PSR Showdown
What is national reputation of Pitt basketball?
By David Droschak
College Sports Magazines

Just outside the elite

Having grown up in Penn Hills during the heyday of the Steel Bowl basketball tournament-when Duquesne and Norm Nixon were kings of the windy hill and not Pitt-I've watched the Panthers' recent rise to college hoops prominence with keen interest from my home along Tobacco Road.

It has been quite a record-setting decade for Pitt hoops. The Panthers achieved their first-ever No. 1 ranking last season, along with the program's initial No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, when it comes to national perception and interest, Pitt basketball remains a level or two below tradition-rich North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA, etc.

The reasons are varied and numerous:

   (1) In college basketball, national reputations are built on NCAA Tournament advancement, and while the Panthers are one of just five programs to reach the Sweet 16 at least five times since 2002, the last time Pitt reached the Final Four was pre-World Ward II.
   (2) A weak non-conference schedule. Pitt seldom leaves the confines of the Petersen before Big East play. By contrast, North Carolina will tackle Ohio State, Michigan State, Kentucky and Texas early this season.
   (3) Big East bias. At best, the Panthers are perceived nationally as the fourth-best team in their conference, behind Connecticut, Syracuse and Georgetown. That's not counting Louisville and Villanova. Each of those schools has a national title.
   (4) Recruiting. Whether you believe McDonald's All-Americans translate into wins or not, North Carolina, Duke and Kansas get several a season. Pitt just got their first in two decades.
   (5) Big city blues. With the Steelers and Penguins winning their sport's ultimate prize there's little room on the local sports pages for the Panthers to grab headlines.
   (6) Football school. Pitt basketball fans don't want to hear it, but Pitt is perceived as a football school across the nation - partly because of the success of the Steelers.

How can Pitt break down some of these barriers? Run off another decade like the previous one and basketball junkies and national pundits won't be able to ignore the Panthers for long.

David Droschak lives in Apex, N.C., and covered ACC basketball for two decades as sports editor of The Associated Press in North Carolina. He is now editor of Atlanta-based College Sports Magazines and www.sportssoutheast.com.