Possible dates Pitt and Gonzaga could play

[Sean Miller Fan]

Looking at the 2 schedules, these are the following dates that the 2 teams could play without having to play back to back nights. Most dates would allow only 1 full day rest between games (think Sat/Mon Big Monday that we've done often). On some dates, either Pitt and Gonzaga would get 2 full days rest between their games that week.

Dec 16
Jan 4
Jan 11
Jan 25
Feb 2




Dec 27 would provide more rest
Pitt plays Western Carolina on Dec 23 and they are off until Syr on Dec 30. This would eliminate a Christmas break but I'd bet the players would rather play Gonzaga then get a few days off for Christmas. The team would have to vote on it, I would say.

Gonzaga also plays on the 23rd and doesnt play again until Dec 31.

As a last resort, the WCC Tourney ends on a Tuesday. If Pitt gets knocked out of the ACCT on a Tue or Wed but still have a chance of making the NCAAT due to a good RPI and strong league but are popularly viewed as First Four out or Next Four Out, Pitt and Gonzaga could play on the Sat before Selection Sunday. This would probably require a hefty payment to Gonzaga though since they would have less to gain. St. Mary's played a game after the WCC Tourney to show the committee Patty Mills was healthy one year.

 

[DT_PITT]

Looking at the 2 schedules, these are the following dates that the 2 teams could play without having to play back to back nights. Most dates would allow only 1 full day rest between games (think Sat/Mon Big Monday that we've done often). On some dates, either Pitt and Gonzaga would get 2 full days rest between their games that week.

Dec 16
Jan 4
Jan 11
Jan 25
Feb 2




Dec 27 would provide more rest
Pitt plays Western Carolina on Dec 23 and they are off until Syr on Dec 30. This would eliminate a Christmas break but I'd bet the players would rather play Gonzaga then get a few days off for Christmas. The team would have to vote on it, I would say.

Gonzaga also plays on the 23rd and doesnt play again until Dec 31.

As a last resort, the WCC Tourney ends on a Tuesday. If Pitt gets knocked out of the ACCT on a Tue or Wed but still have a chance of making the NCAAT due to a good RPI and strong league but are popularly viewed as First Four out or Next Four Out, Pitt and Gonzaga could play on the Sat before Selection Sunday. This would probably require a hefty payment to Gonzaga though since they would have less to gain. St. Mary's played a game after the WCC Tourney to show the committee Patty Mills was healthy one year.

You are truly one of a kind!

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

You are truly one of a kind!

SMF give it a rest. It s not happening.

 

[anon_4dfwm2pijbr0a]

I can't wait until Narduzzi seriously considers bringing JayPa onto his staff...

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

SMF give it a rest. It s not happening.

I know but it should.

 

[NTOP]

I know but it should.

All about you. Feeling cheated out of 20 minutes of hoops that you are entitled to see.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

List of dates that Pitt and Gonzaga might realistically play:










.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

All about you. Feeling cheated out of 20 minutes of hoops that you are entitled to see.

"entitled" to watch a basketball game on TV. Huh?

 

[wbrpanther]

Looking at the 2 schedules, these are the following dates that the 2 teams could play without having to play back to back nights. Most dates would allow only 1 full day rest between games (think Sat/Mon Big Monday that we've done often). On some dates, either Pitt and Gonzaga would get 2 full days rest between their games that week.

Dec 16
Jan 4
Jan 11
Jan 25
Feb 2




Dec 27 would provide more rest
Pitt plays Western Carolina on Dec 23 and they are off until Syr on Dec 30. This would eliminate a Christmas break but I'd bet the players would rather play Gonzaga then get a few days off for Christmas. The team would have to vote on it, I would say.

Gonzaga also plays on the 23rd and doesnt play again until Dec 31.

As a last resort, the WCC Tourney ends on a Tuesday. If Pitt gets knocked out of the ACCT on a Tue or Wed but still have a chance of making the NCAAT due to a good RPI and strong league but are popularly viewed as First Four out or Next Four Out, Pitt and Gonzaga could play on the Sat before Selection Sunday. This would probably require a hefty payment to Gonzaga though since they would have less to gain. St. Mary's played a game after the WCC Tourney to show the committee Patty Mills was healthy one year.

I am assuming that in your world they have agreed to play this game.

 

[maxxwell]

Fair pozt by SMF. Dixon made it sound like tbe teams would like to finish the game but couldn't gind an ooen date to do it. SMF is dispelling that claim.

 

[KiwiJeff]

Fair pozt by SMF. Dixon made it sound like tbe teams would like to finish the game but couldn't gind an ooen date to do it. SMF is dispelling that claim.

We don't know if he dispelled it or not. And who knows if time wasn't the factor, which would make SMF right, but there was a different gating factor that made it less likely to happen? I have seen a good number of games in the past get cancelled, a few of the military ones, and some OOCs canceled from weather. Very few of those get made up, for whatever reason.

 

[UPitt '89]

I think finding an open date is the easy part.

Finding an open neutral venue, that is amenable to both teams with respect to travel, is a bigger issue.

It wouldnt be fair for either team to get the game at home.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Fair pozt by SMF. Dixon made it sound like tbe teams would like to finish the game but couldn't gind an ooen date to do it. SMF is dispelling that claim.

Well, to be fair, it is not ideal to play a 3 game week which is what this game would require. Like a Sat/Tue/Thu kind of a deal or Sat/Mon/Wed. However, this program has won 4 games in 4 days in the past, played 3 in 3 in Maui last year. I just dont think that Sat/Mon/Wed/Sat is that big of a deal. Teams charter planes and the flight to a place like Chicago or KC to play it isnt really that long.

My point is the game CAN be played if both teams wanted to. No, there is not a perfect date out there besides Dec 27 so it would take the small sacrifice of playing 4 games from Sat-Sat instead of 3.

I dont think this game will get played......but its not some total impossibility. If it was important enough to both teams, it would happen.

 

[Zaratoughda]

I don't think you could find a neutral venue that would work. Few mentioned Chicago but who in Chicago would go to see Gonzaga vs Pitt. So, you would have to schedule a home and home and, given our ACC/B10 game this year is at home, we would want to play it THERE this year and, that is a long flight (again) particularly for that time of the year where you are otherwise giving the players a Christmas break.

So, it ain't gonna happen.

In any case, Dixon isn't interested in scheduling any home and homes. Is happy with the schedule the way it is. Yeah, this is one thing I don't like about what Dixon does. Seems to prefer the easiest schedule he can get away with, and IMO that is not good (he isn't the only coach like that). IMO should schedule two home and homes a year with one home and one away each year. But, I would not hold my breath on this as Dixon has stated he is not interested in doing that (Syracuse is and has scheduled such games... and there are others... but NOT Dixon).

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I don't think you could find a neutral venue that would work. Few mentioned Chicago but who in Chicago would go to see Gonzaga vs Pitt. So, you would have to schedule a home and home and, given our ACC/B10 game this year is at home, we would want to play it THERE this year and, that is a long flight (again) particularly for that time of the year where you are otherwise giving the players a Christmas break.

So, it ain't gonna happen.

In any case, Dixon isn't interested in scheduling any home and homes. Is happy with the schedule the way it is. Yeah, this is one thing I don't like about what Dixon does. Seems to prefer the easiest schedule he can get away with, and IMO that is not good (he isn't the only coach like that). IMO should schedule two home and homes a year with one home and one away each year. But, I would not hold my breath on this as Dixon has stated he is not interested in doing that (Syracuse is and has scheduled such games... and there are others... but NOT Dixon).

Venue and attendance is the least of problems. There's enough places to play. Would anybody buy a ticket? Maybe not but who cares. Attendance doesn't matter. ESPN will be there. Anybody watching these tournament games this week. There hasnt been a crowd thats hit 1,000 yet. Made for TV.

If they were worried about attendance, they'd play in Dayton or Omaha. Those are probably the 2 best college bball cities in America. The managers' pregame 3 on 3 game would sell those venues out.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

But would ESPN be there? This isn't like college football where the television schedule doesn't get set until 12 (or 6) days ahead of time. ESPN already has college basketball games scheduled all the way through March. Additionally your "best date" is December 27, a Sunday. Would ESPN even be interested in showing a Pitt-Gonzaga game against a full slate of late season NFL games?

It's not just as simple as "pick a date and ESPN will come" no matter how much we might wish it to be so.

 

[NTOP]

But would ESPN be there? This isn't like college football where the television schedule doesn't get set until 12 (or 6) days ahead of time. ESPN already has college basketball games scheduled all the way through March. Additionally your "best date" is December 27, a Sunday. Would ESPN even be interested in showing a Pitt-Gonzaga game against a full slate of late season NFL games?

It's not just as simple as "pick a date and ESPN will come" no matter how much we might wish it to be so.

Beyond that....it would be absolutely unnecessary. And pretty costly, since the venue would be rented. Really silly discussion all-around. Can't believe I've been involved. Where's my Kevorkian url??

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Did I just read "I'd bet the players would rather play Gonzaga then (sic) get a few days off for Christmas", stated completely unironically and in a way that was meant to provide "analysis"?

 

[KiwiJeff]

Did I just read "I'd bet the players would rather play Gonzaga then (sic) get a few days off for Christmas", stated completely unironically and in a way that was meant to provide "analysis"?

Why would the players ever want to see their family? They are not real people after all, just widgets on a TV screen meant to entertain us.

I think the funding and the ESPN involvement would be key. I have no idea if ESPN would pay twice for that game. Perhaps if it were UK/Duke. They have plenty of games to choose from already without spending again (no idea if it would be an incremental cost to them, but SOMEBODY would have to pay for it). Then renting a place, flying to wherever, hotels. I suspect it all comes down to $$, but no coach could or would ever say that. If ESPN didn't pay for the location, would Pitt and Gonzaga split the cost? Loser pays?