Dude, Check Out Pitt

So check it. It’s the new year, which means football is finishing up and 90% of my blog content will be leaving me within the month. So this is about the time my mind starts shifting to hockey and Pitt basketball.

The Penguins suck fiercely right now, so I wanna take a look at what Pitt’s doing. And boy, my timing couldn’t be better.

Pitt is about to assume its first #1 overall ranking in school history. That’s right, the team that’s been playing for over 100 years with especially ridiculous teams over the last 10 or so is finally about to stand atop the nation. Yeah, it’s no national championship, but who can argue with a number 1 ranking halfway through the regular season?

We’ve gotten close like 14 different times it feels like, only to lose some meaningless game that pushes us closer to the lower rankings. This time, Pitt took care of business BEFORE UNC shat the bed. And by took care of business, I mean held Georgetown to 54 points in a 16 point win over the other Big East power.

Since Pitt is about to get some national exposure over the unbeaten record and top ranking, I feel its time to say it right now:

IF YOU’RE A PITT FAN, STOP MENTIONING HOW TEAMS IN YEARS PAST COULDN’T GET PAST THE SWEET SIXTEEN!

Really, that argument makes about as much sense as saying the Chargers are gonna beat the Steelers on Sunday because San Diego beat Pittsburgh in the playoffs in 94. Look, Pitt has had a bitch of a time in March, seemingly struggling to get past the round of 16. I’ll be the first to tell you all about tourney loss after tourney loss, but not now. Not as if it pertains to THIS Pitt team. Dejuan Blair and Sam Young had nothing to do with the 02 Sweet 16 loss.

To become a true elite team, the loser stigma needs to go out the door with the cake non-conference schedule. Someone is always complaining about Pitt, whether it be about the tourney losses or that the team seems to always play gravy opponents at home to start the season. Well, the non-conference schedule is over, pushed away by clutch wins over Rutgers and G-town. And Pitt has used the always-there defense (Rutgers posted a Pitt-opponent season record 72 points) to compliment 3 guys averaging double figures.

So just as Pitt quieted the critics regarding their easy early-season schedule, so too must this team quiet the idiots who probably picked Pitt to go far in a number of past tourneys. And it starts with the fans leaving the past, and never using the former failures to justify any future struggles.