Pitt Stopped

There must have been some serious novenas said to St. Ignatius last night as both Jesuit schools Georgetown and Boston College upset No. 16 Pittsburgh and No. 10 Connecticut, respectively, in the Big East opener. It was the first time I saw the Hoyas in action under the guidance of John Thompson III. The team is no longer running blindly down the court and wildly tossing up the ball. They stop, set-up, pass, and shoot. On occasion, they even displayed some of that Princeton-style backdoor offense. They've got poise. Their shooting percentage in the first half was 60 percent (and they even hit 9 of 12 from beyond the arc!). The Washington Times quoted junior guard Brandon Bowman as saying, "If everything else fails, follow directions. That's what the coaches always tell us, and that's what we did." You wouldn't have heard that from him last year under coach Craig Esherick. My on-campus sources tell me Bowman and other players just didn't respect the man.

Meanwhile, in another religiously affiliated conflict in the Big East, Notre Dame (Holy Cross Brothers) defeated Seton Hall (diocesan) in a squeaker, 66-65. (Maybe Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton doesn't follow basketball.) In any event, congratulations to all the winners last night.