There was one significant upset in the first round as Cal beat UNC 2-1 in Chapel Hill. Pitt plays #9 UVA which beat #8 NC State, but they had identical conference records. The most amazing first round match was Stanford v ND. Notre Dame tied the match with a header with about 10 seconds left and the Stanford won it on a golazo from over the halfway line on the ensuing restart. The ND goalie wasn’t out of position or off his line. The shot was high into the right top corner and he couldn’t reach it. Whether he could have/should have jumped higher we might never know.

To me, the UVA game is a trap game of sorts. We beat them 4-1 at Ambrose, but 3 of the goals were scored in a 4 minute stretch where UVA claimed the first one was offside and appeared to be in a funk after it was ruled good. Two of the following three goals were scored on rebounds which took perfect deflections into the path of a Pitt player.

Aside from UNC and NC State, all of the other top seeds won. The ACC plays an unbalanced conference schedule, so Pitt has not played all of the other top seeds. We did not play #2 Clemson, the defending national champion, #3 Duke, #4 SMU or #5 Wake Forest.

Nice kid but stunk it up at clutch time. 7-5 and the toilet bowl.

Also, what's up with the wide receivers? How many drops and let's have everyone get hurt and leave the game.

This team is hard to cheer for.

6 Gonzaga over 8 Baylor. Ok not that Baylor lost but 101-63!!! Ouch B12
13 Texas AM lost to UCF
Ohio st beat 19 Texas
South Carolina lost to north Florida
Memphis over missouri


No ACC losses! 15-0 Louisville didn't crap the bed so far

SEC 9-4 yikes that can't help their conference strength this year

I can’t remember the last time I saw so many dropped balls. Seems there were a ton tonight to add to all the other problems?

1. The mulligan looks worse and worse especially since the ref never blew the play dead.

2. Just as bad was the non holding call on the edge on uva in the final drive.

3. The holding call on the two pt conversion was really borderline though its called at times.

Pitt 82

Narduzzi keeps electing to receive which is ridiculous and now Tomlin at Washington just won the toss and elected to receive too!

I don't get it.

I have Comcast I don't think it's an option. Im I wrong?

Completed 6 passes but 2 of the 6 were to the other team.

4-12 44 yards

I know he was inserted into a tough spot but he's a 22 year old Redshirt Junior.

He aint it.

Asking for advice - Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8 are in the Chase Center in San Francisco and I could get tickets in upper bowl for $100/game...I think PItt could play there this year. Question to the Board: Should I get the tickets, even though they are not in the best location? Is it worth the $200?

Thanks for your thoughts.

B

2 concussions in 3 games. We don't need to see him having Tua fingers next time he takes a head shot.

The “always in the news” Bruce Pearl and his #11 ranked Auburn Tigers made the news again, this time for fighting on a commercial flight.

The flight turned around and was met by the authorities back at the airport of origin.

Trouble seems to always “find” this talented coach and his players.

And it wasn’t close. Last two sets were 25-12 and 25-13. Amazing how much of a gap there is between Pitt and Nebraska and everyone else.

Nice read.....take a minute to look at it....

Pitt wins 25-10, 25-11, 25-13

Did the announcers mention any reason for Cat Flood not being dressed to play?

Things went from bad to worse for Pitt on Saturday when the Panthers lost to Virginia 24-19 at Acrisure Stadium. On the Monday post-mortem, we're talking about the loss, the trajectory of the offense and a lot more as Pitt sits at 7-2.

Air NZ partners with United for US domestic connections. So I get stuck with United for connecting flights. Occasionally get connected with Alaska Airlines and they seem ok. But my experience with United is uniformly terrible.
What are your favourite airlines for flying within the US? I will probably ditch Air NZ for traveling to the US if there is a better airline option. Delta and American have NZ flights and partners that fly to NZ. Are they any better than United?
Air NZ is great, but United for missed connections, lost baggage, terrible customer service just sucks. I'm hoping to never fly United again.

** Let’s start with a most positive vibe! Congrats to our 2-0 Panther Hoopers!!

** Accordingly, a 15 point win against a legit foe from the Missouri Valley Conference is indeed a notable accomplishment.

** But we all know there is still room to grow from the team we are to the team we want to be.

** During the first half of tonight’s game, I feared that we may have been watching a troubling version of the team we are. But in the second half, we were able to enjoy a better look of the team we want to be.

** So what was the difference between the two? Mostly it was defense.

** Offensively, we scored 41 points in the first half and 42 in the other. But the change in the second half was notable on the other end.

** I’ll take a step further. Could it have even been the defense of Zach Austin?

** Zach was certainly a big part of it. His help defense and blocks, followed by clearing the defensive glass were at the center of it, in all of his work playing the four spot.

** The four spot is still the part of this team that needs to be figured out. GDiaz hasn’t yet settled into the spot effectively, while his brother didn’t fare much better there.

** But even if Zach led the way, everyone started to step up defensively in the last 20 minutes and the Racers who blistered their way to 55% shooting in the first half could only manage 31% in the second.

** It’s easy to shoot 55% in a half when your shots aren’t tough ones. Too many of the shots surrendered by our Panthers in earlier parts of the game fit that bill.

** One of the biggest culprits was secondary transition defense. While we weren't giving up basic fast break points, the Racers were often able to get into a good shot just a pass or two following the break.

** I don’t want to suggest that our Panthers aren’t putting forth needed defensive effort. But they are often lacking in needed defensive discipline. I’d rather not use the word lazy, because I don’t believe that’s fair, nor accurate. But we certainly aren’t crisp on defending balls screens, and it’s leading our Panthers too often into being behind drives to the rim. Well, that was the case in the first half anyway.

** In the second half, we tightened our work against ball screens and eventually started pushing the Racers into taking an assortment of questionable shots. When that started, so did the deciding Panther run to take control.

** It’s sure is a good thing we can score.

** What’s been most impressive about the Panthers offense thus far is that we’ve been able to produce points without playing particularly great offense.

** I don’t wish to complain about another 50+% shooting performance, but early on it’s still an offense a bit too reliant on winning one on one battles.

** The good news is that we have a quatrain of Panthers capable of winning one on one battles. Those four totaled 71 Panther points.

** Among that group, they (particularly Jaland) missed a couple of good shots we have probably become accustomed to them putting in the basket,

** It should also be noted that winning one on one battles on mismatches is something Coach Capel is looking for. But moving forward, there will likely be games when we will need to move the ball better to get shots.

** Think back to Clemson on the road last year when we only garnered 4 assists in a tough defeat. And tonight we had only 9.

** On the plus side, Cam’s shot selection tonight was excellent, not to mention his rebounding. His presence alone is a clear step forward from last year.

** Last year is another important piece of perspective when deciding what this game means to our Panther prospects for the coming year.

** Our first test game in game three last year against Florida Gulf Coast which was a 12 point win. If you recall, that one was just a 5 point game at the final TV timeout.

** To my eye, the Racers are a far better foe and we won this one going away.

** Therefore, early on, using last year as that perspective, we are further ahead even if we acknowledge that there are still many ways we can get better.

** Even more, last year in game three, we also weren’t awaiting the arrival of a newcomer who might be able to make the offense significantly better.

** On the other hand, we don’t know yet what Amsal can do to improve our team defense.

** Nonetheless, it’s hard not to think we can be much better with him. Hopefully we will get our first look next week.

** So with that, and this nice win tonight, and the chance for the Football team to go 8-1, following a big win for the Volleyball team over #25 UNC to go 22-1, there are indeed plenty of reasons for a positive Panther vibe! I’m looking forward to learning how it all ends up!

** HTP!

It looks like we will be able to have Bell and Holstein back for another year. They should only get better.

the last play had no one under neath all deep, but doesnt excuse yarnell with a horrible pass

Were 10-1 and ranked #1. Lost 4 out of 6 to finish and will limp into the NCAA Tournament, still probably with a pretty good seed. What a crappy weekend. And of course, it was to Virginia tonight and they had a goal upheld on review and we had a goal disallowed on review. Probably the right calls though.

** Let’s start with a most positive vibe! Congrats to our 2-0 Panther Hoopers!!

** Accordingly, a 15 point win against a legit foe from the Missouri Valley Conference is indeed a notable accomplishment.

** But we all know there is still room to grow from the team we are to the team we want to be.

** During the first half of tonight’s game, I feared that we may have been watching a troubling version of the team we are. But in the second half, we were able to enjoy a better look of the team we want to be.

** So what was the difference between the two? Mostly it was defense.

** Offensively, we scored 41 points in the first half and 42 in the other. But the change in the second half was notable on the other end.

** I’ll take a step further. Could it have even been the defense of Zach Austin?

** Zach was certainly a big part of it. His help defense and blocks, followed by clearing the defensive glass were at the center of it, in all of his work playing the four spot.

** The four spot is still the part of this team that needs to be figured out. GDiaz hasn’t yet settled into the spot effectively, while his brother didn’t fare much better there.

** But even if Zach led the way, everyone started to step up defensively in the last 20 minutes and the Racers who blistered their way to 55% shooting in the first half could only manage 31% in the second.

** It’s easy to shoot 55% in a half when your shots aren’t tough ones. Too many of the shots surrendered by our Panthers in earlier parts of the game fit that bill.

** One of the biggest culprits was secondary transition defense. While we weren't giving up basic fast break points, the Racers were often able to get into a good shot just a pass or two following the break.

** I don’t want to suggest that our Panthers aren’t putting forth needed defensive effort. But they are often lacking in needed defensive discipline. I’d rather not use the word lazy, because I don’t believe that’s fair, nor accurate. But we certainly aren’t crisp on defending balls screens, and it’s leading our Panthers too often into being behind drives to the rim. Well, that was the case in the first half anyway.

** In the second half, we tightened our work against ball screens and eventually started pushing the Racers into taking an assortment of questionable shots. When that started, so did the deciding Panther run to take control.

** It’s sure is a good thing we can score.

** What’s been most impressive about the Panthers offense thus far is that we’ve been able to produce points without playing particularly great offense.

** I don’t wish to complain about another 50+% shooting performance, but early on it’s still an offense a bit too reliant on winning one on one battles.

** The good news is that we have a quatrain of Panthers capable of winning one on one battles. Those four totaled 71 Panther points.

** Among that group, they (particularly Jaland) missed a couple of good shots we have probably become accustomed to them putting in the basket,

** It should also be noted that winning one on one battles on mismatches is something Coach Capel is looking for. But moving forward, there will likely be games when we will need to move the ball better to get shots.

** Think back to Clemson on the road last year when we only garnered 4 assists in a tough defeat. And tonight we had only 9.

** On the plus side, Cam’s shot selection tonight was excellent, not to mention his rebounding. His presence alone is a clear step forward from last year.

** Last year is another important piece of perspective when deciding what this game means to our Panther prospects for the coming year.

** Our first test game in game three last year against Florida Gulf Coast which was a 12 point win. If you recall, that one was just a 5 point game at the final TV timeout.

** To my eye, the Racers are a far better foe and we won this one going away.

** Therefore, early on, using last year as that perspective, we are further ahead even if we acknowledge that there are still many ways we can get better.

** Even more, last year in game three, we also weren’t awaiting the arrival of a newcomer who might be able to make the offense significantly better.

** On the other hand, we don’t know yet what Amsal can do to improve our team defense.

** Nonetheless, it’s hard not to think we can be much better with him. Hopefully we will get our first look next week.

** So with that, and this nice win tonight, and the chance for the Football team to go 8-1, following a big win for the Volleyball team over #25 UNC to go 22-1, there are indeed plenty of reasons for a positive Panther vibe! I’m looking forward to learning how it all ends up!

** HTP!

I am telling you that we are not very far away from that senior, who has little hope for an NFL or NBA career, suing the NCAA for unlimited eligibility based on the grounds that they cant deny him the right to earn a living. And he'd win.

On a day where everything broke right for the Panthers giving them a real chance to move up in the rankings, the moment got the better of them:

1. Panthers offense played very tight. What has happened to this free wheeling offense is beyond me but last night there appeared to be more dropped passes than there have been all year long. Not just any kind of dropped passes but 7 yard in your hands passes. Perfectly thrown passes were dropped. Drive killing drops that this usually reliable wide receiving corps doesn't do. I mean WTF.

2. People want to talk about Kade Bell's offense being figured out and maybe that's the case but last night there were so many plays where if the QB had any kind of accuracy we'd be talking about the Panthers scoring 35 pts at least. Holstein missed Konata not once but twice on deep posts. First one was a relatively easy throw, lead him and we have six. Second one was was the next play would have extended the drive. Yarnell missed Williams down the sidelines, missed Gavin on a Defensive bust late in the game, waited too long on a double move that was intercepted. You get the picture. The plays were dialed up, but the execution was nowhere to be found. So drops and inaccurate throws is not a good recipe.

3. The D had 2 picks, six sacks, and made UVA punt 6 times. Usually that's a recipe for a win. Probably gave up too many run yards but they were on the field a lot. Got very little help from our O. McMillian made a great play in the back of the end zone to keep the game within reach also. Though giving up the third and long on the last drive was a killer. Louis got there a tad late, the ball fluttered in the air but the UVA receiver was wide open. Once again maybe think about playing a little softer and keep them in front of the sticks but that's not Bates or Duzz's style.

4. Speaking of getting no help, the refs did us no favors at all. Probably the worst crew we've seen all year. Plainly they were abysmal. The hold on 70 on the two pt conversion was a terrible call. The stop on 4th down that was replayed was also the height of incompetence. If UVA snapped before they were supposed it's a 5 yard dead ball penalty. Pitt would have had 6 minutes to get a game winning fg. The no hold call on UVA's big drive on not one but two of our edge guys was a travesty especially when this crew seemed to go out of their way to target every borderline holding call. They allowed the UVA defender to go through Reynolds on a third down stop, clearly getting there early. Refs were just really bad last night.

5. Why Yarnell insisted on throwing the deep pass that was intercepted on the last drive is beyond me. Expect better from him. He had 2 time outs left and plenty of time and once again missed a wide open crossing route. That play was not open and the Pitt receiver was merely clearing out some Cavaliers. Bad pass and he should know better.

6. The biggest play of the game was the blocked fg. Changed the momentum of this game completely. It appeared that the snap was slightly off and took maybe 1/2 second longer than need me to get the kick off. usually the edge guys are let go because of the time it takes to get to the kick. Kid made the play. Gotta give them credit but that flipped this game. 16-7 vs 13-7 is huge.

7. Pitt's best unit right now is the D. Quit taking the ball first and going 3 and out. Defer.

8. It's a tough time to change the OL so severely this late in the season. Moving 3 guys around is a lot to expect and it really showed. Though I thought the run blocking improved as the game went on. Would have liked to see some more rollouts and more max protects.

9. There is no way to sugar coat this but last night was an awful loss. This wasn't a good Virginia team and if we execute even a little bit on offense we should win this game with ease. Maybe with the pressure of the CFP playoff off this team they can relax and let loose a little. Very very disappointed though in them. And now with their OL playing like they did they face a very good front seven in Clemson next week.

10. I wish I had an answer. Typically Narduzzi's teams tend to finish strong but this team is floundering right now. Losing at SMU is one thing but to put on that performance last night at home against a mediocre team is head scratching. Not sure what else to say.

Pitt82

Look - not meant to excuse last night’s performance. Just not good enough and not acceptable. The penalties, general offensive performance, giving up 3rd and 15, etc… just good enough. Criticize away.

And… starting out 7-0 and feeling like we had something to play for also made it a lot more disappointing than if our schedule was different and we were like 4-3 at this point.

But… there’s been so many “Fire Narduzzi” or “not okay with mediocrity” posts and I swear some of you guys just do not live in reality.

Let’s look at our schedule and compare NIL budgets

Kent State - Pitt
Cincy - Cincy (Karlo confirmed)
WVU - WVU
YSU - Pitt
UNC - unsure ?
Cal - Pitt ? Could be wrong
Syracuse - Pitt? Although maybe comparable with new staff there and investment
SMU - SMU
UVA - Pitt
Clemson - Clemson
Lville - Lville
BC - Pitt

So… yeah. If you look at that, you would reasonably expect 6-8 wins… and that’s the exact range we’ll fall into.

I’m not saying it defends every coaching decision or will determine every outcome. Obviously you should be trying to maximize the program. Nobody should be STRIVING solely for 7-8 wins.

But you just cannot take your ball and go home because Pitt won 7-8 games…. When that is exactly how our program/collective is funded.

You know why Indiana is good this year? It seems like Cignetti is a really good coach… but they supposedly had $12-14M for him for NIL. He’s quoted as saying he was pleasantly surprised, more than he was promised.

So yeah. Last night sucked and we should all be miserable.

But the whole “accepting mediocrity” argument is so damn childish and not grounded in reality.