Win off the glass

This win is very nice. Pitt defeated the Saint John’s Red Storm 71-64 in NYC today. This win puts them at 3rd in the BE standings and an 11-5 conference record. Pitt led by right at the half and never looked back. D.J Kennedy and the Red Storm fought hard but couldn’t beat the Panthers at home.

What does this win mean?

• Pitt is 2 games away from a double bye in the BE Tourny
• They are 11-5 in BE play
• They have two games they should win

Pitt will finish the season at home with two games. One against Providence and the other home against Rutgers to end the season. If Pitt wins out they will be at least 4th in the Big East and receive a much coveted double bye. That will make them at least a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

This was a rebound win they needed and they got it. GO PITT!

Rebound needed

After Pitt’s lose to ND on Wednesday night they need to come out with a lot of intensity against St. John’s. They will be hosted by the Red Storm at noon tomorrow. They already beat these guys once and can win again the same way they won the last time: DEFENSE.

They limited their offensive chances and were strong on the boards all night. Aston Gibbs has been sensational all season and can’t slow down now. Pitt looked sluggish in their last game and that is why they lost.

Keys to Victry:

• Contain D.J Kennedy
• Play great defense
• Come out with intensity

This is Pitt’s final road game of the year and they need to win it. The Red Storm are a tough team and Pitt will lose this gamif they play like they did vs. ND.

My prediction is Pitt 76, Saint John’s 69

Lose in Irish country

When your leading scorer had 13 points, something is wrong. Pitt’s 5 game win streak has been snapped at the hands of the ND Fighting Irish. ND led most of the game and Pitt could not pull close and lost by 15.

Pitt was the hottest team in the land until this setback. They are now 4th in the BE standings and will slip out of the double bye zone with another loss. Their next 3 games are all very winnable with St. John’s, Rutgers, and Providence.

What does this loss mean:

• Pitt is 4th in the BE with a 10-5 record
• They are heading into the home stretch with 3 semi-tough games
• They need to win out

If Pitt can recover and win out they will be in good shape heading into the NCAA Tourny.

Battle in South Bend

Pitt will travel to Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tomorrow night. They will have to contain star forward Luke Harangody and the 17-10 Irish. They are coming off a 2OT loss to Louisville and are probably not very fuzzy over it. Pitt on the hand is on a five game win streak and is a force heading into March.

This game is very important just like the rest of the season. If Pitt can win out they may be in position to finish 1st in the Big East in the regular season. That’s a big if but it could happen.

What does this game mean?

• Pitt is closing in on a six game win streak
• ND is on a downhill slide
• Pitt is 3rd in the conference and could move up with some help

This will be a tough game. Both teams need wins but Notre Dame is in desperate need. Their NCAA Tourny chances are very dim. Pitt has a good chance of winning this game but it wont be easy.

Big win vs. Nova

Wow Pitt is back at #12 and is now third in the Big East standings. With the win against Nova and Uconn’s win vs WVU, Pitt sits safely at third place something thought to be unlikely at the beginning of the season. They were picked to finish 9th in the BE this year. That will not not happen now. This was a springboard going into South Bend tomorrow night.

What does this mean?

• Pitt is now #12 in the AP/#16 in the Coaches
• They are on a 5 game win streak
• They are 3rd in the BE and 2 games out of first
• They are now a lock for the NCAA Tourny

Things are looking up Pitt at this point of the year, can they keep it up? Time will tell.

Pitt hosts Big East bullies

When Villanova shows up in Oakland tomorrow the place will be rocking. Pitt is coming into the game hot, while Nova is coming off their second loss of the season against Uconn. Villanova is by far one of the best teams in the country and their ranking reflects that(#3). The last time these two teams met was in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Pitt lost that game on a last second Scottie Reynolds drive and layup.

Scottie is back again and is the Wildcats leading scorer. Nova is a guard heavy team. Pitt can exploit this if they get the ball in the post early and often. Villanova has some defensive issues, giving up 73 points per game. Pitt needs to jump out on top and control the game tempo early.

Keys to victory:

• Contain Scottie Reynolds
• Hold them to under 65 points
• Score in the post

If Pitt does these three things along with limited TO’s they should be able to be very competitive and maybe come out with a win. If Pitt comes out the way they did vs. Marquette they will not be so lucky and not get the W. All in all Pitt can win with the help of their post and their bench play. Go Pitt.

Big win in Milwaukee

Hey, they proved me wrong. Pitt won this game with good defense and good rebounding. Despite leading scorer Ashton Gibbs only having 2 points Pitt only gave up 51, which is ten points below their season average. Center Gary McGhee was the first Pitt player in double figures and finished the game with 10 points.

At first Pitt was playing poor defense and not boxing out at all, but change came swiftly and the scoreboard went in their favor fast.

Pitts Travon Woodall had some strong takes in the victory

So what does this mean?

• Pitt now has 20 wins
• They sit 4th in the Big East
• They are on a 4 game win streak
• Their NCAA tourny bid is almost a lock

Many good things came from this win. The most important thing though is their position in the Big East standings. They won’t finish in the top two, but can finish 3rd or 4th, giving them two byes in the BE tourny. I think they’ll finish 4th right ahead of Louisville and Georgetown.

If Pitt keeps playing like this they will be a serious threat to anyone in March.

Pitt, Marquette game pick

I’m going to get all the negative thoughts out now. Marquette is on a hot streak and nobody wants to play them right now. They have won five games in a row and they’re looking for more. Pitt sits at 19-6 and 8-4 in the Big East. One more win is number 20 and that would seal the deal for a NCAA Tournament appearence.

Right now Pitt is projected as a 5 or 6 seed, but with a win on the road at a hot Marquette team and a win against Villanova coming up may get them in as a 3 seed.

Now for the game pick, Pitt is coming off the huge win in the Backyard Brawl, but I can see them slacking in this game for some reason. They will play sloppy defense but make it close and come short in the end.

Pitt 64, Marquette 71

Pitt faces Marquette in Big East game

The Pittsburgh Panthers, fresh off their triple OT win against WVU, will travel to face the Marquette Golden Eagles on Thursday night. The Eagles are on a 5 game win streak and are very hot heading into March. I think Pitt will have their hands full in this game. Pitt is currently 4th in the BE standings and would have two byes in the Big East Tourny if the season ended today.

Pitt needs to win the game vs. the Eagles, but more importantly this one due to it being on the road. They will have to contain Lazar Hayward in order to due so. The forward averages over 18 points a game and could put up big numbers on Pitt’s big men. I think a high dose of freshman J.J Richardson will do the trick.

Keys to win:

•  Contain their big men
• Play good transition defense
• Score many points in the paint

With these things said Pitt can win and get win number 20 on the season, and that would be a big deal. My pick comes tomorrow. Go Pitt.

Pitt wins thriller in 3OT

Shades of Syracuse and Uconn. This game had it all. When you go into three overtimes you know it’s something special. WVU missed some key free throws at the end of regulation and were unable to close out the game and they lost 98-95. Ashton Gibbs made six three pointers and some clutch ones at that.

In regulation Pitt was unable to rebound and WVU was getting offensive boards all night long. At the end of regulation Pitt tied it up when Wannamaker had a great steal and passed it around to Gibbs and he hit the 3. The place exploded and we were in OT. In the first OT Pitt jumped out to a 5 point lead but let WVU tie it up with a last second three to send it to another 5 minutes of play. In the second OT I jumped out of my seat when Woodall seemingly hit the game winning shot. It too late though and a 3rd overtime was played. Brad Wannamaker was fouled out at this point which led to Nasir Robinson being brought in. He played huge and hit a key putback to give Pitt the lead. WVU tried a buzzer beater but it would not go. Pitt had won Round 2.

Pitt won this game down the stretch due to their strong bench play. They outscored WVU’s bench 34-7.

So what does this mean?

• Pitt has two wins against top 5 teams
• They will stay in the top 25
• They have 19 wins and should get 20
• They are now tied for 3rd in the Big East(top 4 teams get 2 byes in the BE Tourny)

Overall a great win and Marquette comes Thursday. Go Pitt.

Ashton Gibbs had 6 threes in the win