Panthers set to duel with Seton Hall

What the Pitt men’s basketball team has been through in the last few weeks — the injuries to… What the Pitt men’s basketball team has been through in the last few weeks — the injuries to Mike Cook and Levance Fields, the losses to Dayton and Villanova – no doubt have been crushing.

It’s a lot for any team to overcome, but it’s no time for Pitt or its fans to get down. It’s only January, and the Panthers are just a week into their conference schedule.

After a 79-66 win at South Florida on Wednesday night, the Panthers (13-2, 1-1 Big East) are still in a good national position (No. 8 in the RPI) and have received exceptional play from the players stepping in.

Since Fields went down during the Dayton loss Keith Benjamin is averaging 17.6 points per game and has proven to be an asset on the floor for coach Jamie Dixon.

“He’s played well on the defensive end,” Dixon said. “Now he’s also playing solid on the offensive end. He’s not forcing anything, and he’s making really good decisions.”

After two road games to open conference play, the Panthers will take their home court at 2 p.m. on Saturday against the Seton Hall Pirates (10-5, 0-2 Big East) at the Petersen Events Center, where they are 33-7 in Big East Conference games.

But the absence of Fields and Cook could be burdensome. With the loss of the two experienced guards, Pitt doesn’t tote much depth at the position. After Ronald Ramon – who is playing with an injured shoulder – and Benjamin, only freshman Bradley Wannamaker remains on the depth chart as a viable option to handle the ball.

Pitt’s inability to rotate in fresh legs could hurt them against the Pirates.

Seton Hall plays an up-tempo style and is among the best in the conference at forcing turnovers (17.3 per game).

Although the Pirates feature a four-guard look, they are relatively ineffective in their half-court set. The Pirates will have to force the pace in order to score, which means taking every opportunity to run their 2-2-1 press against a depleted Pitt backcourt.

Despite the lack of depth and the loss of Cook and Fields, Dixon feels his team will be able to handle Seton Hall’s pressure.

“We’re a low turnover team,” Dixon said. “We take care of the ball, and if we continue to get good shots and rebound on the offensive end, we’ll be in good shape.”

Pitt’s success beating Seton Hall’s pressing style falls largely on the injured shoulders of Ramon. He set a career high in assists with 10 against Lafayette, and he didn’t turn the ball over at all. But he struggled against Villanova, turning the ball over five times, including a huge miscue on the final possession that cost Pitt a chance to win.

Dixon, though, isn’t worried about placing the ball in his senior’s hands.

“[Ron] has always been a high assist-to-turnover guy,” Dixon said. “He’s a good ball handler and always has been for four years.”

Seton Hall comes into the game off consecutive conference losses. In their last game the Pirates were edged out by Marquette on the road 61-56.

Seton Hall’s pressure defense held an explosive Marquette team to just nine points in the game’s first 13 minutes, and if not for a late intentional foul, Seton Hall might have pulled the upset.

The Pirates are paced by senior Brian Laing who averages 19.1 points per game. Laing – originally recruited by Pitt – plays the forward position for the Pirates, and at 6-foot-5 he has proven to be a matchup problem for bigger forwards so far this year.

“[Laing] is a challenge,” Dixon said. “But I think we’ve been good at matching up with smaller guys at that position.”

Pitt will have to be conscious about finding Laing in transition where he does most of his damage. The Panthers will also have to be weary of 6-foot-5-inch freshman Jeremy Hazell. As he showed with a 28-point performance against Connecticut, Hazell plays with a swagger and won’t hesitate to shoot. And he can get hot in a hurry.

For much of the season center DeJuan Blair has given up size to his low-post adversaries while still managing nearly a double-double per game (11.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg).

However, Seton Hall’s starting big-man, John Garcia, is only 6-foot-9 and not nearly as athletic as Blair. Garcia has also been susceptible to foul trouble – he’s already fouled out of three games this season – and will certainly have his hands full with the athletically superior Blair.

The only time the two teams met last season, Pitt was victorious 71-68.