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Q: Funny how one game can change everything, right? I'll keep it plain and simple: With the injury to Fields, will the Panthers make the tournament?

Jamil Scalese, Oakland

Fittipaldo: Injuries are a part of the game, but this has to be tough to swallow for coach Jamie Dixon. He goes to Madison Square Garden, beats Duke and it's looking like he has a team that can compete for a Big East championship. Then in a matter of nine days we're talking about whether the Panthers will be sitting at home in March and watching the NCAA tournament.

I thought Pitt would be able to absorb the loss of Mike Cook. I didn't think the Panthers would remain in the top 10, but I thought they could have been one of the better teams in the Big East and be a No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament.

But without Fields this team becomes quite ordinary. Somehow Pitt has to find a way to play around .500 in the Big East and hope Fields is healthy enough to return at the end of the season. If the Panthers go 9-9 in the Big East -- and assuming they beat Lafayette tomorrow -- they would be 21-10 heading into the Big East tournament. If they won one game at the Big East tournament they would almost assuredly get into the tournament.

The NCAA selection committee looks at the injury factor for teams. If Fields is coming back, I think they would be obligated to put Pitt in the field of 65 teams because Pitt is one of the better teams in the country with Fields in the lineup. But first, the Panthers have to find a way to win nine games in the league without him. And I'm not sure they can do it.