It has been a very interesting start to the conference season in college basketball, and nothing over the first couple of weeks of 2012 has been more surprising than the horrific starts of two perennial power-conference powers: Wisconsin of the Big Ten, and Pittsburgh of the Big East. The Badgers dropped three straight after opening conference play with a win at Nebraska, including losses to Iowa (yuck) and Michigan State on their usually impenetrable home floor. The Panthers have dropped their first four conference games (and five overall), including two defeats at the Petersen Events Center, where they were practically unbeatable before this season (they also dropped non-conference games at home to Long Beach State and Wagner).
Both of these teams are accustomed to being at or near the top of their respective leagues, and both were expected to more or less maintain the status quo this season. So is there any hope for either of them?
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Long Beach State 86, Pittsburgh 76
[recap] [box score]
The college basketball season's not yet two weeks old, but I guarantee that you won't see a more impressive non-conference win all season than Long Beach State's victory at Pittsburgh.
A bigger upset? Sure. A few have already happened. But a more impressive one? No chance.
How can I be so sure? Because I can't point to a game remaining on any schedule which would be more impressive.
Sure, Maine could go into the XL Center Thursday night and beat the defending national champions. There are a huge number of games over the course of the season where that could happen. But they would be flukes, one-offs, the product of the favorite not taking the underdog seriously.
Pittsburgh was plenty aware of Long Beach State. The 49ers have received a few votes for the top 25. They went 14-2 in the Big West last season, before getting upset by UC-Santa Barbara in the conference championship and having to settle for an NIT bid.
Yes, Pitt knew all about Long Beach. And yet Dan Monson's crew went into the Petersen Events Center -- the same building in which Pitt had lost to exactly one non-conference opponent since it opened in 2002 -- and kicked their asses. The Pitt team that returned three starters from the team that earned a No. 1 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament. Kicked. Their. Asses.
The college basketball season's not yet two weeks old, but I guarantee that you won't see a more impressive non-conference win all season than Long Beach State's victory at Pittsburgh.
A bigger upset? Sure. A few have already happened. But a more impressive one? No chance.
How can I be so sure? Because I can't point to a game remaining on any schedule which would be more impressive.
Sure, Maine could go into the XL Center Thursday night and beat the defending national champions. There are a huge number of games over the course of the season where that could happen. But they would be flukes, one-offs, the product of the favorite not taking the underdog seriously.
Pittsburgh was plenty aware of Long Beach State. The 49ers have received a few votes for the top 25. They went 14-2 in the Big West last season, before getting upset by UC-Santa Barbara in the conference championship and having to settle for an NIT bid.
Yes, Pitt knew all about Long Beach. And yet Dan Monson's crew went into the Petersen Events Center -- the same building in which Pitt had lost to exactly one non-conference opponent since it opened in 2002 -- and kicked their asses. The Pitt team that returned three starters from the team that earned a No. 1 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament. Kicked. Their. Asses.
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