No matter what college basketball preview you read in the weeks leading up to the season, they all had this to say about the Pitt basketball team:
The true test for the Panthers will come Dec. 31 against Georgia.
That day has finally arrived.
Pitt (9-0) has a New Year's Eve date with the surging Georgia Bulldogs (7-3) at 1 p.m. today at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens. The game will not be televised locally.
"This team will be shooting for us," Pitt coach Ben Howland said. "I mean, we're highly ranked, so that makes it that much more of a game where Georgia will be up for us. They were talking about it last week."
Georgia and No. 2 Pitt have arrived at this point traveling decidedly different paths. The Panthers plowed through a number of Division I lightweights — save Ohio State and Rhode Island — while the Bulldogs faced a murderer's row of top-notch competition.
They've beaten California, Colorado and Gonzaga, while losing to Texas, Georgia Tech and Minnesota by a combined 15 points.
The Bulldogs are unbeaten in the month of December, with a 5-0 record, and it's no coincidence that they started coming together when their starting lineup became intact. Center Steven Thomas missed the first eight games due to a suspension/academic ineligibility before returning two weeks ago. He's averaging 14.7 points and 10.0 rebounds in three games.
Also, forward Chris Daniels missed the opener against Texas, a 77-71 loss in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York, for playing in an unsanctioned summer league game. He averages 11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
In a lot of ways, Georgia is similar to Pitt, in that it has a deep bench and all five starters back from last year's team, which went 22-10, 10-6 in the powerful Southeastern Conference, and reached the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament before losing by two points to Southern Illinois.
Coach Jim Harrick — just like Howland — is well-decorated and well-respected. He led UCLA to a national title in 1995 and has directed four different programs to the NCAA Tournament. Unlike Howland, however, Harrick does not shy away from a treacherous early season schedule, one that is considered the toughest in the nation.
"If you look at their schedule — and remember, two or three years ago, they got into the NCAA's at 16-14 with the toughest schedule in the country — I mean, this is a very, very good team," Howland said. "This team has all the elements. They've got size, quickness, they're really athletic. I've talked to my friends in the NBA. (Ezra) Williams and (Jarvis) Hayes are NBA players at the two and three spots.
"They have a good point guard. Their big kid (Thomas) is an animal, and they're very well coached. This guy is one of the best coaches in the country. Period."
Hayes, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior small forward for the Bulldogs, averages 17.5 points with 4.7 rebounds and boasts a 29-point effort against Gonzaga, 21 against Minnesota and 20 against Georgia Tech.
He is expected to be an NBA lottery pick and could leap to the pros after this season. Moreover, shooting guard Williams, a 6-4, 235-pound senior who averages 16.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, has NBA potential, as well.
Press row is expected to be packed with scouts, including Jerry Krause of the Chicago Bulls, to get glimpse of all the NBA prospects in today's game, including the two Georgia stars and senior point guard Brandin Knight and junior shooting guard Julius Page of Pitt.
Asked if Page and Knight were legitimate NBA draft picks, Howland had this to say: "I think they both have a very good chance."
Page will spend much of his time — along with guard/forward Jaron Brown — trying to shut down the multi-dimensional Williams. Knight will check cat-quick point guard Rashad Wright, who can score and distribute the ball.
"That's the whole point of this," Howland said, when asked if his team is capable of matching up with the Bulldogs. "We'll find out."
A guy to keep an on for the Bulldogs could be 6-6 junior Damien Wilkins, the nephew of former NBA great and Georgia alum Dominique Wilkins and a transfer from North Carolina State. He and Hayes' twin brother, Jonas, 6-8, 240, provide a solid inside-outside punch. Wilkins scored 16 against Texas in the opener.
"This is going to be a very good test for us to see where we are against the best teams in the country," Howland said. "They were a preseason top-10 team but lost a couple early because they didn't have the center. This is a very, very good team, as you will see as this season plays out."
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