Louisville struggles, but Syracuse impresses early

Panthers keep on feasting After wins against Texas Tech and Washington State over the… Panthers keep on feasting After wins against Texas Tech and Washington State over the weekend, the Panthers are now 31-0 in November in the six years of the Jamie Dixon era. Pitt continues to see strong play from its big three. Even after missing last Tuesday’s game against Belmont, Pitt center DeJuan Blair hasn’t missed a beat.’ Blair, a sophomore, is currently ranked fifth in the nation with 12.3 rebounds per game. While Pitt struggled from the field against Washington State to start the game, Sam Young was the one who sparked the offense for the Panthers, scoring a game-high 15 points.’ Young is currently tied for ninth in the nation in points with 136. During Saturday’s matchup, Levance Fields showed why he’s one of the top point guards in the league. It was his second game of the year without a turnover. Fields also continues to dish out assists, as he ranks third in the nation in that category with 44. The Panthers are happy to see swingman Gilbert Brown inserted back into the lineup after being sidelined for the first four games of the season.’ Brown averaged eight points and 24 minutes over the weekend. Cardinals Stumble There’s no question the Big East is hyped to be the most dominant conference in all of college basketball for the 2008-09 season.’ Much is expected of Rick Pitino’s previously No. 3-ranked Louisville Cardinals, a team that is quickly showing off freshman-of-the-year-hopeful Samardo Samuels. While Louisville cruised in its first two games, it stumbled against Western Kentucky on Sunday and lost, dropping in the standings. Samuels was leading the team in scoring coming into the game at 21 per contest. But the Hilltoppers decided to double-team him, holding the freshman to 11 points. The Cardinals, normally a prolific scoring team from behind the arc, were only 6-of-30 from 3-point land on Sunday. ‘ ‘ ‘ Irish lose more than just a game The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are coming into this year ranked No. 8 in the nation behind last year’s Big East Player of the Year, Luke Harangody. After a grueling stretch of games in which the Irish faced No. 7-ranked Texas and No. 1 North Carolina, the team came out with a 1-1 record. While Notre Dame pulled off a one-point win against the Longhorns, the team fell to North Carolina by 15 despite Kyle McAlarney’s game-high 39 points. The result against the Tar Heels, however, probably isn’t the biggest loss of the past week for the Irish. Harangody was diagnosed with pneumonia over the weekend, and no timetable has been set for his return to action. Huskies stay strong The Connecticut Huskies are the preseason favorite to win the Big East, and are the No. 2-ranked team in the nation. The Huskies made relatively easy work of No. 21 Miami (Fla.) and No. 19 Wisconsin with 13-and 19-point-wins, respectively. The team continues to ride its dominating frontcourt of Jeff Adrian and Hasheem Thabeet. Both are averaging double-doubles, combining for nearly 28 points and 20 boards per contest. Connecticut is also seeing outstanding play from freshman phenom Kemba Walker. Walker is currently third on the team in scoring with 14 points per game. Orangemen are for real Syracuse wasn’t a preseason top 25 team, but it’s quickly earning respect. The team is 6-0 and knocked off two top 25 teams last week. With wins against the defending national champions No. 23-ranked Kansas and No. 18 Florida, the Orangemen are making a case as one of the Big East’s biggest threats. Syracuse’s backcourt includes the team’s two top scorers, Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf, who are averaging 20 and 14.8 points, respectively. The team’s play doesn’t drop off too much outside of the backcourt, either. Forwards Arinze Onuaku and Paul Harris are combining for 26 points and nearly 18 rebounds per contest.