I Bleed Blue and White

Sorry for the late post everyone. I forgot I emailed Chas and just realized he probably answered. Which he had. So for the latest installment of …Keep Your Enemies Closer we talked with Chas Rich of Pitt Blather, the best Pitt Panther blog out there for my money. As you’ll see in a few minutes, Chas was not happy when we raised “the incident” in Boston.

Enjoy everyone, and make sure you head to Pitt Blather for some more Pittsburgh coverage before the game tomorrow!

(Note: No pick’em as it is a noon game and the turnaround time is too quick)

Chris (IBBW): If this season doesn’t cement Jamie Dixon as one of the top coaches in America, I don’t know what will. You lost 3 players who were so important to the program, and many people expected you to struggle, yet that hasn’t been the case. Talk about all that for me.

Chas (PB): Oh, there have been struggles. Plenty early. It’s just that the team has made steady improvement as the season continued. Gary McGhee has gone from an awkward foul machine to, in the words of Bill Raftery, “a very serviceable center.” Jermaine Dixon is healthy and has reprised his role as the defensive stopper. They are more of a perimeter team. While the offense hasn’t changed, the emphasis is less on pounding it inside. There’s more driving an shooting jump shots.

Chris (IBBW): I’ve got Ashton Gibbs as my Most Improved Player this year. Did you see this jump coming?

Chas (PB): I expected some improvement, but beyond the shooting it has been the way he has been able to handle the need for him to lead the team that has been surprising. There were parts early in the Big East schedule where he not only had to run the offense, but generate his own shot. He’s not a lockdown defender by any stretch, but he plays solid and is already like another coach on the court.

Chris (IBBW): Dante Taylor was pegged by many to be one of the biggest impact freshman in the conference. Were those predictions premature? What’s been the story with him this year?

Chas (PB): First, he is playing out of position. He’s a power forward and he plays center because of need and because he isn’t ready to play the 4 in Pitt’s offense. The second, is that he is still a freshman big man. It’s astounding how few have the immediate impact expected. I covered this a couple weeks ago, and if you take a look at the top freshman big men, most are in the same boat.

Expectations and pressure were too high because he followed DeJuan Blair and there was arguably an unrealistic expectation that since he was a McDonald’s All-American he would be an immediate force. That isn’t the way it has worked. He will be great in time. He needs to get his conditioning improved and he needs to play better on defense.

Chris (IBBW): How much will last year’s Elite 8 loss serve as motivation for this Sunday’s game? That team was Fields’, Blair’s and Young’s, but do these guys feel that pain too?

Chas (PB): Jermaine Dixon is still bitter. He blames himself for the turnover late in the game when Pitt was up 5 and the game got away. Guys like Brad Wanamaker I am sure thinks about this one.

(IBBW Note: Short answer. We think Chas is still bitter as well.)

Chris (IBBW): What have been the keys to stopping Pitt this year in your losses?

Chas (PB): Turnovers. Lots of turnovers. Strong guard play that forces Pitt out of tempo by speeding the pace. It disrupts the offense and you see them struggle to execute. Basically, Villanova’s strength.

Chris (IBBW): Give me a prediction for Sunday’s game.

Chas (PB): Ugh. I hate predictions. Fine. It won’t be pretty, but Pitt guts it out at home in a close one.

Thanks to Chas for the quick work on a busy weekend! Good luck tomorrow brother, so long as it doesn’t interfere with ours!

It’s seriously hard to believe that we are two and a half weeks away from the regular season finale, three and a half weeks until Selection Sunday, and just four weeks away from the start of the NCAA Tournament.  The college basketball season really does fly, so we need to enjoy what’s left of it.  Obviously, the level of enjoyment will depend on how Villanova performs over this next month and a half.  If they continue to play like they did on Monday night against Connecticut, there will be a lot of disgruntled Wildcat fans.  However, I really do not foresee another debacle like that where there was virtually no energy, no passion, no adjustments, and no intelligence.  Practice this week could not have been fun, as Jay Wright must have let some steam out with the goal of getting his team re-focused on the task at hand.  Although a very tough schedule lay ahead, there is no reason to expect this team will not rebound.  One of the hallmarks of Wright’s teams over the years has been to come back with a solid game after a loss.  I expect nothing less this Sunday at the Pedersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.  With a long way until that contest though, here are some interesting articles/video clips to get you through the week.

-All-Access with referee Tim Higgins  (have a feeling this article has sparked some emotion from Big East fans) 

-Andy Katz’s Daily Word: Committee criterion still in eye of beholder

-Forde Minutes: 40 names, games, and minutiae making news in college hoops

-Villanova Video Clips from CSN Philly (this link will take you to the video page for Comcast SportsNet…click on the SPORTSNITE tab and the clips are from 2/15)

9:13 pm eastern time: Game just ended.  Interesting opener to say the least.  Final score-Villanova 84 Fairleigh Dickinson 61

• Very, very sluggish start for the Cats, as FDU only trailed 35-34 at the half
• Defense shut down the Knights in the second half, only allowing 27 points
• Terence Grier and Mike Scott with big games for Fairleigh Dickinson, putting up 17 and 15 points, respectively
• Corey Stokes accounted for 20 points on 5-11 shooting from downtown, Corey Fisher with 13 and 4 assists, and Antonio Pena with 9 points and 10 boards
• Scottie Reynolds built a small brick house tonight, as he had 8 points on 2-10 shooting, including 0-4 from 3-pt range

Much more in-depth analysis on the way.  By the way, Seton Hall beat St. Peter’s 53-51, and as of right now, Pittsburgh is down 13 to Wofford early in the second half.

Expert bracketologist Joe Lunardi returns for the 2009-2010 campaign with his initial breakdown of the field of 64.  As we all know, this means absolutely nothing, and this bracket will look very different come March.  Anyway, for what it’s worth, Villanova is ranked as a 2 seed in the East (Syracuse) region.

There were a few things that caught my eye right away in terms of the Big East.  First, I don’t think Marquette will be challenging for a bid this year, as Lunardi has them as “one of the first four out.”  Losing Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Mathews is too much to overcome this year in my opinion.  In the “next four out” Lunardi has Cincinnati.  No, this program has not had much success since the Bob Huggins era, but this year’s team has a good chance to make the tournament and even be a decent seed.  They bring back a good nucleus to go along with freshman phenom Lance Stephenson.  Lastly, Pittsburgh was given an 8 seed.  I think Jamie Dixon is a great coach and always admire the toughness of the Pitt teams, but it wouldn’t shock me to see the Panthers on the outside looking in.  No doubt, though, they will be very well prepared and play each game extremely hard.

We will see how it unfolds over the course of the season.  The excitement continues to build as we head towards Friday night and the Fairleigh Dickinson game.

Added by Chris:

I do not like Joe Lunardi one bit, and frankly I am surprised to see him give us this kind of respect this early on. I think we would all sign up for a 2-seed right now, especially with the inexperience of some of our team. That projection is entirely dependent on a lot of guys growing up fast.

As for the other Big East projections, I agree that I have a tough time seeing Marquette in the at-large mix. Hayward is a great player but too many new parts to go along with not much experience. If Jimmy Butler can become a go-to-guy though, they could sneak in. Cincinnati is a near lock for the tournament to me. Too much talent. I actually think Pittsburgh will be higher than an 8 seed. Whenever they are highly-rated they underachieve (last year is a good example) and whenever people think they are rebuilding they tend to exceed expectations.

When does it end?  This is the question I keep asking myself after learning of yet another incident shedding a negative light on the Big East.  A few days ago, Louisville sophomore Terrence Jennings and senior Jerry Smith were arrested at an alumni homecoming party for an altercation they got into with a person at the party.  Not only are Jennings and Smith supposed to be key contributors to the Cardinals this year, but Smith is a team captain along with senior guard Edgar Sosa.  I think we all know the importance of leadership, especially from captains, after last year’s performance by Cunningham, Clark, Tchuisi, and Anderson.  So far this year, before the season even starts, the following Big East players have either been arrested, suspended, or both: Daryl “Truck” Bryant (WVU), Joe Mazzulla (WVU), Reggie Redding (Villanova), Gilbert Brown (Pittsburgh), and now Jennings and Smith.  These players get a chance to play in one of the best conferences, if not the best.  They get an opportunity at a great education and for virtually all of them, it’s a free education.  Not only that, but many have the chance to earn the big bucks at the next level and be set for the rest of their lives.  It just boggles my mind that these athletes continuously put their career/lives/education/etc. in jeopardy for stupid things.  I guess the Big East not only lost a lot of talent from last year, but also lost a ton of intelligence.  Who will be next to screw up?

Is it really that easy to get suspended these days or maybe it’s just too hard to follow rules?  Who knows, but today, Pittsburgh suspended redshirt junior Gilbert Brown for the fall semester due to academic problems.  So let’s see, that’s Joe Mazzulla (WVU), Darryl “Truck” Bryant (WVU), Reggie Redding, and now Brown to add on to the list of Big East players being suspended at one point or another.  Most of these players are upperclassmen as well, but evidently, they don’t get it.  In fact, Brown was honored after the season with one of the Pitt team awards.  No, this is not a joke, but he actually received the “Academic Excellence Award” after last season.  Academic excellence leads to suspension for academic reasons.  Interesting.

Overshadowed by DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Levance Fields last year, Brown was expected to step up and be a key cog for the inexperienced Panthers this year.  Pitt’s nonconference schedule is not incredibly difficult, but is certainly no cakewalk.  They play Iowa in late November, Wichita State and/or Texas in late November, and Indiana in early December.  Brown will be eligible for reinstatement on December 20th, just before Big East play begins.

Added by Chris:

…You may also know this man as the guy that Scottie elevated over for the game winning shot in Boston last year…for more on the suspension, check out Pitt Blather’s reaction…

ESPN writer Dana O’Neil and Scouts Inc. John Stovall analyzed the A-10 conference today.  Of the 10 non-conference games that O’Neil “can’t wait to see,” 4 are A-10-Big East matchups.  Coming in at #2 on the list is the St. Joseph’s Hawks vs. the Villanova Wildcats on December 9th at the infamous Palestra.  O’Neil, regarding this contest:

Even though this is a transition year for the Hawks and the Wildcats ought to be a top-10 team, nothing is guaranteed when the Holy War is played at the Palestra.  This is the sort of game that ‘Nova coach Jay Wright dreads.

Touche.  In Big 5 games, especially at the Palestra, especially St. Joe’s vs. Villanova, records and rankings can be thrown out the window.  While Villanova will be the heavy heavy favorite, you just never know, because this rivalry is one of the best in the nation.  Other A-10-Big East games that O’Neil discusses are Xavier vs. Marquette (November 26th), Pittsburgh at Duquesne (December 2nd), and Temple at Georgetown (November 17th).

This isn’t directly Villanova-related, but it’s a slow off-season and this does have an immediate impact on the coming year. Pittsburgh just got a transfer from shooting guard Chase Adams, and he will be eligible to play immediately.

The 5′10″ guard played at Centenary last season and averaged just under 15 points a game, as well as being named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Summit League. Adams is expected to provide depth to a Panthers team that lost Levance Fields and returns only Ashton Gibbs (expected to move to PG) and Travon Woodall to the position.

Adams does not have to sit out a year because Centenary will be moving from Division I play to Division III.

Sean Donovan strikes again, this time taking creating a parody of the 2004 movie “Downfall” by portraying Hitler as a Pittsburgh fan, and a West Virginia and Duke hater. Where do we come in? Remember that shot that a certain Wildcat drained in the waning moments in March? Enjoy.

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As the summer rapidly progresses along, we draw closer and closer to the college basketball season.  Today, Villanova learned their Big East home and away opponents for the upcoming season.  Also of note, Villanova will play West Virginia, Marquette, and Georgetown twice, both home and away. 

Without a doubt, Villanova has one of the toughest schedules in the Big East, and Andy Katz agrees with this assessment.  He says,

Already you can see Villanova will have the toughest slate in the Big East if the predictions hold up.

Additionally, Katz breaks down some of the early tournaments, such as the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which Villanova will participate in.  Another ESPN writer, Pat Forde, ranked his most recent top ten rivalries.  Villanova-Pittsburgh comes in at #5 on Forde’s list.  Forde, on why the rivalry is hot now,

If you saw that memorable East Regional final last spring, you know why. Scottie Reynolds snatched away Pitt’s first Final Four in eons with a last-second drive, giving Nova a leg up in the Pennsylvania hoops hierarchy. It also gives the Wildcats a leg up in what many people believe will be the Big East rivalry of the next decade as Jay Wright and Jamie Dixon turn down other jobs and become even more entrenched. Nova could be the favorite to win the league this season, with Reynolds pulling out of the draft and returning to potentially haunt Pitt again. And even after losing the guts of a great team, you cannot discount the perennially competitive Panthers.

The rivalry will continue to heat up as the Wildcats have to travel to Pittsburgh this year to face the Panthers.  Pitt always plays well at home, as the atmosphere is always great for college basketball, but tough for road teams to play in.  We are curious to hear your thoughts on Villanova’s Big East opponents or the Villanova-Pitt rivalry.