The Sports Monitor

Let's get this straight: A team from a power conference, one with a history of regular appearances, has a 10-0 start to the season and still hasn't cracked the Top 25 in the Associated Press poll? Yeah, the schedule might be easy, but it always is to start the season. And it's not like other teams are going through a grinder to start the season. The big test will be against Cincinnati on Tuesday. A win there, and there's no excuse for avoiding the Panthers. But they really should be Top 25 right now.

I've heard some moaning and groaning about the immediate future of the Pitt basketball program. Center Steven Adams announced Monday that he was leaving for the NBA draft. Good for him, I thought. Go pursue your dreams. Then, I immediately thought of Chris Taft. He was another touted Pitt basketball player who had dreams of the NBA. It didn't work out for him. I'm not sure how well it will work out for Adams. Adams is a project, so some team likely will take a chance on him, hoping his raw skills will develop. I wasn't worried about the future of the basketball program. Yes, they're short-handed right now going into their inaugural season in the ACC. But there's still time. Jamie Dixon can recruit, although it is late in the game. I just didn't see Adams as someone who oozed talent, someone ready to play in the NBA. If he did, maybe the Pitt basketball team would still be playing in the NCAA tournament. I wish him the best. I don...

The rumor mill is churning and Pitt coach Jamie Dixon is the one being tossed about. USC reportedly is after Dixon, who just suffered another early exit in the NCAA tournament as the Panthers' coach. If Dixon does go, would it help Pitt? It's a tough question to answer. Pitt has had some good regular seasons under Dixon. They are an annual choice for the Big Dance, too. It's when the postseason comes around that Dixon has his troubles. It's hard to imagine that his teams haven't been able to live up to their billing at tourney time, so it would stand to reason that finding a new coach could change this. I'm not opposed to seeing Dixon leave, but I don't think it's an easy answer. When Ben Howland left Pitt for UCLA, people around Pittsburgh thought the Panthers would be able to get a big-name coach to fill the vacancy. To their surprise, they couldn't. They had to promote Dixon, then an assistant. It worked out, but it also shows ...

Let me start off by admitting that I'll be rooting for Pitt to earn a trip to the Final Four. I'll be rooting, but I don't expect it to happen. That's usually the way it is with Pitt. I've lived by one rule when it comes to Pitt football and Pitt basketball -- they will disappoint you (or break your heart). This will be Pitt's 10th straight tournament appearance. Over the past nine seasons, Pitt has a strong history of underachieving.Last year, they lost to Xavier in the second round. In 2008 they lost to Michigan State in the second round. In 2006 they lost to Bradley in the second round. In 2005 they lost to Pacific in the first round. They play in the toughest league and won it. However, their style of physical play doesn't translate into the tournament. First, they enter the game with a reputation of a hard-nosed, tough team, putting the officials on alert. Second, they get officials who don't normally allow such play. I've always thoug...

Man, that loss hurt. Wait. Let me correct that. That loss still hurts. I wish I could wipe away the memory of that game like I did the snow on my car windshield this morning. Pitt's basketball team was minutes from a trip to the Final Four on Saturday night. The lead escaped them, but they managed to rally and were mere seconds from sending their regional final against Villanova to overtime. Then Scottie Reynolds hit the basket of tournament. It sent Pitt home in defeat, 78-76, and put Reynolds' name right up there in Pittsburgh sports lore with Francisco Cabrera. The Panthers were good enough to win it all. Instead, we're left to talk about what ifs. Like, what if Pitt had a timeout left at the end of the game. Or, what if Pitt had a different defense at the end of the game. Or even, what if Villanova hadn't made all those darned foul shots. It seemed that Pitt played this tournament not to lose. Maybe the expectations and the No. 1 seed had something to do with it. Th...

We've read it before. We've heard it from the players and coaches before, too. Now, there's validation to all the talk surrounding the Pitt basketball team. This is the best team in a long, long time in Pittsburgh. All of this, of course, wouldn't be possible without Levance Fields' huge 3-point shot to give the Panthers the lead late Thursday against Xavier. Then, Fields' steal and basket all but wrapped up the 60-55 win. It wasn't a pretty game. It was one that the Panthers (31-4) nearly let slip away. But it doesn't matter. Fields changed all that with his big bucket. And, boy, was it a classic. The moment the ball left his hand, I muttered, "What's he doing?" Then, the moment it dropped though the net, I exhaled with relief, "Clutch shot." It takes a special team to get this far in the tournament. With special players like Fields, DeJuan Blair and Sam Young, they don't have to stop in the regional final against Villanova....

This is the round where the Pitt Panthers basketball team usually gets kicked aside in the NCAA tournament. It's also the round where I think Pitt could very well lose, especially if you think history repeats itself. As you've probably heard already, Pitt's opponent, Xavier, is coached by former Pitt point guard Sean Miller. It's an intriguing storyline. It's also a recipe for disaster for the Panthers. Xavier can hit the 3s, plus they have some depth up front. And don't think for a minute Miller's players don't want to do anything in their power to get a win. Pitt stumbled in its first two games in the tournament but it stands just one win from the Elite Eight and two wins from a trip to Detroit for the Final Four (anyone see the similarities to the Steelers' Super Bowl XL run yet?). There's a lot of support out there for the Panthers and many believe this is their year. A win tonight and I'll start to believe, too.

As if taking a cue from TNT's tagline, "We Know Drama," the Pitt Panthers have made the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament a stress-inducing event. Twice now, they've had opportunities to lose. Twice, they've come through in the clutch. That's a good sign heading into a Sweet 16 matchup against fourth-seeded Xavier on Thursday. The Panthers will be favored, but the aura of invincibility has been knocked off. With a sound defeat to West Virginia and two close calls in the NCAAs, there's nothing to fear about this squad. When opponents step onto the court for the opening tip, they're not afraid of this team. There's no David vs. Goliath -- it's turned into Equal vs. Equal. These aren't the big, bad Panthers everyone was glowing about heading into the Big East tournament. The loss to WVU was supposed to give them time to rest and prep for the big tournament. Instead, it's been a time of struggle. Off the top of my head, I can't re...

If you didn't watch the Pitt Panthers' first-round NCAA basketball tournament game Friday afternoon and just saw the final score of 72-62, you might have thought it wasn't a that bad game for the Panthers. You'd be wrong. The game was much, much closer than the final score indicated. In fact, East Tennessee State thought an upset was brewing. One quote, in particular, stood out after reading the game stories. "We had them. We just couldn't get over the hump," ETSU guard Kevin Tiggs told reporters after the loss. They were a pretty confident bunch and realized an opportunity slipped away. Pitt escaped, to put it mildly. And if it wasn't for DeJuan Blair's monster game (27 points, 16 rebounds), the No. 1-seeded Panthers might have made history for all the wrong reasons. Now, a matchup against Oklahoma State looms Sunday. Maybe the close call against East Tennessee was a wake-up call. Maybe the Panthers just needed to shake off the rust after a layoff...

At least two times after Sunday's NCAA tournament selection show I said, "If ever a No. 1 seed was going to lose in the first round, it will be Pitt." A couple days have passed and I still have an uneasy feeling about the Panthers. They easily could advance to the Final Four, they could play for the national title and even win it. Yet, I keep coming back to a basic premise when it comes to Pitt sports. If given the chance, the Panthers will disappoint you. Anyone enjoy that Sun Bowl game New Year's Eve? That's why every round in this year's basketball tournament will be a test of nerves watching the Panthers on TV. For a few years now, we've been told that Pitt has a team that can go a long way in the tournament. Here's what they've done lately: 2008: 1-1. They lost to Michigan State in the second round. 2007: 2-1. The lost to UCLA in the regional semifinal. 2006: 1-1. The lost to Bradley in the second round. 2005: 0-1. They lost to Pacific in ...