OT: D1

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Brutal four-game stretch starts tonight for Pitt.

Louisville
@ Duke
Notre Dame
Florida State

Louisville star Carlik Jones is cleared to return tonight. He's a high Round 1 NBA guy. I think the goal would be to somehow go 2-2.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

That may be Pitt's secret weapon ... stay healthy.

A healthy Miami will clobber them. So will a healthy Louisville.

I'm curious to see how Pitt tests this week being that the HC tested positive.

Keep your team clean and on the floor ... you can probably win some games otherwise you'd have no shot. End of the day the wins get no astericks. They count the same.

Capel could have been the victim of the dreaded false positive or maybe the team got the false negative. Yeah, everything really sucks alright!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Louisville was missing guys to COVID and injury. They almost canceled but for some reason they played on. Louisville was ranked 19 in the country so they aren't that bad.

That may be Pitt's secret weapon ... stay healthy.

A healthy Miami will clobber them. So will a healthy Louisville.

I'm curious to see how Pitt tests this week being that the HC tested positive.

Keep your team clean and on the floor ... you can probably win some games otherwise you'd have no shot. End of the day the wins get no astericks. They count the same.

[IUPalum]

Well, Louisville lost by almost 50 yesterday against Wisconsin. Not sure what the story was there. I'm assuming they had some guys out. I know their star didn't play.

Looks like Pitt may be getting them at a good time.

Louisville was missing guys to COVID and injury. They almost canceled but for some reason they played on. Louisville was ranked 19 in the country so they aren't that bad.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Well, Louisville lost by almost 50 yesterday against Wisconsin. Not sure what the story was there. I'm assuming they had some guys out. I know their star didn't play.

Looks like Pitt may be getting them at a good time.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

The days of the McDonald's All-American one and done is pretty much over. A lot of those guys are going to the G=League to make money instead.

Yeah, I think you nailed it. Probably where much recruited C Efton Reid is headed. I just wish the NBA would adopt the same rule as the NFL about players needing to be out of high school three years before they get in.

Pitt fantasy target SG Kyle Cuffe has just committed to Kansas.

[IUPalum]

He will be replaced by......Capel. Jason type.

But you do have to wonder how many players may have it now as well.

What happened to Kentucky? They ain't doin' too good.

The days of the McDonald's All-American one and done is pretty much over. A lot of those guys are going to the G=League to make money instead.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Capel tested positive. He will miss the Louisville game.

He will be replaced by......Capel. Jason type.

But you do have to wonder how many players may have it now as well.

What happened to Kentucky? They ain't doin' too good.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Capel tested positive. He will miss the Louisville game.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Not uncommon to a young group, the constant foul trouble is becoming an issue. This isn't a deep (quality) team yet. Champagnie, Xavier and Coulibaly have to get under better control. Pitt can't win without these guys on the floor. They lucked out playing half of Miami's team last night.

Jeffress only got 9 minutes. Wonder what's up there.

It would have been interesting to see Terrell Brown at the D2 level on one of the 'muscle' teams -- certainly not a finesse team. He'd have fit in perfect on those old Slippery Rock teams -- and probably have done quite well.

Actually, Pitt is a MUCH deeper team than what they were last year. But I think I understand your point here.

Miami was very depleted no doubt about it. But they still had something like four 4-star players that were in the top 100 of their recruiting classes. They did well to hang in there for awhile. It actually reminded me of Pitt last year when they made a good fight of things for a time then just got ran off the court by an opponents superior numbers and reinforcements.

The refs also called a game that certainly favored the Canes.

I have no idea why Jeffress only got a token 9 minutes. I didn't hear of any illness or injury pertaining to last night. My guess is just that Capel was using guys in spots where he perceived them to be at their most effective. Hugley (9 points) and Collier (4 boards) all in the first half had to fill the void left by Slam Penny when he went out with foul problems. Odukale had to see extensive minutes when Xavier also got into foul trouble.

Speaking of Odukale---he does some good things and some not so good things at the point as he works his way back from a pretty severe broken arm injury over the summer and learns the college game. But one thing that has folks talking about is his 6-5 frame and uncanny 6-11 wingspan that is already creating problems for enemy point guards. That has to be maddening facing him down with all of that.

Terrell Brown is seeing less and less time all the time. Yeah, he would be somebody that should have probably played D-II ball or at least lower than ACC ball. Karim Coulibaly doesn't really show up real big in the stat sheet but he does really bring some nice things to the Pitt starting lineup.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Looks like Pitt is the winner over the walking wounded of Miami. The Red Cross should of sent some help the Canes way for this one. Kind of a sloppy game for the Panthers but they do take care of business down in Coral Gables and advance their record to 5-1. The warm feeling may not last for long as when you look at their upcoming schedule and see that three of the next four games are against Louisville, Duke, and Florida State. That is a lot of ways to go wrong there.

I guess the big story of the night was that Nike Sibande had finally at long last made his Pitt debut after gaining clearance from the idiotic NCAA. He will need time to work his way into the lineup and to get acclimated to game speed (not to mention ACC ball). 18 for Horton who finally found his range after playing really bad in the first half. Frosh John Hugley tallied nine in the first half and then oddly hardly seemed to see the floor in the second. William Jeffress also inexplicably did not see many minutes either.

Next up for the Pitt team is to hook the rein deer up to the jet and fly back into one heck of a mess of a snowstorm. This thing reminds me of that epic Little House On The Prairie episode "Blizzard." I would have stayed at McGinnis' for that Christmas Spirit out of the jug. LOL.

Not uncommon to a young group, the constant foul trouble is becoming an issue. This isn't a deep (quality) team yet. Champagnie, Xavier and Coulibaly have to get under better control. Pitt can't win without these guys on the floor. They lucked out playing half of Miami's team last night.

Jeffress only got 9 minutes. Wonder what's up there.

It would have been interesting to see Terrell Brown at the D2 level on one of the 'muscle' teams -- certainly not a finesse team. He'd have fit in perfect on those old Slippery Rock teams -- and probably have done quite well.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Looks like Pitt is the winner over the walking wounded of Miami. The Red Cross should of sent some help the Canes way for this one. Kind of a sloppy game for the Panthers but they do take care of business down in Coral Gables and advance their record to 5-1. The warm feeling may not last for long as when you look at their upcoming schedule and see that three of the next four games are against Louisville, Duke, and Florida State. That is a lot of ways to go wrong there.

I guess the big story of the night was that Nike Sibande had finally at long last made his Pitt debut after gaining clearance from the idiotic NCAA. He will need time to work his way into the lineup and to get acclimated to game speed (not to mention ACC ball). 18 for Horton who finally found his range after playing really bad in the first half. Frosh John Hugley tallied nine in the first half and then oddly hardly seemed to see the floor in the second. William Jeffress also inexplicably did not see many minutes either.

Next up for the Pitt team is to hook the rein deer up to the jet and fly back into one heck of a mess of a snowstorm. This thing reminds me of that epic Little House On The Prairie episode "Blizzard." I would have stayed at McGinnis' for that Christmas Spirit out of the jug. LOL.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Understood. I was speaking about the extra physical stress you put on those remaining five. Sure some want the playing time and exposure but even a bench of 2 isn't enough.

That sounds like IUP basketball under Joe Lombardi ... LOL. Five starters, two subs, four scholarship redshirts and 4 walk-ons.


Naturally the first year ever Joe had a completely stacked roster of players who have already taken a redshirt ... they can't play. Joking aside, it was one of the things I was looking forward to this season ... seeing how'd he'd manage that lineup. He likes to let his Top 7 play about 98% of the minutes. But, he'd have had some really high-quality players in spots 8-10 this year.

[Fightingscot82]

Actually the rash of Miami players set to miss this game is mostly due to physical injuries that they have sustained thus far and not Covid-related----

-G Chris Lykes (ankle)

-G Kam McGusty (hamstring)

-G Elijah Olaniyi (eligibility)

-F Earl Timberlake (foot)

-F Sam Waardenburg (ACL)

-F Matt Cross (arm)

-C Rodney Miller (knee)

Understood. I was speaking about the extra physical stress you put on those remaining five. Sure some want the playing time and exposure but even a bench of 2 isn't enough.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

All they want is to get to March Madness. That's the meal ticket. There will be lots of games just like this one with multiple players out, etc. Many games will get PPD or cancelled.

Just like P5 football and the TV money, they can talk all they want about 'player safety' and all that stuff ... but the prize is that March Madness coin. Exceptions to rules will be made (reference Ohio State football).

One has to question if 'player safety' was really the perceived top priority ... why would they actually be playing?

I fully get why D2 football (PSAC) cancelled the season. It was a financial loser. If the PSAC had a big TV deal ... they'd have played. No doubt in my mind. But, there's no money to be made down here ... football here just mostly costs money. So, 'player safety' and all that blah-blah-blah was a great excuse in this instance.

What's even funnier is all NCAA sports got shut down last Spring. The virus is spreading worse now than it was then. Always say ... follow the coin.

I have to agree with what you say. But I suppose if we want to go to a historical parallel we can look back to the 1918 Spanish Influenza outbreak and see that college football was still being played. There are pictures with fans social distanced in the stands and players wearing handkerchiefs around their faces for protection.

I guess things were a lot different back then and yet rather similarly the same as these days. Crazy!