Pitt looks to avenge ‘Nova loss

‘ ‘ ‘ The Pitt basketball team lost its second game of the season on Wednesday to Villanova…. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Pitt basketball team lost its second game of the season on Wednesday to Villanova. However, that loss seems small compared to the current slide Notre Dame finds itself in. ‘ ‘ ‘ When Notre Dame (12-7, 3-5 Big East) tips off against No. 3 Pitt (18-2, 6-2 Big East) on Saturday at noon, the Fighting Irish will try to avoid losing their fifth straight contest. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Irish will be hungry for a victory after having their NCAA-best 45-game home winning streak snapped against Connecticut on Saturday and then losing another home game to Marquette just two days later. ‘ ‘ ‘ On the other side of the matchup, Pitt will need to shake off the after-effects of a disappointing road loss to Villanova. Much like the team’s previous defeat to Louisville, the Panthers’ game against the Wildcats was filled with foul trouble from DeJuan Blair. ‘ ‘ ‘ The sophomore center spent most of the second half against Villanova on the bench with four fouls. Pitt will need him to be a more active force against Irish star and former Big East Player of the Year, Luke Harangody. ‘ ‘ ‘ Harangody enters Saturday’s contest leading Notre Dame in scoring and rebounding, averaging 25 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. By comparison, Blair averages 14.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. ‘ ‘ ‘ While talking to reporters after the game Wednesday night, Pitt senior guard Levance Fields told the Associated Press that the Panthers need to increase their level of play when Blair is out of the game. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Obviously, the two losses have been with him in foul trouble,’ said Fields. ‘We’ve got to do a better job of playing without him.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The last time Pitt and Notre Dame met, the Panthers traveled to South Bend and were blown out in the second half after going into halftime with a five-point advantage. Harangody scored 23 points and racked up 12 rebounds as the Irish stormed back to beat Pitt, 82-70. ‘ ‘ ‘ To regain their momentum, the Panthers need Jermaine Dixon to recover from his performance in Philadelphia. The junior guard has struggled with his consistency, scoring four points against Villanova, just a few days after tallying 11 against West Virginia. Prior to that game, he notched four points against Syracuse, after torching Louisville with a 19-point effort. ‘ ‘ ‘ For Notre Dame to be successful, it’ll need to have a solid game from guard Kyle McAlarney. The sharp-shooting senior, who averages 16.2 points per game, has failed to reach double-digits in the last two Irish defeats.