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Post by BTB07 on Mar 20, 2009 7:16:00 GMT -5
• Pittsburgh has never beaten a team seeded higher than sixth in the tournament (0-6 vs. No. 5 seeds or higher).
• Duke has not beaten a team seeded fourth or higher since winning the title in 2001 and advanced past the Sweet 16 just once since, despite being a No. 1 seed four times in that span.
• Connecticut has not won a tournament game since 2006 and has been eliminated by a double-digit seed in each of its last three tournament appearances (13th-seed San Diego in 2008, 11th-seed George Mason in 2006 and 10th-seed N.C. State in 2005).
• Michigan State has the most wins against this year's tournament teams, with 13. Others in double digits: Duke (11), Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Washington (10 each).
• North Carolina has just six wins against tournament teams.
• Most losses by one point in tournament history? Kansas, with six. (We suspect Jayhawks fans are well aware of this.)
• No team has ever won the national title after losing the first game in its conference tournament. UConn, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest all lost their first conference tourney game.
• The Pac-10 has six teams in the tourney for the third straight year. In 2007 and 2008, three of those teams reached the Sweet 16.
• In 11 of the past 12 years, at least one team seeded seventh or lower has reached the Elite Eight. The double-digit seeds to go that far were Davidson (No. 10, 2008), George Mason (No. 11, 2006), Missouri (No. 12, 2002), Kent State (No. 10, 2002), Temple (No. 11, 2001), Gonzaga (No. 10, 1999) and Providence (No. 10, 1997).
• Since seeding began in 1979, 22 of the 30 national champs have been No. 1 or 2 seeds. The last national champ seeded worse than third was Arizona in 1997 (No. 4 seed). --ESPN Research Department
This came from ESPN's Page 2.
Some interesting ones in there...
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Post by BTB07 on Mar 20, 2009 8:54:22 GMT -5
The first one is pretty surprising. Pitt hasn't beaten anyone higher than a 5 seed in their recent basketball success. Sort of strange.
Of course none of these dumb things mean a thing when they tip-off...
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Post by JSS on Mar 20, 2009 9:01:29 GMT -5
Yes...it sucks. This year is different IMO; now they have the talent...
This article is pretty good from sportingnews.com IMO. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon has his lines memorized, but he could stand to deliver them with more passion. He needs to really sell his speech. Lately he has been asked a lot about the Panthers' recent NCAA Tournament performances, how they reach the Sweet 16 and then exit. He responds by delivering the same lecture with only minor variations.
"We've made it seem like it's easier than it is," Dixon said. "Only three teams have gotten there more than we have, so that should be pointed out. But at the same time we haven't made that run for the national championship, and I think that's always going to be something that's talked about, and deservedly so."
For as little NCAA Tournament history as there is at Pitt, one might think making the Sweet 16 would be considered a triumph. The Panthers have gotten that far only six times in 20 appearances -- which does not count their only Final Four trip, in 1941, when there weren't 16 teams in the field.
In many ways, Pitt has the most admirable of college basketball programs. Consider the case of senior forward Tyrell Biggs. He started one game in his first three seasons, which would have prompted a transfer from almost any major program. Biggs stuck around and started as a senior. A four-year player is not an anomaly at Pitt. It is the norm.
Somehow, though, the fact the Panthers reached the Sweet 16 four times in the past seven years has been translated into a legacy of underachievement.
When the Panthers won 31 games in 2003-04, earned a No. 3 seed and lost to No. 2 seed Oklahoma State in regional semifinals -- in Dixon's first season as a Division I head coach -- one local media voice labeled the season a failure.
When they battled through the 2008 Big East tournament to an improbable championship but lost in the NCAA second round to Michigan State, they were derided for having overemphasized a meaningless conference tournament.
Now they're a No. 1 seed for the first time in the school's history, opening Friday against No. 16 seed East Tennessee State in the East Region. The pressure on the Panthers to advance to the Elite Eight or beyond has grown even more intense. The problem is, the same issue they've confronted in nearly every previous elimination could send them home again.
The reason Pitt lost to Marquette in 2003, and Oklahoma State in 2004, and Bradley in 2006, and UCLA in 2007 is the most fundamental in the game of basketball: The other teams had more talent.
Marquette relied on Dwyane Wade but also featured pros Travis Diener and Steve Novak; Pitt had no one who played in the NBA. Oklahoma State had Joey Graham and John Lucas III; Pitt had no one who played in the NBA. In the world of upsets and Cinderellas, few want to believe it, but the teams with the most ability generally advance furthest.
The Panthers at last have some guys who will enjoy substantial NBA careers: small forward Sam Young and center DeJuan Blair. But presuming the Panthers are able to get through their first two rounds, they again could find themselves in the regional semis against a team with more raw talent.
I asked an NBA personnel executive a hypothetical question: If you could have a 10-percent cut of the future pro earnings of all the guys on Pitt's roster or all the Florida State Seminoles, which would you choose? His answer, as I suspected: Florida State.
"Even though Blair might be my favorite player in college basketball," the personnel guy said. "And Sam Young has really grown on me."
Now, if either Xavier or Wisconsin were to meet Pitt in Boston, that notion would be rendered moot. But that isn't really how it has gone for the Panthers.
They've pushed their talent as far as it can go, grinding Big East regular-season championships, conference tournament titles and a fair amount of NCAA Tournament wins from their toughness, teamwork and chemistry. They've lost at that point and then have gone home to be reminded they have underachieved, again. Allegedly.
Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.
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Post by BTB07 on Mar 20, 2009 9:05:25 GMT -5
Pitt is always so tough, and plays that way. I think sometimes that the ticky tack refs in the tourney hamper physical teams. They have played like that all year...but the tournament seems to be officiated a little tighter.
Thanks for that article JSS.
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Post by JSS on Mar 20, 2009 9:14:05 GMT -5
Anytime, and you are right the perception is that Pitt gets hurt a bit due to the difference of playing in the NCAAs vs. the Big East. However, perception in this case is not entirely reality. Some research:
As for the notion that once they leaves the Big East the Panthers will run into referees who call tighter games and Blair and others will be in trouble:
Here are the facts some other guy presented trying to really debunk this theory:
In 2001-02, Pitt averaged 19.37 fouls per game in the regular season and 17 in the NCAA tournament.
In 2002-03, Pitt averaged 18 fouls in the regular season and 17 in the tournament. .
In 2003-04, Pitt averaged 15 fouls in the regular season and 16.5 in the tournament.
In 2004-05, Pitt averaged 17 fouls in the regular season and 20 in the tournament.
In 2005-06, Pitt averaged 16 fouls in the regular season and 18 in the tournament.
In 2006-07, Pitt averaged 16.5 fouls in the regular season and 17 in the tournament.
In 2007-08, Pitt averaged 16.25 fouls in the regular season and 14.5 in the tournament.
In three of seven years, Pitt’s fouls decreased by a little less than two per game and in four of seven years they increased by about two.
As this information makes clear, the officiating is not hurting Pitt in the NCAA tournament. Blaming the officiating is usually a convenient excuse for people who don’t want to take a hard look at their team.
With its No. 1 seed, Pitt has an excellent path to the Final Four. If form holds, the Panthers will face East Tennessee State, Oklahoma State, Xavier and Duke. Pitt is more than capable of beating all four.
If they fail, the blame will rest with them, not the referees.
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