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Q: After the South Florida loss I'm wondering if the NCAA tournament is even in the future this season. I know they played this game without Jermaine Dixon but a loss to a lower of the pack team is still a bad loss. I'll count the Robert Morris game as a win (might regret that) but inside the Big East, I think they're going to need five more wins to feel comfortable. I think a 22-9 record and 11-7 in the conference before the Big East tournament would be enough. But looking at the schedule, I don't know that I see five more conference wins. Games like Seton Hall, at St. Johns, Providence and Rutgers should be wins, but now I don't know after the way they've played. Let's just say they do win those 4 games, they still need a win from one of the following: West Virginia (on the road), West Virginia, Marquette (on the road), Villanova and Notre Dame (on the road). Regardless of how they get them, do you think they're going to get the wins needed to play in the big dance?

Ryan, Columbus, Ohio

FITTIPALDO: Ryan, I don't think Pitt needs to go 11-7 to get into the NCAA tournament. I think 10-8 will do it regardless of which teams the Panthers beat to get to 10 wins. Those victories at Syracuse, Cincinnati and Connecticut will be impressive in the eyes of the NCAA tournament selection committee. And when you factor in that the Big East is likely going to be viewed as the best conference in the country I think it's a cinch that a team with a winning record in the league gets in.

If Pitt only gets to 9-9 then things might get interesting. The Panthers might need to win a game or two at the Big East tournament in that scenario. Pitt has five home games remaining. All the Panthers have to do is win four of those five to get in. They wouldn't even have to win any on the road. Or they could win three of those five home games and win just one of those road games. It would be a collapse of epic proportions if the Panthers don't get in after starting the conference schedule with five victories in a row. It might not be pretty, but I am still fairly confident this team gets into the NCAA tournament.

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