Pitt ready for Jungle Rumble II

Pitt has caused endless angst and confusion from fans and commentators alike so far this… Pitt has caused endless angst and confusion from fans and commentators alike so far this season.

The Panthers slipped past an undefeated, confident Duke squad, 65-64, in overtime at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which, is Duke’s only loss this season.

But then they were promptly annihilated by the Atlantic 10’s Dayton, classified as a “mid-major” program.

Later, the undermanned Pitt lineup defeated another top-10 team, Georgetown, 69-60, only to drop the next contest at lowly Cincinnati.

The Panthers once again looked terrific in their 81-57 trouncing of St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, but fell back into mediocrity with their home loss to perennial Big East doormat Rutgers.

“We need to learn more from losses,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “We have to do things right for 40 minutes.”

One certain way to mend all wounds and kindle cohesiveness is victories, and tonight, Villanova will provide a perennially worthy, tournament-caliber squad for Pitt to regain its confidence.

The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center and will be broadcast on ESPN-U.

The Wildcats, however, are reeling from back-to-back losses to the Scarlet Knights and most recently Notre Dame. With its NCAA Tournament bid suddenly in question, Villanova will be anxious to knock off a ranked team on the road to boost its RPI rating and conference standings.

Villanova coach Jay Wright has once again marked this year’s Villanova program with the three-guard offense that the Wildcats have employed so successfully over the past several years.

“This is the same [Villanova] team as usual,” Dixon said. “They are heavy with guards. They mix their defenses up a little bit, between zone and man-to-man, but they stick mostly to man-to-man.”

The young backcourt of Scottie Reynolds (sophomore), Corey Fisher (freshman) and Malcolm Grant (freshman) accounts for over 45 percent of Villanova’s offensive production.

Reynolds, a former McDonald’s All-American and last season’s Big East Rookie of the Year, leads the team with 17.2 points and 3.9 assists per game.

“He’s great in transition,” Dixon said of Reynolds. “When he doesn’t have the numbers, he’s probing the defense, looking for his offense.”

Not far behind in either category is Fisher, who is second on the team with 11.4 points and 2.7 assists per contest.

Like Pitt, the Wildcats boast a relatively small frontcourt. Dante Cunningham is Villanova’s tallest starter at 6-foot-8. Cunningham averages 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds a contest.

The matchup should prove quite favorable for the Panthers’ freshman center DeJuan Blair. Blair gives up only 1 inch to Cunningham, and outweighs the Wildcats’ center by 20 pounds. Blair has already proven to be tremendously successful against most opponents despite generally facing a height disadvantage.

The Schenley High School product leads the team in rebounding with 9.3 rebounds per contest and is second in scoring with 11.9 points per game.

In order to compete with the Wildcats, Pitt will also need to see a big increase in production from forward Sam Young, who shot only 4 of 17 from the field in the loss to Rutgers. The 11-point output was his second lowest of the season.

Young currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game, a tremendous jump from his 7.2 average of last season.

In the absence of guard Levance Fields and forward Mike Cook, Young has been counted on to carry the Panthers’ offense and provide a spark with his aggressive, driving style and highlight-reel dunks.

His athleticism matches up favorably with most of the Villanova lineup, which tends to prefer finesse rather than the brutish style that Pitt has become renowned for over the past several years.