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North Jersey site could give Pitt advantage
Third-seed Pitt (31-4) and the second-seeded Cowboys (29-3) meet at 7:27 p.m. Thursday in a regional semifinal matchup at Continental Airlines Arena that could have a home-game feel for the Panthers, who've been adopted by New York City and the surrounding area.
"We hope we get the advantage this time," said sophomore point guard Carl Krauser, a native of the Bronx.
Pitt certainly has enough ties to the Big Apple, which is only 12 miles from East Rutherford.
Coach Jamie Dixon spent his summers in New York as a child, assistant Barry Rohrssen is as Brooklyn as the bridge, operations director Orlando Antigua hails from the Bronx and four current Panthers players represent the metropolitan area.
If that's not enough, two of the top schoolboy stars from the city are signed and set to hop aboard the New York-to-Pittsburgh express next fall. A third has committed from the Class of 2005.
Pitt might represent the Steel City, but it's been embraced by the City That Never Sleeps, which could provide an edge against an Oklahoma State team that won the Big 12 championship and is arguably the best in the nation.
"It could be like a home game for us, really," said Krauser, who averaged 18.0 points and went 17 of 20 from the foul line in the Panthers' two wins in Milwaukee. "A lot of us are from around that area, and basically, we're coming back, back to the East Coast. We want everybody behind us, rooting for this Pittsburgh team."
Of course, the most recent time Pitt played in New Jersey, it got no help from the Seton Hall fans in a 68-67 double-overtime loss to the Pirates at Continental Airlines Arena. And the Panthers were unable to fend off Connecticut in the Big East Tournament title game at Madison Square Garden 10 days ago.
Still, anything's better than the madness the Panthers faced at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The entire arena was covered in Wisconsin red.
"It was an interesting set-up," coach Jamie Dixon said. "But we dealt with the things we can control, and that was getting down on the floor and preparing for our opponents. We're excited to get home and then onto the next round. We still have a lot of work to do."
Does Dixon expect a pro-Pitt sentiment in Jersey, considering Pittsburgh is a 6-hour drive from the Meadowlands, while Stillwater, Okla., is 22 hours away.
"We haven't even thought about that," he said.
Not only does Pitt expect to draw support from the New York-New Jersey types, but it is certain to see a greater number of its fans in East Rutherford than it did Milwaukee, where about 1,000 Panthers followers attended.
"We knew our fans were there, but you just couldn't hear them because the place was filled with Wisconsin fans," Krauser said. "It was different."
Those traveling to East Rutherford should have an easier time getting there than into Milwaukee, which offered very few direct flights. The airports in Newark and LaGaurdia accommodate a large number of direct flights from Pittsburgh daily and there is always the option of driving.
So, when you factor in better travel opportunities for Pitt fans, difficult travel for Cowboys fans, and a Big East Conference influence in the New York-New Jersey area, the Panthers should have an edge this go-round from a crowd standpoint, even though Oklahoma State reached its most recent Final Four (1995) through East Rutherford.
"I hope everybody's on our side," said junior forward Mark McCarroll. "I felt like the world was against us against Wisconsin. We have Jersey and New York on our side now. We need them to have our back Thursday and to help us get that win."
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