** Walking out of the Peterson Events Center tonight on the steps to Terrace Street, I heard a wonderful sound.
** Among the thrilled mass which was ambling past the exit doors at the moment, there sprouted an impromptu chant of “LET'S GO PITT." While it didn’t last especially long, the chant certainly didn't lack conviction nor attention.
** I’m wondering when was the last time I heard such an impromptu “LET'S GO PITT” in conjunction with our Basketball Team.
** In the first half of today’s contest, we honored the 2003 Big East Tournament Championship Team. There were plenty of chants of “LET'S GO PITT” that Championship night. Heck, I even recall extremely fondly walking out of Madison Square Garden while chanting with and actually hugging none other than Chancellor Nordenberg.
** Of course, this win does not rise in stature anywhere near the win in New York in March of 2003. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t pretty glorious in its own right.
** In fact, my 17 year old son said it was the most fun he’s ever had watching a basketball game in person. He’ll be making his college selection in the next several weeks. He’s looking at a remarkably elite group of schools including the likes of NYU, Georgetown, William and Mary, Case Western, Penn and others. Yet, it’s possible today’s game provided the kind of experience that tilts his matriculation toward the University of Pittsburgh.
** The 2002-2003 group of Panthers were a pretty special bunch. They were tough, experienced and talented. Yet I can’t recall any game when they scored the last 11 points of the game to steal a victory against a top 20 team.
** Most of the game today, my Son kept repeating a phrase about this game which seemed all too true. “Miami is simply just a better team” he offered. And I won’t try to disagree with that notion.
** But it’s likely also true that our Panthers were simply the team who wanted this game more.
** I often wonder what phrases such as “wanted it more” really mean. Should we really say that Miami didn’t actually want to win in the final minutes?
** Yet we made every single play in the fateful final 2:30, while the Canes didn’t seem to make a single one. I’ll leave it to you to create your own explanation why.
** I’m not going to try to decipher Fede Federiko’s personal motivations and whether he wants to win a game more than anyone else. What I will say instead is that his efforts and subsequent results were incredibly meaningful, while also completely timely, to the Panther’s victory.
** I’ll even go as far as to say that if Fede doesn’t rebound Nelly’s miss and return it through the basket at the 2:00 minute mark, no one would have ever been chanting “LET'S GO PITT” on the steps on the way out of the Pete tonight.
** My other takeaway from today’s game is that this year’s Panthers don’t seem to play the game with very much fear. They certainly almost never seem to be afraid to shoot the ball and that’s allowed them the confidence to shoot the ball whenever and wherever it’s needed. This is especially true for Blake Hinson who’s three to cut it to three with a minute and a half to go was among a handful of the biggest shots in a year that’s already had a pretty nice share of big shots.
** And while I liked that three, whether it was the game plan or personally choice, it was good to see Blake take the ball to the hoop today in addition to letting it fling from outside the line.
** Perhaps even more than Hinson, it would seem to me that Coach Capel continually encourages Nelly Cummings to keep shooting when I know many fans would rather he wouldn’t. But one way or another, his shot with a minute found someway to fall through the hoop.
** In the game’s final minutes, the Panthers never appeared to fear playing defense. Conversely, the usually well coached Canes looked tentative and undisciplined. And that made all of the needed difference to move the Panthers ahead of Miami in the ACC standings.
** Going back to our 2002-2003 team, the Pete they returned to today looked not all that unlike the one they left in at the end of that season 20 years ago. The crowd certainly numbered clearly over 10K while the Oakland Zoo was packed and in the final minutes was bouncing just like they did 20 years ago. It was pretty wonderful actually.
** Lots of things today seemed like they did 20 years ago. But the only thing that will really matter to me is returning to the NCAA Tournament like the 02-03 team and 12 other groups did to start this millennium.
** This outcome is far from being set in stone just yet. But today’s big win was a huge step in that direction.
** “LET’S GO PITT! … LET’S GO PITT!! … LET’S GO PITT!!! …”
** Among the thrilled mass which was ambling past the exit doors at the moment, there sprouted an impromptu chant of “LET'S GO PITT." While it didn’t last especially long, the chant certainly didn't lack conviction nor attention.
** I’m wondering when was the last time I heard such an impromptu “LET'S GO PITT” in conjunction with our Basketball Team.
** In the first half of today’s contest, we honored the 2003 Big East Tournament Championship Team. There were plenty of chants of “LET'S GO PITT” that Championship night. Heck, I even recall extremely fondly walking out of Madison Square Garden while chanting with and actually hugging none other than Chancellor Nordenberg.
** Of course, this win does not rise in stature anywhere near the win in New York in March of 2003. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t pretty glorious in its own right.
** In fact, my 17 year old son said it was the most fun he’s ever had watching a basketball game in person. He’ll be making his college selection in the next several weeks. He’s looking at a remarkably elite group of schools including the likes of NYU, Georgetown, William and Mary, Case Western, Penn and others. Yet, it’s possible today’s game provided the kind of experience that tilts his matriculation toward the University of Pittsburgh.
** The 2002-2003 group of Panthers were a pretty special bunch. They were tough, experienced and talented. Yet I can’t recall any game when they scored the last 11 points of the game to steal a victory against a top 20 team.
** Most of the game today, my Son kept repeating a phrase about this game which seemed all too true. “Miami is simply just a better team” he offered. And I won’t try to disagree with that notion.
** But it’s likely also true that our Panthers were simply the team who wanted this game more.
** I often wonder what phrases such as “wanted it more” really mean. Should we really say that Miami didn’t actually want to win in the final minutes?
** Yet we made every single play in the fateful final 2:30, while the Canes didn’t seem to make a single one. I’ll leave it to you to create your own explanation why.
** I’m not going to try to decipher Fede Federiko’s personal motivations and whether he wants to win a game more than anyone else. What I will say instead is that his efforts and subsequent results were incredibly meaningful, while also completely timely, to the Panther’s victory.
** I’ll even go as far as to say that if Fede doesn’t rebound Nelly’s miss and return it through the basket at the 2:00 minute mark, no one would have ever been chanting “LET'S GO PITT” on the steps on the way out of the Pete tonight.
** My other takeaway from today’s game is that this year’s Panthers don’t seem to play the game with very much fear. They certainly almost never seem to be afraid to shoot the ball and that’s allowed them the confidence to shoot the ball whenever and wherever it’s needed. This is especially true for Blake Hinson who’s three to cut it to three with a minute and a half to go was among a handful of the biggest shots in a year that’s already had a pretty nice share of big shots.
** And while I liked that three, whether it was the game plan or personally choice, it was good to see Blake take the ball to the hoop today in addition to letting it fling from outside the line.
** Perhaps even more than Hinson, it would seem to me that Coach Capel continually encourages Nelly Cummings to keep shooting when I know many fans would rather he wouldn’t. But one way or another, his shot with a minute found someway to fall through the hoop.
** In the game’s final minutes, the Panthers never appeared to fear playing defense. Conversely, the usually well coached Canes looked tentative and undisciplined. And that made all of the needed difference to move the Panthers ahead of Miami in the ACC standings.
** Going back to our 2002-2003 team, the Pete they returned to today looked not all that unlike the one they left in at the end of that season 20 years ago. The crowd certainly numbered clearly over 10K while the Oakland Zoo was packed and in the final minutes was bouncing just like they did 20 years ago. It was pretty wonderful actually.
** Lots of things today seemed like they did 20 years ago. But the only thing that will really matter to me is returning to the NCAA Tournament like the 02-03 team and 12 other groups did to start this millennium.
** This outcome is far from being set in stone just yet. But today’s big win was a huge step in that direction.
** “LET’S GO PITT! … LET’S GO PITT!! … LET’S GO PITT!!! …”
