Dutelle’s Take

I want to believe that this game has upset potential, but the fact that it’s in Pittsburgh… I want to believe that this game has upset potential, but the fact that it’s in Pittsburgh just keeps those thoughts at bay.

Providence is a very good team, one that could be worth talking about next year, given its youth. The Friars can do what is the most important thing to win – they can score the basketball. They are the second highest-scoring team in the Big East. They are quick and can shoot, which keeps them in a lot of games.

The scoring comes largely at home, though. The team may average 79 points a game, but Providence’s road games (contests in which Tim Welsh’s team is 1-5) usually see the Friars scoring in the mid-to-low 60s, and that probably won’t be enough inside the Petersen Events Center.

Chalk it up to youth, but the Friars can’t match up with the Panthers inside, and that will hurt. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, though. Expect a fiery Friar squad to put forth a fight but simply find itself consistently 7 to 12 points behind as Pitt moves to 10-1 in the conference.

Pitt 70, Providence 59