Polls - 1/11/2016

[ecasadoSBU]

Michigan State getting pounded by #16 Iowa 67-48 in the 2nd half. If MSU loses we are talking about Xavier and Villanova moving to the #4 & #5 spots in the Polls. The Big East keeps climbing.

[FenwayFriar]

When I think of Pitt... I think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKbLHkDvhk8

Unfortunately, I think of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNqiiMWt3Qc

I think of this:
http://youtu.be/7loqrtXwb0M

One of the few bright spots in a dark period in PC hoops.

[ecasadoSBU]

When I think of Pitt... I think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKbLHkDvhk8

Unfortunately, I think of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNqiiMWt3Qc

Gotta say that sh*t was sick!!! I wasn't even born back then. LOL.

It may be a given... But who won that game?

[billyjack]

When I think of Pitt... I think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKbLHkDvhk8

Unfortunately, I think of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNqiiMWt3Qc

Gotta say that sh*t was sick!!! I wasn't even born back then. LOL.

It may be a given... But who won that game?

That was mentioned earlier in this thread as the greatest highlight in Pitt hoops history. That's the sad thing about Pitt... the best highlight isn't a National Championship, Final Four, National POY, or anything significant.

The dunk was by PF Jerome Lane. It was a February 1988 home game vs Providence. Pitt won easily by probably 25 points. This was our disaster year. Pitino left late Spring of 87, so in a rush we hired his assistant Gordie Chiesa, former Manhattan coach.

Chiesa was a brutal coach. It was a young team, which lost to graduation Billy Donovan, Pop Lewis and David Kipfer. Chiesa in 88 was awful to the players, terrible in coaching, just a disaster season following our 87 Final Four. Mid-season, our talented sophomore and future Celtic Marty Conlon quit the team. The locker room was in shambles. Incidentally, PC had two other draft picks on this team... Abdul Shamsid-Deen and future Jazz star Eric Murdoch. Anyway, at season's end, Chiesa was canned and Rick Barnes was hired to turn the program back around.

So, under that backdrop the Pitt Panthers hosted Providence in a Saturday afternoon game. Pitt bullied PC. The Friars had no chance. Maybe late first half Lane shattered the backboard. Raftery had the famous line "Send it in Jerome". Pitt won the game, and i had no problem with it because it was another step in dumping Chiesa, not to mention the game provided me with a 2 hour break from studying as i was a college sophomore that year.

Now, when you think about the great histories of so many teams in college basketball, usually successful teams are shown lifting trophies or cutting nets or the have a significant win, or player, or coach. Pitt, for all their success, has as their greatest highlight a busted backboard in a meaningless February game against a team that finished 8th in the conference.

P.S. As it usually happens with Pitt, they once again choked in the tourney in 1988. Pitt had earned a #2 seed, but lost in round 2 to Vanderbilt in overtime. In the 88 tourney, the BE standard bearers were the Villanova Wildcats, who lost in the Elite-8 to eventual runner up Oklahoma, in a game that VU led at the half and played great. On their run, they won gutsy games vs Illinois (VU was down I think 10 with 8 minutes left) in Round 2, then vs Kentucky under Eddie Sutton to make the Final-8. The seniors on the 88 Cats were freshmen in the 85 National Champion team, including Mark Plansky.

Anyway, that's my version of events from back 28 long years ago...!

[ecasadoSBU]

Wow. Thanks for the knowledge Billy. I see that you have been around for a while. Impressive. Its awesome to see how loyal you have been to your program for so many years.

It's also exciting to share the board with people who know so much about the Big East.

[billyjack]

Wow. Thanks for the knowledge Billy. I see that you have been around for a while. Impressive. Its awesome to see how loyal you have been to your program for so many years.

It's also exciting to share the board with people who know so much about the Big East.

Thanks escasado. I'm glad you're on this site. 28 years went by quickly. Seems like it happened yesterday!

[FriarJ]

Wow. Thanks for the knowledge Billy. I see that you have been around for a while. Impressive. Its awesome to see how loyal you have been to your program for so many years.

It's also exciting to share the board with people who know so much about the Big East.

Have you been to a game at the Dunk? He's a whippersnapper. Even myself in my advanced age am not an old PC fan. Our two message boards are run by guys who saw Jimmy Walker and Lenny Wilkens play. Old is almost a requirement to be able to tell the youngens we were once good. Hopefully this year we can retire the storytellers.

[novahoops11]

Most devastating loss in the history of Pitt basketball, courtesy of (guess who?):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie51i-eSVQo

[Noonzy]

I still cringe when I remember the Chiesa year-he sat down starters and played walk ons among many other failures.

[ChelseaFriar]

That was Carlton "Paco" Screen who ended up with glass in his hair under the backboard. Great guy who lives in Brooklyn and attends PC Alumni events in NYC. I've discussed the Send It In Jerome moment with him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/sports/ncaabasketball/call-by-espn-broadcaster-bill-raftery-on-dunk-by-jerome-lane-still-reverberates.html?_r=0