Thoughts on Pitt, Syracuse, much more in my inaugural mailbag

Pitt's DeJuan Blair is a big-time player and one of the best sophomores in the nation. AP

We'll begin my inaugural mailbag of the 2008-09 season with a pair of questions about the Orange:

Seth, since you mentioned how well Paul Harris is playing, I'm curious, do you think he will ever play in the league? It seems like a 6-foot-3 power forward without three-point range is doomed, but do you think there could be a niche for him as a power guard off the bench? -- Steve, Hoboken, N.J.

Don't spill the beans, but how good is Arinze Onuaku? -- Chari, Syracuse, N.Y.

First of all, there's a very different outlook in Syracuse this morning in the wake of a recommendation by a university judicial board that Eric Devendorf be suspended for the remainder of the academic year for allegedly hitting a female student in the face. Devendorf is appealing the decision, and it will be another two to three weeks before we are likely to see a resolution. Devendorf will play while he appeals, but suffice to say, this is the last thing this team needs to be dealing with during a season which otherwise seems to hold much promise.

This team very much needs Devendorf's outside shooting and floor leadership. You'll recall that he missed most of last season because of a knee injury, and the Orange failed to make the NCAA tournament without him.

Paul Harris is definitely one of the reasons the Orange's prospects were looking promising. The point I was making about him is that we should appreciate what a great -- not good -- college player he has become. He came in with so much hype out of high school that people tend to highlight what he can't do (shoot threes), but the guy averaged 7.1 rebounds as a freshman, which is extremely impressive. Though his averages are basically the same this season as his sophomore year (14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds), he has increased his field goal percentage from 46.9 percent to 55.8 percent. That means he's taking smarter shots.

But to answer Steve's question, yes, I think Harris will play in the NBA. He won't be an all-star and probably won't be a starter, but he seems to understand that his best chance to play in the league is to be a tough, scrappy, hard-nosed guy who defends and rebounds his tail off. If he works hard on his shooting, he'll develop his range and be able to hit enough open shots to keep from being a liability. I don't watch a lot of NBA games -- I'm not that much of a masochist, but I have to believe there's a place in the league for a guy like that.

Meanwhile, sorry to spill the beans here, Chari, but I think Onuaku is one of the most intriguing players in the country. At 6-9, 275 pounds of sculpted muscle, the kid looks like he should be competing in the NFL, or at least the WWE. Offensively, he does all his work around the rim (hence the ridiculous 76.8 percent field goal shooting), but every once in a while he unveils a balletic move that hints at how much more potential he has at that end of the floor. I'd actually like to see Onuaku's field goal percentage come down a good 10 points because that would mean he's getting more assertive on offense. Onuaku has scored in double digits in every game but one this year. If he becomes an even more reliable scorer, Syracuse will hit another gear.

Onto a few questions from the Keystone State:

Enough with the Tobacco Road love fest, please. I can't find a college basketball article on any major website that doesn't mention Duke or UNC. How about giving some love to the number three team in the country, Pitt?
-- Nate Wachter, North Huntingdon, Pa.

No love for Dajuan Blair in the sophomores column?
-- John Tortorelli, Beaver Falls, Pa.

I wrote about Duke and North Carolina last week after watching them win in person against Purdue and Michigan State, respectively. But I also saw Pitt play twice in the flesh over Thanksgiving weekend at the Legends Classic in Newark, N.J., so I'm happy to weigh in on the Panthers as well.

The two games I saw illustrated the number one reason to like Pitt's chances to finally break past the Sweet 16 and reach the Final Four. The semifinal against Texas Tech was an open-floor, run-and-shoot affair, and Pitt prevailed 80-67. The final against Washington State, on the other hand, was a nails-on-a-chalkboard halfcourt grinder. Yet Pitt still won, 57-43. Because this team is deeper and more athletic than any other Jamie Dixon has had, Pitt can beat good teams no matter the tempo of the game. That's a critical asset to take into the NCAA tournament, because in the course of trying to win four or six games, you have to be able to prevail playing different styles.

This team will also improve as Levance Fields plays his way back into shape after gaining a lot of weight during an inactive summer spent recovering from a foot injury. Fields told me he still has another 10 pounds to go, and as we all know those last 10 are the hardest.

Even so, the one nagging question I have about Pitt is whether they'll be able to score enough quick, easy points to win the whole thing. Yes, this is as good a defensive team as you'll see, buy can the Panthers make up for their lack of outside shooting with offensive rebounding? More and more I see teams suffer during the tournament because they are not proficient enough at the offensive end. Sam Young is scoring a ton of points right now (20.8 through the first nine games), but this team lacks a three-point sniper like Ronald Ramon, who graduated last spring. Their starting shooting guard, Jermaine Dixon, is there primarily for his defensive abilities.

Obviously, no one would be surprised if Pitt makes the Final Four. But if you're asking me, in the second week of December, to choose, yes or no, whether they'll get there? My answer would be no.

As for Blair, John is right. He should have been in my super sophomores column, not as a breakout candidate but as someone who would be too obvious to mention. The 6-7 power forward is averaging 14.9 points and 13.4 rebounds, but he put up 11.6 points and 9.1 boards last year. He also has one of the best personalities you'll see anywhere in the country -- he's always energetic, laughing, enjoying himself the way a kid should. Blair is a big-time player who broke out the moment he stepped on campus.