| |
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
|
|
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:Dec 5, 2006
|
|
Both CBS and ESPN put out their very early next season polls and the results are in:
CBS: #9
ESPN: #3
I feel pretty good about next years team, but I would actually rather start around #15 and work our way up then start at #3, for some crazy reason, whether its Football or Basketball pre-season expectations end up being our kiss of death. Looks like this upcoming season both teams will put that theory to test.
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:99
Level:Superstar
Since:Aug 28, 2006
|
|
First off, these early polls are garbage. Do yourself a favor and copy those lists somewhere and compare them to the actual preseason poll (which, by the way, is also garbage). Everything will be so far off it is ridiculous.
Even so, it is interesting to see what people think of our program. The #3 spot is WAY too high in my opinion, but Pitt is definitely getting some respect. EVERY poll I have seen has us in the top 15. Personally, I think that we could definitely be a top-10 team...but then again, so can 5 other Big East teams.
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Dec 13, 2006
|
Panther is right. These rediculously early polls are pretty much meaningless. What is exciting is to see how the Pitt basketball program is getting more respect. We return the nucleus of this team and lose Keith Benjamin, Ronald Ramon, and most likely Mike Cook.
As much of a strong player and leader Cook was, we did well this season without but it would be great if he could come back.
Ronald Ramon was the 3 point shooter of the team, but he had nagging injuries that sidelined his potential his entire career. Hopefully someone else can polish the 3 so we can have a threat from the outside.
Keith Benjamin is a high energy off the bench type player who landed in a starting role due to the Cook injury and Jamie Dixon's loyalty to seniors. Honestly I think Gil Brown will assume this role and shine bright.
The question mark I think will be who steps into the 2. Assuming Blair and Young stay at the 5 and 4 respectively, I figure Gil Brown at the 3 Levance Fields at the 1. Brad Wanamaker didn't show me enough last year, but he had a limited role so who knows. Maybe one of the several guys we have coming in as freshman could be effective enough to clock some solid minutes.
Basically unless the incoming guys can get some solid minutes, this team will be really spread thin. Biggs McGee and Wanamaker are the only ones who had at least some role last year off the bench. As we learned this past year, injuries happen, and I am not so sure next years team will do nearly as well if the same type thing happens.
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Jan 27, 2008
|
|
pittgrad, i think what your saying is mostly true...but what if for the starting lineup you put fields at the 1, gil brown at the 2, young at the 3, blair at the 4, and biggs at center. i like this because it makes the team so much bigger all the way through the lineup. lets face it, blair is big, but not necessarily big enough to be that essential "BIG MAN" for a title contending team. Young can certainly play the 3 because he can shoot perimeter and his drive-and-shoot move is exceptional. also, nasir robinson the incoming freshman could put in alot of time at the 2/3 slots
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Dec 13, 2006
|
Pete, I thought of that option too, only I would put Biggs at the 4 and Blair at the 5. Biggs is what an inch taller than Blair? But he doesn't have the wingspan of a 747 like Blair does which is why he can be a smaller, but effective center in college. The only thing that scares me with that line up is who comes off the bench for the 4 or 5 spot then? If Gary McGhee can do some work this offseason and really develop then it doesn't matter. You could alternate McGhee at the 5 and Biggs and Blair can rotate between 4 and 5 spots.
McGhee really didn't show me much at all, but neither did Aaron Gray his first year or two. Gray was big tall goon who was a disaster when the ball got into his hands. Granted the fact he was 7 foot tall helped him as a player while he developed his skills, but it shows me that Dixon and co. can successfully develop a big man.
If McGhee, or Cassin Diggs seemingly the latest Jamie Dixon JUCO bust, can develop their games and become a real quality, and tall, center then we will be in much better shape.
I agree about Nasir Robinson too. I try not to bank on incoming freshman we haven't seen yet, but I have heard great things about him. Hopefully he lives up to expectations and can put in some good time.
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:92
Level:All-Star
Since:Jan 8, 2008
|
|
This message has been removed by the administrator.
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:Sep 10, 2006
|
|
I don't know if they can be ranked that high (like 10 or 12) even with Sam Young, without him they can be in the Top 25. Pitt will need a 3-point shooter next year to open up the inside.
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:97
Level:Superstar
Since:Dec 5, 2006
|
|
Guess what, just to flame the hype that will lead to our likely inevitable meltdown, Lunardi just put up his first Bracketology and right there in print: Pitt as a #1 seed.
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:99
Level:Superstar
Since:Jan 15, 2007
|
|
Not just a # 1 but THE # 1. Play-in-winner. With our luck we'd be the first to screw up the 1 seed's perfect opening round record lol.
I don't like it, except that it makes people doubt us even more, in some cases (they'll be like "but WE should be there"...)
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
First 08-09 Pre-Season polls
|
Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Nov 4, 2007
|
|
If we do end up being ranked top 5 at the beginning of the season, i think that is a good thing. No matter how much we think the pollsters and voters are clueless alot of the time, they usually nail the top teams in the country. Last year AP and ESPN's preseason polls were the same. 1.UNC 2.UCLA 3.Memphis 4. Kansas. We were ranked 5th in '06 to start the season and we did lose in the sweet 16, but we ran into UCLA yet didnt get beat that bad. Bottom line is great teams dont let things like rankings effect them, so if we are as good as some are predicting poll position shouldnt matter.
|
|
