Pitt Fans...

[LastWarrior]

I tell you what... I REALLY can't stand the Pitt fans.  I went over to Pantherlair.com and tried to extend an olive branch and wish them luck for the game and all I got back was garbage.  DJ is a p*ssy, the MU coach cries all the time, MU is a bunch of crybabies, blah, blah, blah.

In my eyes, there are UL fans, then pond scum, and well below the pond scum, there are the Pitt fans.

Let's whip the floor with these b*tches!

FIRE UP MARQUETTE!

[RawdogDX]

I tell you what... I REALLY can't stand the Pitt fans.  I went over to Pantherliar.com and tried to extend an olive branch and wish them luck for the game and all I got back was garbage.  DJ is a p*ssy, the MU coach cries all the time, MU is a bunch of crybabies, blah, blah, blah.

In my eyes, there are UL fans, then pond scum, and well below the pond scum, there are the Pitt fans.

Let's whip the floor with these b*tches!

FIRE UP MARQUETTE!

I agree, the least likeable fans i can think of.  I hate pitt more than any team other than madison

[ecompt]

The thing is, they whine about West Virginia fans and make all the disparaging remarks about WVU, but I found Mountaineer fans to be knowledgable and likeable. Pitt fans, on the other hand, are rude jerks. Pompous, and for no reason.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The thing is, they whine about West Virginia fans and make all the disparaging remarks about WVU, but I found Mountaineer fans to be knowledgable and likeable. Pitt fans, on the other hand, are rude jerks. Pompous, and for no reason.

At the Big East Tournament last year, I found the Pitt fans around me to be just ridiculous.  Syracuse fans were quite cool, as were WVU and some of the others.  Pitt is pit.

[gopitt]

I saw the post on pantherlair and only 2 responded.  Every board has their trolls.  Actually if you ask around, the Pitt hoops rivals board is very well respected.  Alot of good, non flaming knowledge.  Check back after the game.  Win or lose, there will be some great analysis.  Not sure why but I will agree that there is a certain dislike for Crean for whatever reason.

Everyone here considers this a game that is almost impossible at this point.  Pitt has 5 new starters (including 2 freshmen) this year and has been hanging on by its fingertips.  Personally, although Levance coming back this game may provide an emotional lift, I think his participation will be very limited.  IF Blair can stay out of foul trouble and Benjamin re-finds his shooting touch and Ramon can somehow stay within 2 feet of DJ, maybe we can make this a game.

Looking forward to a good one.  Good Luck the rest of the season!

[spiral97]

wish I could say I respect the pitt rivals board.. I look now and see tons of posts saying they're "hoping James' wrist is broken", half blaming the refs, going on about crean whining, "marquette is playing terrible", "James is a drama crean", "hope bad things happen to marquette and only marquette", "i'd like to see a scenario involving blood and crean" and so on...

come on.. this was all by many many many more than 2 posters... classless and just downright despicable.  gopitt - you and a few others I truly do respect but I'm sorry to say your brethren really aren't representing you well at all.  Hope you can bring calm to that madhouse.

That said, I think you guys just had an off night.  The announcers mentioned something about bringing somebody back into the lineup after months away and having it screw with your chemistry - I think that was part of it.  The other part of it is quite simply it is tough to win on the road.  I'm half glad we didn't play you guys in your house this season.  Sincere best of luck the rest of the season - hope we don't have to meet in the Big East Tourney again.. didn't like last year's BE tourney result at all 

[TallTitan34]

At the Big East Tournament last year the Marquette fans cheered on West Virginia in their game versus Louisville before ours. 

The Golden Eagle and some cheerleaders even went over to their student section and cheered West Virginia on.  It was pretty cool as the West Virgina students were very friendly.  For those WV fans who stuck around they cheered for us in our game then.  We all had gold on so it worked well.

Needless to say, however, if we played each other they would become evil and have to be destroyed.

[muhoosier260]

i was sitting right on the corner of the Pitt bench tonight in front row of student section, and there was some guy wearing a bright yellow t-shirt. good choice. needless to say he was silenced throughout the night...it was funny how little he stood up and cheered during the 2nd half. he was gone by 5 minutes left in the game, odd.

[mviale]

funny how fans react when their team has a collapse:

Need a big man presence - sound familar?
ON DEFENSE--Pitt really misses the inside height that Gray and Kendall together provided. It is so much easier to defend when you have a couple of really tall guys in the paint to cause shots to be altered, or not even taken by penetrators. For as good as Blair is, he, by himself is unable to provide that same degree of inside deterrence. Why? IMO, it is partly due to freshman inexperience but mostly, despite his wingspan, because he has to leave his feet and elevate to accomplish what Gray at 7-0 could often do without leaving his feet. Blair's sidekick is Sam Young and Sam has the same vulnerability that Blair has in that he must leave his feet and elevate to provide what Kendall did defensively without leaving his feet. Blair, especially, is more susceptible to being faked into leaving his feet than was Gray. The result is often that he either sends the penetrator to the line for free throws, or the penetrator scores while Blair is off his feet. And, once Blair is in foul trouble Pitt has no effective answer coming off the bench. There is no Kendall to slide over into the post and Pitt really becomes small and vulnerable inside.

ON OFFENSE--With Gray, especially, and Kendall gone the offense is more erratic, less consistent. When there is good ball movement and open looks the offense can be very very good but when that isn't happening and/or the outside shooting is off, as any team's outside shooting will be from time to time, there isn't the ability to compensate by effectively working the ball inside to the low post the way you can when your target is a 7-footer like Gray. It is harder to get the ball inside to Blair simply because he is shorter. That difficulty also makes it harder to run the kickouts. You can't as easily work it inside, get the defense to collapse and then kick it out for the open look. Gray's inside presence on offense often kept Pitt within striking distance of opponents when the team wasn't otherwise shooting well. This often positioned the team to effectively rally late in games instead of falling further behind.

IMO, these inherent offensive and defensive weaknesses make for a less consistent team which has the potential to occasionally get blown out like tonight and like vs Rutgers and Dayton. Yes, losing Cook and Fields hasn't helped matters--Pitt would have probably won a couple of more games if they hadn't been injured; but, the inherent weakness resulting from no longer going 7-0 and 6-10 inside was still going to contribute, IMO, to a few really bad results like Dayton, Rutgers and Marquette.

Is there an answer? IMO, in principle, Simmerdunna was correct in saying Pitt would be better off with another really big guy in the game with Blair. Unfortunately, neither Diggs who is injured, nor McGhee who needs more experience at this level of play, are currently the answer that would allow Pitt to go that route this year. IMO, McGhee needs to develop rapidly and Pitt really needs to recruit another big inside player with talent. Until either or both happen, we fans are going to suffer through some of these really disappointing games.

[ecompt]

I feel sorry for gopitt that he has to hang around the scumbags over at the Pitt board. There is no school in the world that has a bigger grouop of low-life a-holes. Good luck the rest of the way, gopitt, you are the class act in a group that is the scum of the earth.

[Marquette84]

I would suggest we call a truce with Pitt.  We REALLY need Pitt to beat Notre Dame to have any chance for a bye.  We need to win out, and ND needs to lose twice.  Pitt and UL are probably the only two challenges left for ND. 

[MarquetteVol]

I thought it was funny that someone on that board was ripping Marquette for being in a bad neighborhood. I'd rather be in a bad neighborhood than a s***hole city.

Those people are total clowns. I refuse to respect any school that not only hires Dave Wannstedt, but also gives him a contract extension. That speaks volumes about the low level of intelligence at the University of PITT-iful.

[Norm]

Chill MarquetteVol,

Pittsburgh is a cool city. I went to the Pitt-MU game there two years ago and had a great time. I've also been to the city for several youth hockey tournaments and it is a good place to visit.

By the way, Tom Crean not only got a grad degree from Pitt, he met his wife there.

[77fan88warrior]

I thought it was funny that someone on that board was ripping Marquette for being in a bad neighborhood. I'd rather be in a bad neighborhood than a s***hole city.

Those people are total clowns. I refuse to respect any school that not only hires Dave Wannstedt, but also gives him a contract extension. That speaks volumes about the low level of intelligence at the University of PITT-iful.

I have to agree with the Wannstedt comment. That guy is something special.