Pitt looks to avenge early-season upset loss to St. John’s

Just hearing Daryll Hill’s name would make the Panthers cringe if they hadn’t run into Kevin… Just hearing Daryll Hill’s name would make the Panthers cringe if they hadn’t run into Kevin Pittsnogle this past weekend. Hill scored 26 in St. John’s 65-62 win back on Jan. 18, as compared to Pittsnogle’s 27 on Saturday.

Both led their respective teams to upset victories over Pitt, and both will have to face the Panthers again — St. John’s being the first of the two.

The Red Storm and the Panthers will tip off at 7 tonight at the Petersen Events Center, and Pitt will have to contain the 5-foot-10-inch junior guard.

Hill’s steal at the end of the game led to the go-ahead bucket for the Red Storm. Pitt couldn’t stop him.

However, to Pitt’s credit, he has not been stopped by many. The native of Queens, N.Y., is averaging 19.7 points per game this season. Hill is also hitting 38.1 percent of his 3-point shots.

He scored nearly half of his team’s points in St. John’s 68-46 loss to UConn. He was responsible for 22 of the 46 points scored.

St. John’s (8-11 overall, 2-7 Big East) did not pick up momentum from its upset win over Pitt. Since the victory, St. John’s has defeated Rutgers, while losing to Boston College, Georgetown and Seton Hall.

Sophomore Lamont Hamilton has also been a stronghold for the Red Storm in their disappointing season. The 6-foot-9-inch forward is averaging 14.6 points per game in addition to his 8.2 rebounds a game. In the win against Pitt, he had 18 points and seven rebounds. He was a big reason St. John’s handed the Panthers a loss at Madison Square Garden — Pitt’s “second home.”

However, the biggest reason Pitt could not protect its second house was because guard Carl Krauser committed a late turnover that allowed the Red Storm to take a lead and win.

This time around, St. John’s will have to look for a new way to squeak out a victory. Since then, Krauser has turned things around, chiefly holding onto the ball and making smart decisions. In the past three games, he has 33 assists to his eight turnovers.

He recorded 15 assists in the loss to West Virginia, all of which came without the option of passing to freshman Ronald Ramon, who sat out Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury.

Head coach Jamie Dixon could not be reached for comment on whether Ramon would play tonight, but if he does not, Pitt will look to freshman Keith Benjamin to step in and fill the void.

With the Panthers’ bench being shortened by the loss of Yuri Demetris and Dante Milligan, all players need to be healthy to give Dixon options in critical game situations. On Saturday, Ramon could have been used with Levon Kendall.

“You know, I think Ron could have helped us,” Krauser said after the game, “but at the same time, we have so many offensive threats out there and guys on the bench it’s just hard to say one guy could have made the difference when we got other guys on the bench, other starters out there [who are] playing well.”

Starters like Chevon Troutman and Chris Taft are averaging double digits in scoring this season. Troutman scored 25 in the loss on Saturday. Both big men will be primary targets for Krauser whether Ramon starts or not.

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and will be televised locally on Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh.