Ray Fittipaldo: Welcome to the Pitt basketball chat. Fire away with any questions.

Homey: It looks like we're getting to a point where there's a regular rotation of 8-9 guys. Do you see the bench shortened from 10-11 to 8-9 once the conference season begins?

Ray Fittipaldo: I think you'll see the rotation get even smaller once conference play begins. The only player who is going to get consistent minutes off the bench is Gilbert Brown in my estimation. Every other player on the bench is going to have to earn his minutes based on practice. Brad Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs continue to jocky for playing time behind Jermaine Dixon. Gary McGhee will get a few minutes a game. But I would not be surprised if the five sgtarters and Brown played the majority of the games that are competitive this season, with guys like Wanamaker, Gibbs and McGhee playing very limited roles.

Minnesota_Pittman: Hi Ray, Blair was awesome last night! Looks like he spent a lot of time during the off season working on his shot. Do you think Young and Blair can carry this team into the final four?

Ray Fittipaldo: Well, the Panthers will need more than just Young and Blair to get to the Final Four, but I would take that forward-center combination over almost any other in the country. Maybe North Carolina can boast of a better one, but who else after that? They have been very good and very consistent all season. In order to get to a Final Four, Levance Fields is going to have to get back to his old form. I think he's getting there. And the Panthers are going to need someone who is going to knock down some open 3-pointers. It's not a good sign that the starting shooting guard, Jermaine Dixon, is shooting 16.7 percent from the 3-point line. I think they need to show some improvement in that area. Other than that, they have all of the pieces.

Minnesota_Pittman: Last night was the first game that I've seen this season. They looked real good at times, but I noticed that the bench didn't contribute much last night offensively. Is depth going to be a problem?

Ray Fittipaldo: Dixon has gotten by with similar benches in the past. This team is very good 1 through 6. After that, there are a lot of questions marks. Ashton Gibbs can shoot, but it's pretty obvious that Dixon does not feel completely comfortable putting out there on a consistent basis because of his defense. McGhee, I'm convinced, can only give you three or four good minutes a game. I'm afraid he's just not ever going to be someone this team can count on. Wanamaker has improved some, but he is a turnover machine. Nasir Robinson is going to be great, but he's in a logjam behind Young, Biggs and Brown at forward. Yes, depth could be a problem if there is foul trouble or injuries. Just pray that Blair does not get hurt. This team will be hurting without him.

Pitt86: There was a big dropoff in non-conderence quality games this year versus last. It was nice to see some good pre-Big East games last year. Is Pitt reverting back to playing cupcakes prior to conference play?

Ray Fittipaldo: I don't think so. The Panthers have played four teams that made it to the NCAA tournament last season -- Washington State, Belmont, UMBC and Siena. That's not bad. Jamie Dixon pointed out this week that Pitt has the highest RPI and strength of schedule in the Big East thus far. If you think Pitt's schedule is full of cupcakes, I guess the others in the conference are really bad.

Pitt86: What is you take on Nasir Robinson? Will he see significant minutes in Big East play?

Ray Fittipaldo: I think he's going to be a terrific player. But as I mentioned before, he is behind some very talented players in Young, Biggs and Brown at forward. I don't think he'll see significant minutes in conference play unless there are injuries or Biggs or Brown falls out of favor. And to this point, there has been nothing to suggest that ixon is unhappy with either. It's quite the opposite. Dixon has praised the play of Biggs and Brown after the past two games. They are playing very well. I'm writing about Biggs and his improvement in tomorrow's paper. It's unfortunate for Robinson, but he'll get plenty of playing time in the seasons to come.

Minnesota_Pittman: Biggs looked good last night too. I don't remember him being a 3 point threat last year, when did he develope that shot?

Ray Fittipaldo: That's what I'm writing about tomorrow. He was a career 23 percent 3-point shooter entering the season. Now he's leading the team with a 53.3 percentage, albeit with a limited number of shots. Still, he is 8 for 15 from behind the arc. That's significant when the guards on this team are struggling so much with their shot, save for Ashton Gibbs, and he doesn't play all that much. If you recall, Biggs has never been shy about shooting from the outside. It just seems like he has more confidence in himself. Jamie Dixon also raved about his budding leadership skills. I have to admit, I thought Biggs had been a big disappointment during his first three years in the program, but he has been playing very well through the first 11 games. Let's see how he competes in Big East play.

Minnesota_Pittman: Getting a little off subject here, but I was wondering how ticket sales have been going for the Sun Bowl. Have you heard anything?

Ray Fittipaldo: I have not heard. Paul Zeise would be better able to answer that question as he is over at the football facility almost every day. Given the economy, however, I don't think this is going to be a great year for any team traveling to bowl games, especially hard to get to places such as El paso.

TheWellHungarian: What is the status of DeAndre Kane?

Ray Fittipaldo: Kane was in for an official visit, but it does not appear he made a commitment. He has some other options. I think he comes to Pitt in the end, but he might be looking to see what else is out there for him.

Pitt86: Pitt will have played Villanova three years straight in Philly. What gives? Why no balance in home/away over the years? Also why did Pitt drop Penn State from the schedule. It was nice to beat those guys every year since they are afraid to play us in football.

Ray Fittipaldo: There is no rhyme or reason to the scheduling. I know they like to keep it balanced, but it's hard when you have so many teams and you have to juggle the home-and-home series for all of the teams. Pitt has actually played well in those games in Philly, so I don't think it's a cause for concern. I'd be more paranoid if Pitt had to play at Connecticut three years in a row.

As for Penn State, Ed DeChellis did not wish to play Pitt any longer because he wanted top open up his recruiting in other areas of the state such as the eastern side. There are not that many Division I players in Western Pa., so DeChellis wanted to schedule games in places where he could play and get his name out. Last time I checked, Jamie Dixon wanted to continue playing the series. It's a shame. Pitt and Penn State should play in something that the football series is dead.

Minnesota Pittman: How lucky are Pitt fans right now Ray! With the football team, men & womens basketball all being ranked and the mens basketball team among the elite! I would say this is a great time to be a Pitt fan (heck, even the Penn State people that I know have been respectful lately and believe me, that's a first!).

Ray Fittipaldo: It's a great time to be a Pittsburgh sports fan in general. The Steelers are battling for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs this week. The Penguins are coming off a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Pirates, well, they just named a play-by-play announcer. Hooray for the Buccos.

Yes, it's a grand time to be a Pitt fan. Maybe the basketball season will extend into April this season. That would make the Panther faithful ecstatic.

Thanks for the questions. We'll do it again Thursday January 8. Have a happy and safe holiday.