194 thoughts on “Miami at Pitt Basketball Thread”

  1. Miami likes to go inside and dominate in the paint. Today they are a one point fave.

    A very interesting matchup that I see as Capel 3 point basketball vs Jamie Dixon 2 point domination inside.

    Pitt did everything wrong for the last two minutes Vs Wake and still won! They won’t have that luxury today! H2P. Have a great game!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. So far both teams look like Dixon coached teams. Pitt hasn’t gone inside this much all year. Great game….so far.

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  10. Both Cummings and Burton expose the ball too much when dribbling. Quick hands will steal it every time.
    Neither are point guards so there’s that…

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  14. Miami D is the best of seen all year. Pitt is rattled bad. Down 8 and that could be 16 if this continues.

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  19. Better players and better coached players….equals a most likely loss. Probably by a large margin.

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  29. Truly amazing Pitt is only down 5 points at the half. What with shooting 31% fg 25% from 3.
    Plus the Miami steals. hmmm

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    1. People seem to have no problem…with lambasting Narduzzi. Who has accomplished eons more than Capel. Who hasn’t accomplished anything. Am i right ?

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    2. hey, only 1 jagoff ripping Capel, the cowardly alias dude like usual

      hit a couple of 2’s that we should have or a 3 here and there and we’re good, not that we can expect that in the 2nd half but frankly outside those close misses and ball handling we’re hanging

      someone even complimented the subs getting time which may help late, HOPING!

      Liked by 1 person

  35. I know everyone wants to rag on Capel. There’s little he can do other than call time outs. Miami better st every position and much better at ball handling.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. and Pitt still missing makeable 2’s and no one looks comfortable shooting

      Cummings remains shockingly bad passing

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  46. Big difference is when Miami doubles after the pick Pitt can’t pass out of it to opened man. When Pitt does it they don’t prevent the pass which then finds open shooter.
    This how they are free for threes.

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  47. Big difference is when Miami doubles after the pick Pitt can’t pass out of it to opened man. When Pitt does it they don’t prevent the pass which then finds open shooter.
    This how they are free for threes. Need to tighten.

    Liked by 1 person

  50. Miami’s bench has 13, we have 3. We have a lot of semi-talented guys with a lot of heart playing better players. The next 2 years years though look very bright for Pitt.

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  52. Need to make that quick pass when doubleteamed. There will be a 3 available or roll to basket by pick.

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  63. As huff says. Time space and most importantly awareness. Inexcusable bonehead play by Elliot. Couldn’t make those game ending mistakes today.

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  77. I was even thinking I’d not mind getting to overtime

    glad we didn’t

    not sure I’d have called that full timeout with 2.5 remaining but let’s face it, everything else Capel did or didn’t was perfect

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  79. Were there football and basketball recruits at game? Big victory with a screaming crowd….a
    game that can attract prospects to Pantherland.

    Liked by 3 people

  81. The B12 and the B10 and the SEC are hogging the rankings and the media loves them. But the ACC usually puts 1 or more in the final 4.

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    1. The media love for sure for the BigBarf10…..but incredibly they ONLY have 1 ranked team.
      Pitt might get a few more votes in the ‘Other’s category come Monday. You can’t lose to scrub teams when you’re a Pitt, that has been irrelevant for 7 years.

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  83. F2 plays with incredible energy — the hedging, helping and rim protecting on defense— the screening, diving and rebounding on offense.

    Liked by 5 people

  85. What a weird game.

    Pretty sweet that we beat a ranked team with better players and better coaching!

    (Maybe most teams have suspect coaching at the end of games?? )

    Go Pitt

    Liked by 1 person

  86. So a few comments

    It was like the good old days at the Pete.

    A super crowd and Pitt won with defense down the stretch.

    Finished with the last 11 points. Never thought it would happen till it did.

    Football recruits, football team and Dane Jackson in the House.

    Too bad Capel can’t beat teams with better players. Only twice in a row.

    I don’t know x and o’s but I know athletes when I see them and Miami has athletes.

    I still don’t know how we won?

    Liked by 8 people

  90. ESPN in their box score states that attendance was 12,508 (12,508 capacity). Great timing for a full house. Heather notes two numbers: the score and the attendance. She reaches in her desk, pulls out a letter with Pitt letterhead, and crumples up her termination letter to Coach Capel that she wrote on November 6th on the eve of the opener.

    So happy that she can crumple it up: she tosses it across room to a full blue waste basket.

    And on this day; it goes in.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Yes, I would say Capel deserves another season or two. If only he and his assistant coaches could come up with a play to inbounds the ball, that would make my day. Seriously, that is why I cannot stand to watch Pitt basketball yet. Maybe next year!

      Liked by 1 person

  91. Defensive intensity in the last minutes was off the charts. That’s what won this one.

    The last ten minutes were a lot of fun. The first 30, not so much.

    HAIL TO PITT

    Liked by 4 people

  92. The Canes hit 47% of their 3’s. That’s 2 games in a row we didn’t defend the 3. Hitting 10 of 12 FT’s bodes well for us though. Best FT hitting Pitt team since the Miller and Matthews team IMO.

    Liked by 1 person

  95. FF had a simply great game with 8 points, 4 blocks and 5 OREB. He scored off a couple of those too. How good is he going to be the next 2 seasons when he’s bigger and stronger?

    Liked by 6 people

  98. Just finished watching the game on DVR…To quote the great Tyler Palko “I love this Fing team”! Miami looked like the most athletic, and perhaps most talented, team we faced this year. H2P

    Liked by 4 people

  100. If Pitt plays Miami 10 times it might win two. Let’s hope the next one is for the ACC Championship.

    I said in my halftime comment that Pitt was a gutty team and would play hard and that Miami was due to cool off. It just took to the last 5 minutes to do so.

    Fede played his ass off and is really becoming a good defensive player. He gets my game ball. Ok he and Burton can share.

    Sometimes doing nothing and changing nothing is the best thing a coach can do! It worked for Capel tonight.

    At no point til the end did I ever think Pitt would actually win the game. I was just thrilled watching a great basketball game and a gutty effort by Pitt.

    Pitt needs to desperately work on their inbound plays!

    I thought Cummings played very cautious and smart basketball second half!

    What an enjoyable two days for us Pitt Elders. Wrestling upset last night with maybe the best pin I’ve ever seen and todays win vs Miami.

    On to Tobacco Road vs University of No Classes. H2P

    Liked by 10 people

  101. -Each of our starters played at least 35 minutes!

    -The NBA 3 by Hinson at the end of the half was huge, I thought. And his clutch 3-point shooting late in the game was amazing.

    -Any Pitt sports team is more fun for me to follow when you have promising looking underclassmen. I’m thinking of Federicko and the twins.

    -Miami’s Coach, players and fans have to be utterly bewildered about how they lost this game. Who gives up an 11-0 run to end a game – especially with the players they have…

    -When Pitt went ahead at the end, I literally could not believe my eyes. It was too good to be true. It almost looked like Miami was throwing the game. Then I realized the real reason for the turn-around— the Panthers didn’t want to have to deal with the wrath of Scooter!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. My thoughts exactly, John.

      I really expected to walk out of The Pete saying “oh well” and instead it was “oh my!”

      Glad we made the drive up to see it.

      Liked by 4 people

    2. who was it that said Hinson wasn’t very good? 🙂

      even though Larranaga remembered incorrectly thinking a 3 put Pitt ahead, it of course was the tip in by Hinson on the miss by JB

      Hinson was great late and while he had his usual defensive miscues, his block was amazing and at a critical time and he ended up with 8 rebounds – 1 offensive which I guess is the tip in(?) or is that not considered a rebound?

      JB was great overall but let’s face it, Pitt missed a bunch of bunnies and a few wide open 3’s early and JB alone can’t carry the team against a group like Miami

      our biggest problem remains the ball handling shortcoming but I credit Nellie for his persistence and btw I was surprised by this, he ended up with only 1 turnover and obviously a couple important baskets

      I don’t have any real idea if these kids were truly proud to perform like this in front of the previous Pitt guys there and Howland, but I definitely felt extra proud for that reason!

      one other minor performance but NOT minor was GDG who in his 3 minutes scores 3 pts and has 3 friggin’ rebounds and that catch on the pass to him underneath was actually very difficult showing his extremely good hands

      both he and Fede have very good hands(Fede less so) which if/when they develop their offense, will really pay off – I know very premature but who doesn’t see great potential and already great progression which may just be the silver lining of John Hugley’s situation

      how many bigs has Pitt had over the years with hands of stone where passes to them just bounced off and out of bounds or right into the defender’s

      Liked by 4 people

      1. I think that Fede and GDG have shown great improvement, their hands are still a little suspect, but their potential is off the charts. Pitt’s inside game should go from a weakness to a strength next year even if Hugley does not come back. The little we have seen of JDG also indicates great upside. If DJ is what they say he is, the future is very bright.

        However this team is definitely Burton’s and his desire along with Cummings, Elliott and Sibande will be hard to replace. These guys are just so gritty and never quit. Their belief in each other is incredible.

        Yesterday was the most improbable and incredible comeback that I can remember in Pitt basketball history. Miami’s defense and shot making was excellent until Pitt flipped the switch which completely rattled them. What a finish.

        Liked by 5 people

    3. Yesterday was a great day all around. And to top it off, we got to meet JoeL’s wonderful wife, Denise! One more member added to the PittPOV family!

      Liked by 5 people

  102. The last piece in the puzzle was self evident yesterday, the Pete has once gain given Pitt that home field advantage that has been missing since Jamie left. Too bad the refs haven’t bought in. One more untimely bad call….

    Liked by 2 people

  104. Anyone that missed the Pitt / VTech wrestling match it is replayed tonight at 11pm on ACC Network.
    Great game yesterday…happy for Scooter to finally retire. I need to push the golf bug his way.
    Went out into Oakland post game and landed at the Fuel and Fuddle which was PACKED. Good to see.
    Next up is NLI event on Wednesday.
    H2P

    Liked by 6 people

    2. Looked like Burton double dribbled on the steal & breakaway.

      Home court call?

      Happened quickly, the crowd was wild – can’t image if they called double dribble…

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  107. how smart was it to change the seating arrangement of the student section?

    those Twitter clips showed how the Miami kids had to be shaking inside from the surround tremors/eruption!

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  109. Things that make me wonder if the Pitt-Miami box score is correct:

    -Pitt had 12 offensive rebounds.
    -Miami had 1 offensive rebound.
    -Pitt had 39 total rebounds to Miami’s 30.
    -Federicko Federicko played 35 minutes.
    -Federicko Federicko committed zero files.
    -Miami shot 49% from the floor and 47% from 3.
    -Pitt shot 40% from the floor and 41% from 3.
    -Pitt scored 43 points in the second half after scoring only 28 in the first half.

    Pitt won the game!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

  110. I don’t pay enough attention to the nuts-and-bolts to notice such things but Coach Capel said after the game that at some point during the second half Pitt changed how they were defending ball screens. Sounded like it was to try to slow down Wong, but I could be Wrong…😊

    Anyway, sounds like we did indeed make a coaching move…. What’s next, we recruit a point guard? 😊

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  111. The overall play of Blake Hinson was kind of like a revelation to me yesterday. I had come to view him as a pretty one-dimensional 3-point shooter. Then yesterday he’s driving to the hoop and getting a crucial tip-in. Really cool.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I would love to see Hinson get on a diet and lift some weights this off season, so he could look like that Miami Center. If he could increase his quickness he would be even more effective driving to the hoop and defensively. Probably be able to jump a couple inches higher too. But what a player, definitely the biggest difference maker Capel brought in this year. A close second is Fede, where would we be without him?

      Liked by 2 people

  112. This is an excellent post … Pitt with the Kill Shot …

    Liked by 1 person

    1. so why in the heck don’t coaches teach their teams to execute “kill shots” each game

      meaningless stat, like TOP 😉

      twitter trash/content,,,, no disrespect to you TT

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      1. Huh? Can’t really coach a kill shot. It’s just part of the flow of a game in a game of runs. The tweet points out how important a run is with data to back it up.

        Every coach wants to go on a run. It’s part of the game. It’s just a fun stat to pay attention for when watching a game. It’s not intended to be instructional for the players or coaches … although they should be cognizant of it … maybe call a timeout before a run hit double digits. Common sense stuff but there is data behind it.

        I, personally, would much rather watch for stuff like this while enjoying a game instead of complaining about coaching, the players, or the refs.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Not a fan of TOP but it’s not meaningless. Just less relevant than it used to be. It can certainly be used to win a game so there is value to it. I wouldn’t recommend that being your season strategy, however. But, winning TOP, can certainly help in some games. At a macro view, it’s not as relevant though. There is a time and place for it and some relevance to it. Ultimately, more points wins a game so that is where my attention would be most of the time. Limiting possessions for the opponent can have value depending on the opponent. It’s a puff your chest stat at the end of a game you dominate in most cases … much like the kill shot. May not mean much but still a way to rub it in to add a little extra to the game.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. exactly, a stat you can look back at, not coach or plan for

            of course there are times you run clock both in FB and BB with leads or other situations

            kinda disagree that ANY COACH should ever modify their time out call at 7, 8 or 9 points in an opponent’s run with this in his head

            of course it MAY coincidentally happen but NEVER with this in mind

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        2. hence the second statement “meaningless stat, like TOP 😉 ”

          btw, TOP = time of possession

          no matter, 71% doesn’t convince me it means much

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  113. You know things are going good when we take down Miami in both FF & BB in big games recently. They got to be really hating us by now 😜

    Liked by 2 people

  114. On the in-game criticism of players and coaches, I may have reacted a bit too strongly yesterday. It just feels like the proverbial beating a dead horse. Like renewing your wedding vows. What’s the point?

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  115. It’s tough to be a big fan without getting so emotionally caught up in the game that you overreact to every good and bad thing that happens. Just being human.

    It’s important for the players and coaches to not let that happen and this Pitt team has shown tremendous resilience. For example, Elliott’s inbound mistake at the end is something that he probably has never done in his entire career, but instead of pressing or succumbing to the pressure he plays outstanding defense and cans 2 FTs.

    I too love Hinson/Cummings and their shooting escapades, but if pressed I think Burton is the heart and soul of this team and he will be sorely missed next year. Hopefully Dior is watching closely how JB handles himself, his teammates, and pressure.

    Liked by 2 people

  116. Pitt has two areas of need that if they could be improved would go a long way toward achieving a great season. In reality the first basic need will not be improved until we have a better point guard…ball handling. When Cummings is pressed, he struggles sometimes against a strong defender. The second basic need for improvement can be taught and i don’t understand why we seem to have the problem over and over…inbounding. We got away this time after Elliot got messed up at the end of the game and his recovery was almost too good to be true. Please somebody on the coaching staff teach inbounding 101.

    The next game will be a doozy in Chapel Hill. The Tarholes will be out for revenge and the packed house will be loud. A win against Carolina would get Pitt ranked and on the way to a decent seed in the Big Dance. I will never count this team out…the chemistry should be saved in a bottle for future years.

    Last but not least, last night’s charged atmosphere had to leave a positive impression on the recruits at the game. Time for Coaches Capel and Duzzi to reel in some excellent talent.
    H2P!!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. So true on Pitt’s inbounding problems. There’s probably a Utube video they could consult… 😊

      But then Miami turns around and messes up their inbounding – which cost them the game…. And they have a hall-of-fame level Coach…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Pitt’s losses to Michigan, wvcc, VCU & FL State will keep us out of the polls for several more weeks. If we go on a “killer” run of say 7 straight wins, the pollsters may look our way.

      I missed a good win, but had a great visit with out of town friends that brightened Mrs. Erie’s weekend. Life is good!

      Liked by 6 people

  117. Big win for PITT! The look of winners.

    Dior sits on the bench with the team.

    Big John will be alright, has had a tough time. Stay behind him PITT fans.

    Liked by 6 people

      1. amazing to be looking forward to future year’s BB team out of anticipation rather than desperation

        btw, should the inbound defensive play by Elliott have been call a traveling violation? imo yes, and can you imagine the ref criticism that would’ve created 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

          1. good thought Hbg but the bald ref never whistled until the Miami kids reached in while Elliott was on the floor

            you can see his hand raise after the slide and the clock run then stopped at 2.5 which was where it continued to run until the foul call whistle

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  118. Three Pittsburgh Panthers named to PFF’s 101 best college football players. Tied for first with Fla State.

    Kancey
    Izzy
    and the slightly overlooked Sir Vos Dennis

    Who says King Pat can’t recruit?

    Liked by 5 people

  119. The make up play by Elliot reminded me of a Buzz Ridl saying that I taught over and over. The best time to make a good play is right after you’ve made a bad one!

    Liked by 4 people

  121. Pitt women basketballers lose to BC by 14. Pitt has struggled all season (again) to score as much as 15 points per quarter – makes it tough to win. Pitt still winless in ACC.

    Pitt shot 23 for 61.
    BC shot 30 for 51.

    And BC out-rebounded Pitt 42-29. Our starting players in the paint are both 6-footers…

    Go Pitt.

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    1. Dear MM,

      Scroll up to my above January 28@ 8:06 pm post. Heather hears your logic and feels your Pitt alumni pain. She walks over to her wastebasket and retrieves the crumpled up letter she tossed in yesterday.

      Sets her coffee on a Pitt coaster, grabs a Bic White-Out from her desk and substitutes Lance White for Jeff Capel.

      Her logic is that when you cross the line into embarrassing your employer; you gotta go.

      Liked by 4 people

  122. Just thinking: Heather said Dior would redshirt not that he wouldn’t play. Can he play in a couple of games and still redshirt?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. No. In basketball, once a player plays in one game, he loses his redshirt. A medical redshirt is a different story. Injury must occur before the 15’th game with the player playing in no more than 30% of his team’s games.

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  123. Finally, some movement on Pitt Women’s Volleyball’s need to get a middle blocker. UC Irvine MB Onye Ofoegbu was in the ‘Burg this weekend on a recruiting visit. She stands 6’3″ and was an AVCA All American honorable mention last year. She has two years of eligibility. The electric environment at the Pete yesterday hopefully helped. There are also photos of her at Heinz Field.

    She originally went to a Long Beach high school and is from that area. She would be a “Serena Gray” class get for Coach Fisher and Petrone if she commits.

    Pitt struck out with an excellent UCLA MB that decided to stay at UCLA after their new coach was named. Pitt presently only has one middle blocker on their roster. A team needs two middle blockers in a lineup. None of the players on Pitt’s roster besides Rachel Jepsen have ever played the position to my knowledge.

    Pitt does have a great prospect in its 2024 class, Ryla Jones. She will be a senior this fall and stands 6’4″. She will probably be selected to represent the USA on their national teams in her age group. She was training with them this fall after her high school season was over.

    Liked by 4 people

  124. While we are talking about Pitt Women’s volleyball, here is an article from Pitt News.

    https://pittnews.com/article/178370/featured/column-pitt-volleyball-lands-no-8-in-2023-recruiting-class-must-revamp-at-middle-blocker/

    I agree with most of it except for the part about needing another experienced OH. Pitt’s incoming freshmen will be providing all the OHs we will need. It may take a several matches for them to come up to speed, but they are going to be tough to keep out of the lineup.

    Liked by 1 person

  125. Crap, another post with a link that got stopped! Richard or someone please release it.

    Some of you have no problem posting links. How do you do it? I just paste the link and type in some comments. I am missing something apparently.

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        1. I just take a few days off which is probably a relief to many on here. Actually, after reading some of my rants, I often wish wordpress would have snagged it first. Hang in there Sloop John!

          Liked by 1 person

    1. Ouch! We sure look better since the start of the season. NW was 15-5 going into yesterday with NO quad 4 losses. Pitt is 15-7 with some quad 4 losses but a win over NW.

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  131. The ACC announces team schedules today. Broadcast on the ACCN starting at 700pm. Two-hour show. Repeating at 9:00pm and 11:00pm.

    Liked by 2 people

  133. Great summary of Miami game on Panther Lair this morning. Emphasis on Burton winning the game late without scoring a point.

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    1. The Noo Yawk market is LOADED with Orange alumni and fans. Beyond playing in a venue
      that is revered in NY it is an opportunity to fund raise for the Cuse..Smart marketing move.

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    1. The Stadium will be 80% Cuse//15% Pitt and 5% curious fans who want to see a football game in The Bronx. NY is NOT NEUTRAL territory for the Orange.

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      1. Syracuse clothing, hats, hoodies, jackets, pennants are everywhere in NY….Pitt DOES NOT EXIST in the NY market.

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  136. Look like our 2 wins against top 25 teams are not enough yet to outweigh our 7 Ls for the Top 25 voters.

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    1. Nope. Give it a few weeks without a loss and we could enter in the top fringe of the 20’s.

      Blow-out losses to Michigan and wvcc who are not in the top half of their own league is a bad look. Also, the quad 4 loss to FL State is a bad mark.

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  137. This announcement about the game being moved to NYC has me a little annoyed. I have a bucket list item where I would like to watch a football or baseball game in a dome. I was very angry at the Peach Bowl last year when they opened the roof…I’d never seen it open before. A buddy and me were going to go the Carrier Dome next year for the game. I think we will go to Yankee Stadium though because it’s only 2 hours from us and the Cuse would be 3.5. Hopefully the Carrier Dome still exists when we play them away in 2025 haha.

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  138. My experience with domes: Saw 2 NFL games at the Astrodome. Loved the experience. The noise level and atmosphere were off the charts. Saw one MLB game at the old King Dome in Seattle. Opposite experience. Terrible atmosphere. Like watching a game in a cave.

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    1. Taxes Due and Spring Game. Pure joy! My dad was a treasurer of one of the steel mills back in the day and his birthday was 4-15. It was obvious he would be a cpa from early on….he was my go to guy! now, it’s the POV….well, for pitt sports!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. For what its worth taxes are due on the 18 of April this year.—-As for my almost neutral comment on Yankee Stadium its unlikely the Syracuse students will be there in force versus how they would be at the Dome. And I’d be surprised if the stadium was much more than half full for the game.

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        1. Many Cuse students come from the NY area and the game gives them a chance to go home and get money from their wealthy parents (Yeah, I am being serious). I agree with you about the attendance ( a crowd of 30,000 would be huge). Both Pitt and Cuse are minor football programs in a town that is pro sports-oriented, The only exception in NY would be Notre Dame because “the subway alumni” always show up in full force.

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  140. I saw an NFL dome game (not the new one) in Atlanta. Like going to an indoor BB game.
    Not a true FB experience at all.

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  141. isnore is wrong about the attendance figures for the Pitt- Syracuse matchup at Yankee stadium. It will be 75% WVCC fans, 20% Cuse fans & 5% Pitt fans.

    Liked by 1 person

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