Fields making a case as league’s top guard

It seems fitting that on Valentine’s Day, Pitt point guard Levance Fields displayed his love… It seems fitting that on Valentine’s Day, Pitt point guard Levance Fields displayed his love for giving. His teammates were more than willing recipients.

The senior collected his third double-double in four games after accumulating only two in the previous 21 in the Panthers’ 85-69 victory against Cincinnati Saturday at the Petersen Events Center.

Fields assisted on 13 of Pitt’s 31 baskets and scored 11 points, lending to the team’s 67.4 shooting percentage — which tied for tops in school history.

Fields’ unselfishness set up four fellow Panthers to finish in double figures.

Sam Young finished with 18 points, DeJuan Blair had 17, Jermaine Dixon scored 14 and Gilbert Brown achieved his highest total of the conference schedule with 12.

While Young and Brown captured the crowd with highlight-reel dunks, Fields received recognition from his coach, Jamie Dixon.

‘Thirteen assists and no turnovers, those numbers are mind-boggling, and we’re almost taking them for granted,’ said Dixon. ‘He’s doing it game after game after game down the stretch here.’

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin went a step further in praising Pitt’s point guard.

‘[Syracuse]’s Jonny Flynn may be more explosive,’ he said. ‘But as far as a guy that’s a pure point guard, [Fields] has proven when he’s healthy he can dominate a game.’

Saturday’s effort capped a stretch that lays credence to the coaches’ assessments. In Pitt’s last five games, all victories, Fields tallied 56 assists to just six turnovers. He also averaged 13.2 points per game in that span.

This run upped Fields’ assist-to-turnover-ratio to 4.15, which leads the nation. His 191 total assists and 7.6 assists per game both rank second in all of college basketball.

‘I don’t know who’s playing better than him as a point guard right now,’ said Dixon. ‘You can’t play better than those numbers.’

Fields’ recent rampage follows his toughest stretch of the season. He had 22 assists and 16 turnovers in four games, which included Pitt’s only two losses to Louisville and Villanova.

With the Panthers’ largest test of the year looming Monday night at No. 1 Connecticut, their chance at victory increases if Fields can mirror his recent contributions.

‘Everybody’s been talking about that game,’ said Fields. ‘We did a great job preparing for this, now the stage is set. I think we’re mentally ready. It’s going to be a tough one going up there in Hartford.’