Unbeaten Panthers face tough foes

‘ ‘ ‘ After two straight games against teams projected to finish near the bottom of the Big… ‘ ‘ ‘ After two straight games against teams projected to finish near the bottom of the Big East, the Pitt men’s basketball team prepares to take on two top-20 teams in three days. ‘ ‘ ‘ The top-ranked Panthers (16-0, 4-0 Big East) travel to Kentucky to take on the No. 20 Louisville Cardinals (12-3, 3-0 Big East) Saturday at 6 p.m. and then return home to host the No. 8 Syracuse Orange (16-2, 4-1 Big East) Monday at 7 p.m. ‘ ‘ ‘ These might be two of the most athletic teams that Pitt will face all season, as both programs continually lure some of the best high school talent year after year. ‘ ‘ ‘ Similar to Pitt’s ‘Big Three’ of Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields, Louisville boasts its own intimidating trio. ‘ ‘ ‘ Forward freshman sensation Samardo Samuels has burst onto the collegiate scene, averaging nearly 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his first 15 contests. ‘ ‘ ‘ Meanwhile, forwards Earl Clark and Terrence Williams have been mainstays on the Cardinals’ front line all season, averaging 13.8 and 12.3 points per game, respectively. ‘ ‘ ‘ Williams is coming off his best outing of the season in an 87-73 overtime win against Notre Dame, where he nearly achieved a triple-double. Williams finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds while dishing out eight assists. ‘ ‘ ‘ Meanwhile, Syracuse’s major production doesn’t come from just three players, but from five, as the entire starting lineup averages in double figures in scoring. ‘ ‘ ‘ The team is led by two dynamic and multi-dimensional players in sophomore guard Jonny Flynn and junior forward Paul Harris. Flynn frustrates defenses in multiple ways, averaging 16.3 points and 5.7 assists per game. Harris complements Flynn, scoring at a clip of 13.8 points per game. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Orange came into this season looking to make a statement, as they got guards Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins back after both missed most of last season with devastating injuries. ‘ ‘ ‘ In order for the Panthers to come out of these two games unscathed, their fate will rest heavily on their guards, namely Fields. ‘ ‘ ‘ Louisville takes advantage of its athleticism to continually employ a stingy full-court press, while Syracuse will likely use a 2-3 zone defense that has been a staple of coach Jim Boeheim’s teams for decades. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt needs Fields to live up to his nickname of ‘The General’ to run the offense well by making smart decisions against Louisville’s press and moving the ball around to find the soft spot in Syracuse’s zone. ‘ ‘ ‘ Fields ran the offense to near perfection in the team’s 75-62 win against South Florida Wednesday. In that game, he recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 assists while only committing one turnover. ‘ ‘ ‘ Last season, Pitt split two games against the Cardinals, with the win coming in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt beat Syracuse 82-77 in the teams’ only meeting last year. The Panthers pulled out a dramatic late second-half comeback, capped off when Young stole an inbound pass before passing to Keith Benjamin for the decisive basket. ‘ ‘ ‘ Yet, the Panthers seemingly had no answer for Flynn in that game, as he tied his season-high with 28 points.