Penn State Basketball's Future

[Dr.Funk]

who ever said Penn State was a basketball school anyway. Most schools that have really good football programs dont have good basketball programs, and the teams thaat dominate basketball programs you never heard of there football programs. ( North Carolina and Duke).

[frostlion]

Dr., prepare for about 30 messages detailing how great Pitt and WVU are at both basketball and football.

[abpk2903]

Even though they are average at both at best.

When was the last time Pitt made it past the sweet 16 and won a bowl game in the same year?

[once a runner]

To get past the sweet 16, you must get to the elite 8. So if you don't get to the elite 8, then you're just an average program? By those standards, this was the first year PSU was above average in football since 1996.

Until this season, Pitt had been in a bowl game for 5 straight years (and for 4 of those seasons, the BE included Miami and VT) and were consistently ranked in the top 20 in basketball. I'd say that's having very good programs in both sports.

There are plenty of schools that are good in both football and basketball....Texas, BC, Ohio St. and Florida come to mind off the top of my head.

To imply that Penn State can't have a good basketball program because they are a top football program is ludicrous. Although, can you really consider them a "top football program" if they've only had one top 10 ranking in the last 9 years? Some people might consider that just an "average" program.

[deliverance]

Texas National Champs in Football and now ranked 7th in the nation in basketball. They've been good at football and basketball for a LONGGGGGG TIME. So, I'll have to disagree with you on this one, funk.

[abpk2903]

I will give you Texas deliverance they are great in both sports. But he did say most schools. I would say there may be 5 programs that are consistantly good in both. Flordia is another one that is usually a great team in both. But they are having sub-par years this year in both.

[Heaven&Hoops]

abpk2903..................Pitt Basketball average at best? So unless you make the elite 8 you are average. One of the most moronic statements of the year.

[abpk2903]

Then tell me something that Pitt has done on the Big Stage to prove the are a good program. A good program can lose in the sweet 16 but they also got some final 4's and elite 8's to fall back on. Could you see Duke, Connecticut, Kansas going to the sweet 16 every year and that is it? Their fans would be going crazy and they would be firing the coach. Pitt goes to the sweet 16 and lose the fans don't seem to get that worked up. Remember Pitt is not making the sweet 16 every year some years they are even knockedout earlier like last year when they were knocked out in the 1st round. The only reason they get high seeds is because they have 12 wins over weak teams by the time they get to the big east schedule.

[ham55]

Pacific, anyone?

[once a runner]

Pitt certainly doesn't have the history of a Duke, UConn or Kansas. I wouldn't even say they are a great program. But they have been a very good and competitive team the over the last 5-6 years. They made the Big East Final 3 or 4 years in a row. They made the sweet 16 for 3 straight years. How many schools can boast the same over that span?

They haven't had the breakout year in the NCAA's, but that doesn't make them an average team. Even the legendary Coach K didn't have a break out year in the NCAA until his 6th year. And by the way, he inherited a Duke team that had been to the NCAA tournament the 3 previous seasons.

Keep getting excited over a possible NIT berth. If making the sweet 16 merely makes you average, what does qualifying for the NIT make you? Maybe a D- program?