PITTSBURGH PANTHERS 19-6 @ NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH 19-5
February 21, 7:00 PM | Joyce Center
February 21, 7:00 PM | Joyce Center
The only matchup tonight in the Big East is also the game of the week.
Pittsburgh fans have been up and down all season long. They had very high expectations at the beginning of the season and for good reason. However the path has been a rocky one and Coach Dixon is doing one hell of a job keeping this team together and motivated. The good news is their quarterback LaVance Fields is back, but clearly not 100%. His return against Marquette was a rough one. He showed signs of fatigue throughout the game, and they got blown out by the Golden Eagles. The bad news is they gotta travel to south bend where the Irish hold one of the nation's longest home winning streaks @ 34 straight.
The Panthers have alot of weapons on the court lead by their big man Sam Young. He is avg just a shade under 18 ppg and 7 boards. DeJuan Blair also is a force inside avg close to a double double w/ 12ppg and 9.4 rebounds. Ronald Ramon is their best outside shooter and cannot be left open on the perimiter. Keith Benjamin also provides help handing the ball and attacking the basket. LeVance Fields of course runs the show and when hes 100% he is an outstanding PG. This team will not be a push over come tourney time.
Notre Dame has been a real surprise this season in the conference, but they are no longer flying under the radar. They have opened eyes in the conference, and are contending for the regular season title. They are quickly helping the fans in South Bend forget about football season.
The biggest reason for the Irish success is the play of potential Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody. This guy is one of the most improved players in the nation avg 20+ points and 10+ rebounds. His counterpart Kyle McAlarney can really shoot the ball. His ability to shoot off the bounce in transition is really something to watch. He also leads the team in assists just under 4 a game. Rob Kurz is a solid inside player avg 12 points and grabbing 8 boards. Tory Jackson has really stepped up his play and is a tough matchup for anybody because of his versitilty.
Notre Dame really hasn't played their best basketball as of late. Their last 3 home wins were a struggle. Providence took them to OT, they allowed DePaul to drop 80, and beat Marquette by 3. The main struggles have came on the defensive end, also they can get sloppy at times with the basketball.
Jamie Dixon has had a week to prepare for this game after getting trounced @ Marq last Friday. This didn't surprise me because the Golden Eagles are playing their best basketball of the season and they are going to be a very tough out from here on. Finally Tom Crean has that team clicking. The week preparation also gave LeVance valuable practice time to get ready for this game. This guy is such a competiter you can take my word he was busting his ass all week to get back in game shape.
I look for Pittsburgh to come into this game very confident, believing what Coach Dixon has been telling them. They will take care of the basketball and manage the game well. Pitt is one of the few teams that can match up inside w/ the Irish and they really play excellent team defense when they are on their game. Jamie Dixon knows how important it is for his team to really play well and not to get blown out in back to back conference games.
It's not to smart on my part to predict that one of the nations longest winning streaks come to an end tonight. However I look for an inspired effort from the Panthers, and they should be able to hang w/ the Irish tonight. I expect the public to be all over the Irish tonight, but the line is shading the other way.
Score Prediction: 72-70 in a Big East Classic
Play Pittsburgh +4.5
The total has not been released yet, ill check back if their is a play.
