OT: Pitt

[IUP24]

They really needed to get the hire right when they ditched Dixon a few years ago. They blew it. Isn't Baldo pretty old already? They needed to get a young up and comer. Course, the second that he had any success at all he would most likely bolt Pitt.

I'm surprised that nobody down at the Zoo has not taken a plunge off of a high city bridge yet over this stuff.

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[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: Pitt

But Pitt was an independent the last time they won a national title in 1976. No idea about the 1937 championship team. Penn State and Notre Dame also won titles as independents.


Pitt has actually beaten both Clemson and Miami in recent years. Great signature wins. They need to concentrate their efforts better on the "middle of the pack" ACC teams that dot their schedule. It wouldn't hurt to do much better in their so-called creampuff games at the beginning of the season. They tend to get embarrassed far too often in those.

The ACC is not a conference to sneeze at nationally speaking. Florida State and Clemson both won national titles in recent years to legitimize it. It's not just about the SEC all the time to be considered relevant.

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Agree. They'd never be able to build support for CFP as an independent today.

What's interesting is that their 1976 national championship year schedule had 5 games against current ACC teams: Georgia Tech, Duke, Louisville, Miami, and Syracuse. I'm okay with ACC membership but I prefer the old perennial schedule of non-conference games against Navy, Notre Dame, Penn State, and WVU with the "old" Big East lineup including BC, Miami, and VT. That's a schedule that could put Pitt in the upper echelon and probably with better attendance. No offense to their fans, but very few get excited about Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, or Virginia. Even with the upside of Clemson, Louisville, and Miami its still a pretty boring conference schedule. Pitt fans didn't even get excited about Oklahoma State and even in good years won't get excited about NC State. Sure, most years Pitt will score an upset against a Miami or Clemson but as you say they'll find ways to screw up games against Syracuse or North Carolina.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Agree. They'd never be able to build support for CFP as an independent today.

What's interesting is that their 1976 national championship year schedule had 5 games against current ACC teams: Georgia Tech, Duke, Louisville, Miami, and Syracuse. I'm okay with ACC membership but I prefer the old perennial schedule of non-conference games against Navy, Notre Dame, Penn State, and WVU with the "old" Big East lineup including BC, Miami, and VT. That's a schedule that could put Pitt in the upper echelon and probably with better attendance. No offense to their fans, but very few get excited about Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, or Virginia. Even with the upside of Clemson, Louisville, and Miami its still a pretty boring conference schedule. Pitt fans didn't even get excited about Oklahoma State and even in good years won't get excited about NC State. Sure, most years Pitt will score an upset against a Miami or Clemson but as you say they'll find ways to screw up games against Syracuse or North Carolina.

Yeah, didn't JoePa want to start an Eastern Conference for the likes of Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse, WVU, Boston College, etc. That could have been awesome.

I personally enjoy the ACC slate much better than the Big East slate they played in their latter years. But you are correct---a lot of folks don't seem to embrace it. I seem to perhaps be in the minority but I was all for them moving to the ACC.

I miss the Pitt-PSU games and the Backyard Brawl. Too bad they can't find a way to make it work.

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[IUP24]

Re: OT: Pitt

Agree. They'd never be able to build support for CFP as an independent today.

What's interesting is that their 1976 national championship year schedule had 5 games against current ACC teams: Georgia Tech, Duke, Louisville, Miami, and Syracuse. I'm okay with ACC membership but I prefer the old perennial schedule of non-conference games against Navy, Notre Dame, Penn State, and WVU with the "old" Big East lineup including BC, Miami, and VT. That's a schedule that could put Pitt in the upper echelon and probably with better attendance. No offense to their fans, but very few get excited about Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, or Virginia. Even with the upside of Clemson, Louisville, and Miami its still a pretty boring conference schedule. Pitt fans didn't even get excited about Oklahoma State and even in good years won't get excited about NC State. Sure, most years Pitt will score an upset against a Miami or Clemson but as you say they'll find ways to screw up games against Syracuse or North Carolina.

I honestly couldn't agree more. When I found out Pitt was moving to the ACC, I was ecstatic about them playing Florida State, Clemson, and now Louisville. The problem is that they play those schools so infrequently that there's nothing to really even get excited about. Florida State and Clemson don't show up on their schedule again for a few solid years. And by that I mean, we're talking beyond 2020.

I'm a huge Pitt fan. My dad and I are season ticket holders. But you're right.. I don't get excited about Duke or Virginia coming to town.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

The ACC is still very new to Pitt, too. Rivalries will take time to form.

The old Big East wasn't all roses, either. For every Pitt/WVU game there were visits/trips to UCONN, Temple (for years), Rutgers, etc.

Maryland, my opinion, was a gigantic loss for the ACC.

The ACC is a southern conference in the eyes of its fans. I think it will take a lot more time for them to even become accepting of the 'Yankee' schools joining their beloved league. Change takes time. Consider the ACC core schools have been playing each other for decades. The culture of many of the ACC schools is very different than Pitt. It's almost kind of an odd fit.

Pitt and Duke, ironically, have actually had a highly entertaining football series. Same with Georgia Tech.

Basketball-wise ... there's no better conference. The timing of Pitt becoming dumpster fire stinks. In fact, other than Pitt, there are no real easy games. Conference season in ACC hoops is incredible.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

The ACC is still very new to Pitt, too. Rivalries will take time to form.

The old Big East wasn't all roses, either. For every Pitt/WVU game there were visits/trips to UCONN, Temple (for years), Rutgers, etc.

Maryland, my opinion, was a gigantic loss for the ACC.

The ACC is a southern conference in the eyes of its fans. I think it will take a lot more time for them to even become accepting of the 'Yankee' schools joining their beloved league. Change takes time. Consider the ACC core schools have been playing each other for decades. The culture of many of the ACC schools is very different than Pitt. It's almost kind of an odd fit.

Pitt and Duke, ironically, have actually had a highly entertaining football series. Same with Georgia Tech.

Basketball-wise ... there's no better conference. The timing of Pitt becoming dumpster fire stinks. In fact, other than Pitt, there are no real easy games. Conference season in ACC hoops is incredible.

Some really good points here.

I agree fully that Maryland was a big loss for the ACC.

I had come to loathe the majority of the schedule that Pitt played in the Big East in football. I find the ACC slate much, much more interesting.

Good call on the culture of many of the southern ACC schools. There really is a big difference in things North and South. We are a bunch of damn Yaknees to them. It goes even well beyond that.

Yeah, too bad that Pitt can't right the ship of their hoops program. It would be so exciting to compete against the likes of Duke and North Carolina year in and year out. The current crop of Pitt hoops may be hard pressed to win the PSAC this year as someone had mentioned in an earlier post.

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

http://triblive.com/sports/columnist...hattering-dunk


Great video

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Thanks for putting that up. Yeah, that's hard to believe that it's been 30 years since the famous Jerome Lane backboard shattering dunk. I was actually watching that game that night and saw the whole crazy thing live as it happened. It was insane. It was quite a delay until they got the new board and hoop up. That was a fun Pitt team. My favorite one of all time. Remember the rap video that Demetrus Gore put out that year entitled "Pitt Has Arrived?" Just some crazy times with some great players like Lane, Sean Miller and Charles Smith. It was a shame that they got nipped by Vandy like that. But they were also in the same bracket as Kansas (eventual champ) as I recall it.

But that is a really great memory!

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Yesterday was the good-memory video. Today is the opposite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVs9r-zKO6I


I was in the Pete for this game. During that timeout ... when it was very likely Pitt was going to knock of then No. 1 Syracuse ... that was the loudest I've every heard The Pete. Insane.

Then, of course, the improbable happened. I've watched this replay so many times. To this day I still don't understand why Jamie didn't put somebody on the inbound.

That place went from hysteria to funeral in a split second.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Yesterday was the good-memory video. Today is the opposite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVs9r-zKO6I


I was in the Pete for this game. During that timeout ... when it was very likely Pitt was going to knock of then No. 1 Syracuse ... that was the loudest I've every heard The Pete. Insane.

Then, of course, the improbable happened. I've watched this replay so many times. To this day I still don't understand why Jamie didn't put somebody on the inbound.

That place went from hysteria to funeral in a split second.

Quite a choke job. There have been many in Pitt hoops history it seems. The play was rather reminiscent of the dribble drive that Villanova used to keep Pitt out of the Final Four in '09 IIRC. Jamie is Jamie.

I see that Enfield's assistant at USC got fired for bribery and corruption. Man, even that would sound good right now. Let's bring the guy in for an interview at least.

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Tom Izzo will be available soon.

[IUPalum]

Re: OT: Pitt

Tom Izzo will be available soon.

EASY!!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Lol ... dead man walking

[IUPalum]

Re: OT: Pitt

Lol ... dead man walking

I don't know the whole story so I can't comment but I love Izzo as a coach.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

The current athletic department is the Titanic.