Pitt Finally Reaches the Top

Contributed by: Jason Dugan

Unlike most of the City of Pittsburgh, throughout my lifetime my Sports Universe did not run directly through the middle of Three Rivers Stadium or Heinz Field.

Sure, I have been a fan of the Steelers for my entire life (except for the brief period when I was a Lions fan. I know, a Lions Fan? Barry Sanders electrified me in a way no player ever had or ever will) and I did my fair share of celebrating when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL, but for me basketball has always been the left, right and center of my Sports Universe.

Growing up I had the privilege to see the Pittsburgh Panthers play many games at both Fitzgerald Field House, and the Civic Arena (Now the Mellon Arena). 1986 is the year it started for me. Guys like, Jerome Lane, Charles Smith, Demetrius Gore, Jason Matthews, Rod Brookin, Brian Shorter, Darren Morningstar. I remember all the success and great games, but I was still a kid that was a fan, not a fan's fan. I would much rather play than watch any game at that point.

I followed Pitt for the next 12 years almost as an after-thought thanks in large part to Ralph Willard being arguably the worst game coach I have ever seen. In 2000, Ben Howland took over, and although he was a relative unknown coach, you could feel that there were changes coming soon.

Pitt started its unprecedented run to seven of eight Big East Tournament Championship games in March 2001 before losing to Boston College. The following season Pitt started the season 12-0 before going to Chestnut Hill to take on 12th ranked Boston College on January 5th 2002. What happened that day was, in my opinion, the turning point of the Pitt basketball program. I do not have the details of the victory, but PITT beat a good Boston College team that day 77-74.

Since January 5th 2002 there have been a total of 18 teams ranked #1 in the country in Men's College Basketball. There are 18 weeks per season in which the rankings are published including pre-season and after the Championship game, so being ranked #1 even for a short period of time is a pretty exclusive and prestigious club to be a part of. As of 1:06pm today, January 5th 2009, PITT became the 19th team since January 5th 2002 to be ranked #1 in the Nation.

Is it a coincidence that exactly 7 years after that one victory was the day Pitt finally climbed to the top of the mountain? Maybe. Is it also a coincidence that the same team Pitt defeated to start their "run" of success was also the team that had to win for PITT to claim #1? I think not.

In basketball, as in life, you always have to play the hand you are dealt, the only problem with that is that there countless outside influences that directly impact your path. Let us call them bad breaks, maybe you did not get a call, you missed some shots, you did everything you could and still did not get the results you expected. That is the game. When you do everything in your power to succeed, and still come up short all that you can do is keep working until the day comes and you do succeed. That is what Pitt has done for the last 7 years; work at moving forward, no complaints, no blame, just working to move forward. That is why it is not a coincidence.

It has been a great 7 years since that turning point in Chestnut Hill, with too many great memories to recount each one. There have also been too many slights to recount each one as well. The question now is does Pitt stay among the elite, and retain their #1 ranking for a significant period of time? Or, do they go the way of some other teams that have reached the pinnacle of the rankings and now become afterthought? Alabama, St. Joe's, and Stanford to name a few.

I am no expert, but I think that Pitt will be at or near the top for a very long time.