Well, being #1 was good while it lasted but, I told you that the Pittsburgh Panthers were going to use those cat quick paws to claw out a victory over our undermaned and over rated UCONN Huskies and they did, by a score of 76 to 68. Needless to say, the points you received, if you took my advice and bet on Pitt, were a  gift and because, anyone having recently watched these two clubs, had to know that Pitt was the type of physical team that UCONN couldn’t handle and especially with Jerome Dyson and his points out of the picture. Before I comment any further about the game let me first ask Jeff Jacobs of the Hartford Courant why he incorrectly wrote that the margin of victory was 9 and not 8 in his lame, all about Blair, article this morning. Beyond that, I really have to question why the editors at the Courant continue to have this guy cover UCONN Mens Basketball. Coach “Jimbo” Calhoun, as as well as his assistants won’ t speak to him and so, his only quotes have to come from opposition.

As for the game, the only surprise to me was the way Pitt totally dominated the boards (48-31). One thing really bothered me the most about this game and even when UCONN took a 5 point, 2nd half lead. Why was A.J. Price on the bench at that juncture of the game. In the post bgame imterview, Coach admitted his stupidity but, with Price scoring only 3 of his 18, after the half time break, maybe he shouldn’t be too hard on himself. A.J., whether you make the shots or not, you are the leader of this team and the one we must having shooting and  scoring down the stretch. Wow! Did you NBA scouts see the way Hasheem Thabeet was totally outplayed and outmuscled by Blair (A whoppong 23 rebounds to go with 22 points)? Couple that inside nightmare with Jeff Adriens continued trouble guarding Sam Young (Game high 25 points) and Pittsburgh was not going to score the 60 or less points I felt UCONN could allow and still get a win. Overall, the Husky shot selection left a lot to be desired. Good defense will do that to you yet, when Stanley Robinson, who led the Huskies with 10 rebounds (That tells you something about this one and why we got destroyed on the boards) attempts 2 three pointers and others, like Adrien force bad shots, I can’t help but feel sick. After all, Stanley hasn’t hit a three all year and Adrien isn’t a guy with a consistent turnaround shot. I’d be lying to you if I told you that I thought the Huskies had a chance in this one. Thank goodness Fields was 0 for 8, until his two game altering 3 pointers because, if he, Wanamaker or Brown were shooting well, we could have gotten blown out. That said, don’t start licking your chops about the game against Pitt in Pittsburgh. We’re going to lose that one too. Again and especially without Dyson’s key offensive contribution, we just don’t have enough players/scorers to compensate for his loss.

I’m out of here!  Sic Rick