. They contrasted the two programs as far as money and facilities go, but also pointed out the difference in attitude going into the game. Georgia was on a mission to defend their national championship, while TCU took the approach that it was a reward and a chance to have some fun. (TCU had no 5 stars while Georgia had 8).

    TCU didn’t really see that the championship game was different from any other bowl game where the stakes aren’t so high. So it is not surprising that their preparation was lacking and they got their butts kicked. It is important to know that this article was published before the game was played, but they got it exactly right about the two colleges’ approach.

    Like

    1. Hard to believe that you wouldn’t go all out for a championship. Georgia with 8 5 star players kind of says it all.

      Like

    2. VoR did you ever suit up for a game expecting to get your ass-kicked? I didn”t think so…me neither! I don’t think TCU did either…..This Div/1 Pwr FB is so top heavy with most of the goodies including players, dollars and TV coverage/time going to the elite few every year….

      ESPN will probably retire Lee Corso after his pick last night…….

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Good one!!!- definitely went to dental school . I met his sister who worked at the Physical Therapy school at Duquesne U. She gave me Wayne’s old PITT sweatsuit (Shhhhh…I don’t know if she told Wayne)…it’s for sale to the highest bidder- I think it’s right up there with the Danny Marino memorabilia from that era…

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I wonder if these schools with the big bucks can incentivize players i.e.”get to the CFP you get $X…win the CFP take home $XX…and $XXX for the big prize-beat the spread by 14 points. Who knows? Need to hear Huff’s thoughts…..It’s probably safe to say the HC’s are incentivized.

      Like

    1. You are definitely our best historian. So Narduzzi never landed one and we only got Johnson because of the PSU Scandal.

      This even makes Narduzzi’s record even more compelling. No five stars, few four stars, and the second best ACC record in his tenure. Say what you will about his shortcomings, that is quite an achievement.

      Like

  148. Derrick Davis back home to Pitt.

    I found it interesting in that the good info that GC posted, Coach Kelly said something to the effect that “we waited too long to try him at running back.” Will be interesting to see what DD can do…

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  150. We need to get Aaron Donald on the phone with Cephas, I’m sure Terry Smith is working hard to get him at PSU.

    Like

Comments are closed.