Ray Fittipaldo: Welcome to the No. 1 Pitt basketball chat in the country ...

RoundballCity: Ray, I don't think it's only my perception, but it certainly seems like the Pittsburgh sports media go out of their way to never appear to be a "homer" for Pitt. I don't think this is "Pitt paranoia". I think the level of coverage in town is fair. There's just not the rah-rah type of stuff that we get from folks who focus mostly on the Steelers and Pens.

Ray Fittipaldo: When covering a sports team there should never be any rah-rah type of coverage. I know you don't get that from the newspapers. I can maybe see where you're coming from with the TV stations in town. I can't speak for others, but my goal is to provide balanced coverage of the team -- good and bad.

RoundballCity: Ray, Happy New Year. How about those #1 Pitt Panthers? My question: do you think there's too much talk and analysis that focuses on the Sweet 16 barrier? I'm afraid that it's putting undue pressure on these young kids.

Ray Fittipaldo: Whether Pitt is No. 1 or not there's always going to be talk of the Sweet 16 barrier because that's something the Panthers have to overcome. I don't care if Pitt slips to No. 20 by the time the NCAA tournament comes around, the expectations for this team will be the same -- to get past the Sweet 16. I actually think Jamie Dixon has handled this question well. He has pointed out how difficult it is to achieve Pitt's level of success over the past seven years, but he also takes ownership for the team never getting to a Final Four or winning a national championship. He said the goal is to win the national title. I like that attitude. It sets the bar high for his team.

BigOnPitt: Hi Ray, these long layoffs are killers. Will the long layoff effect the players? Or do you think it gives them more time to heal and prepare for next few games?

Ray Fittipaldo: They came through pretty well after the nine-day layoff over the Christmas holiday. I know the Rutgers game was iffy for a while, but they eventually got things turned around. I think it will be easier this time around because the game is at home and the team will be pumped to defend the No. 1 ranking. I can't imagine a team having a letdown in a situation like this one.

RoundballCity: Ray, I guess I'm mostly referring to the radio and TV call-in shows. I don't know if it's an agenda of their part, or whether these guys are mostly just ignorant about college basketball.

Ray Fittipaldo: Well, those call-in shows to which you refer are Steeler- and Penguin-centric because of the high level of success those teams have achieved. People expects championships from those teams because they have a track record of winning or putting themsleves in position to win championships. That has not been the case with the Pitt basketball team to this point. If Pitt gets past the Sweet 16 I think you'll see more people getting excited about the prospects of competing for a championship. This is a professional sports town. Pitt has its work cut out when trying to win over fans that are used to teams achieving high levels of success.

RoundballCity: Jerry Micco kind of questioned the area's level of interest in college basketball in his chat yesterday. I think it's much higher than people generally think. I can go back 25 years and cite 16,000 coming to the Civic Arena to see Pitt/Rutgers Eastern 8 final. Pitt is sold out at 12,500.

Ray Fittipaldo: I read Jerry's transcript from yesterday. The Post-Gazette tracks what people read on our web site. He merely stated that Pitt lags behind the professional sports teams in town. It's not a surprise to me.

Pitt4ever: Great point Ray. But this team seems really focused on goal of getting past Sweet 16 this year, which is a tribute to upperclassmen and Coach Dixon.

Ray Fittipaldo: I totally agree. I remember talking to the seniors and DeJuan Blair before training camp opened. They all were open about how this season would be a failure if the team did not get past the Sweet 16 and get to a Final Four. This team has had the bar set high from the beginning, probably from the time the final buzzer sounded in Denver after the loss to Michigan State.

Gilbert_Brown: Would I start on most of the teams in the 25? And do I have a shot of making it to the NBA?

Ray Fittipaldo: Yes, Gil you would. But you play the same position as Sam Young, who is a player of the year candidate. To your credit, you have accepted your role on this team and have performed it extremely well through 14 games. As far as the NBA goes, we'll have to see about that. You have to stay healthy for a whole season and really show what you can do.

RoundballCity: With all due respect, I think that's a cop-out for the media, Ray ... I think in many cases they're lazy and don't follow college basketball closely, and therefore don't want to be called out by those who do follow it closely. I mean, can you imagine the response you might get from Rand, Benz or Junker if you asked them for a comparison of Sam Young to say, James Harden of ASU ...?

Ray Fittipaldo: As I said I can't speak for anyone else. In their defense, though, most sportscasters or radio show hosts have to cover all of the sports teams in town and don't have the time to specialize in anything other than the Steelers. And the reason they're so heavy on the Steelers is their popularity and winning tradition.

Overrated: How much longer until this team does their annual dive? Another early NCAA exit for this squad when Jamie Dixon gets outcoached in March.

Ray Fittipaldo: Well, according to you that should be in about 10 weeks. The optimists out there hope Pitt will still be playing 12 weeks from now.

Pitt4ever: i think the biggest reason is Blair, which should be good for at least another season since I don't see him turning pro after this year. Do you?

Ray Fittipaldo: I don't have any inside information, but I'd be surprised if Blair does not come back. He needs to develop more of a low post game to be considered NBA-ready in my opinion. But who knows? Anything can happen.

BigOnPitt: Ray, I think this team has an edge over last year's team. There is some kind of comfort in this team that is hard to describe. Last year I was very nervous when a single player has a bad game. This year it seems more players are stepping in even though a single player is off that game. I am much more comfortable knowing there are more weapons and different guys stepping up. What is your take on this team's depth.

Ray Fittipaldo: This team has tremendous depth one through seven. As you've witnessed lately, if Jermaine Dixon has an off game, Brad Wanamaker can step up and make some plays. If DeJuan Blair gets into foul trouble, Gil Brown can come off the bench and provide excellent minutes. The only thing I worry about is when Sam Young has an off game. It hasn't happened yet, but when it does it could be troublesome because he takes so many of the team's shots.

RoundballCity: A lot has been made about Pitt's lack of 3 point shooting. I think we'll see a ton of zones in conference play this year, but I think the real difference is that we have 3 guys who can put the ball on the floor and penetrate and elevate in the paint -- Gil, Sam and Jermaine. What are your thoughts on this?

Ray Fittipaldo: Playing zone against Pitt is not the answer. Jamie Dixon always has his players well-trained on how to defeat the zone. It's all about moving the defense and taking good shots. If the Panthers do that they'll be in great shape because they have the players down low to go after the rebounds.

orlandofan: Ray, I'm interested in Jamie Dixon's coaching record. His NCAA totals don't include his time as head coach at L.A. Valley, do they?

Ray Fittipaldo: I'd have to check on that for you, but I don't think his record there is counted in his career wins. At least not what is printed in the Pitt media guide.

RoundballCity: Have you seen Luke Winn's latest article on SI.com? It details offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, and how they translate to NCAA success. Pitt chances looks really good right now if this is indeed any kind of indicator/predictor...

Ray Fittipaldo: I did read the article. I enjoy statistical related material, but I don't know if it's a great predictor for a team's success in the tournament. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

RoundballCity: What have you heard about DeAndre Kane's recruitment? And what do you think of Kane as a Big East prospect. Opinions seem to run the gamut on him.

Ray Fittipaldo: He told the Post-Gazette's Mike White that he did not give a verbal commitment to Seton Hall. He said he has a scholarship offer from Pitt. I think the holdup might be Pitt's lack of a scholarship at the moment. If things change after the season, Kane could still be a Panther. Otherwise, I suspect he'll end up at some place like Seton Hall. And yes, from what I hear, he is a Big East player.

orlandofan: Any chance some of the regional ESPN or FSN games get bumped up to Nationallly televised games this season especially the one with St. John's on Sunday and the one @ WVU?

Ray Fittipaldo: Those national TV games are locked in at the beginning of the season, so I don't think there's much hope for any getting moved. But there are plenty of opportunities to see Pitt on national TV. The Panthers are on ESPN or CBS like five or six more times.

Gilbert_Brown: Do you think the Arizona coaching job is really that much better than Pitt at this point? Arizona does have tradition but Pitt has the facilities and the more recent track record of success.

Ray Fittipaldo: No, Arizona is not a better job than PItt. I think that's obvious at this point.

RoundballCity: Thanks Ray, if you enjoy the numbers and stats ... then you'll really like this site: http://statsheet.com/

Ray Fittipaldo: OK ... here's a plug for your web site ... Thanks for all the questions this week. We'll do it same time next week.