Game #133 of 364 37% complete
I missed my usual picture of the opening tip because I was looking for an open seat at a lower level. More on that later. I was surprised to see so many open seats for an intra league battle between two P5 teams.
I was sitting in the upper level next to a Pitt fan. He asked me who was I rooting for. I gave him my usual spiel about my Operation 351 mission and that although I love seeing college basketball, I don’t go crazy cheering like I would at a UConn game. He probably noticed that I was not cheering for either team prompting his question. He was in an interesting dilemma being a die hard Pitt fan and having a daughter who was attending Virginia Tech. Who do you root for? In my opinion, I would always root for UConn regardless if my child was attending the opposing school.
I asked the Pitt fan what did he think of Pitt coach Jeff Capel. Pittsburgh seemed to be improving over the years but still not quite achieving heights during the Jamie Dixon years. He said that there was a call to fire Capel last year early in the season but then they changed their tune when he led Pitt on a late season surge.
When I am in a large venue sitting up high and there are plenty of open seats below, I begin scouting for a move down to a better seat. There are certain rules to follow when performing this rebellious act without pissing off a season ticket holder:
- Look for an area where there are multiple open seats. You don’t want to attract attention climbing over folks while getting to your new seat. Always try for a seat on the end of the aisle.
- Look for a young girl as an usher. Most times, they will not question an old guy like me. Move down at half time and they will never notice you.
- Don’t get greedy. Don’t take a seat in the first row on center court. You will be sure to attract attention from those around you.
As you can see from the photos below, I moved down to a lower level behind the basket.
The Pittsburgh Panthers came into the game ranked 18th in the AP poll. The Hokies kept it tight the entire game. Down by eight at the half, Pitt came back in the second half, led by Jaland Rose who scored 13 of his game-high 19 points in the final 8:02 of action. Pitt was aided from the foul line going 12 for 12 from the stripe. Pitt has a player with one of the great names in college basketball – Guillermo Diaz Graham. He was an abysmal shooter during the game but had a key block and a three pointer under the two minute mark to help the Panthers to victory.
You must be asking – What is a Hokie? Here is an explanation from AI:
“The term “Hokie” originated in 1896 when Virginia Tech adopted a new cheer that used the word “hokey” to grab attention. The word “hokey poky” was common in the late 1800s, which may have inspired the choice.”
I was late coming back to my seat at half time to catch a Corgi dog race on the court. I did notice that one contestant left his “mark” on the court.
On to Liberty University for the night game!
As I drove around Pittsburgh, I see that most of the houses are on hillsides looking like a picture of the Italian Amalfi coast missing the villas and olive gardens. I was very impressed with the Station Square development on the river. This 52 acre riverfront area has indoor and outdoor shopping with residential housing. My dinner on the first night was at Bucco di Beppo. The name itself convinced me to give it a try. When I walked in the place, the place looked very very familiar. I know that I have never been here before. Then it hit me. I visited this place in Washington D.C. a few years ago. I found out that they have 17 locations throughout the country. I was surprised because the ambiance of the place with pictures of Italians on the wall with checkered table cloths led me to believe that was a family run place in D.C. in business for a 100 years with Grandma in the kitchen kneading the pasta dough.
journey to 351 