Pitt basketball finds out how bottom half lives
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Referee Michael Stephens calls a flagrant foul on Pitt's Nasir Robinson against Seton Hall's Herb Pope as referee Michael Nance, left, looks on in the second half Sunday in Newark, N.J. The call put Pope on the line for two free throws and gave Seton Hall possession of the ball. Seton Hall won, 73-66.
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After a decade of success unmatched by any of its peers in the Big East Conference, Pitt is getting a taste of how the other half -- the bottom half -- of the league lives.
Welcome to the world of the also-rans.
Playing out the string is not something Pitt has done in more than a decade, but the Panthers are facing that reality for the final three weeks of the regular season after dropping consecutive road games at South Florida and Seton Hall.
The losses dropped Pitt's record to 15-11. The 11 losses are the most since 2000-01 when the Panthers finished 19-14. That team ended the season on the upswing after making an unexpected run to the Big East tournament championship game in Ben Howland's second season.
This team appears to be going in the opposite direction. The Panthers have lost 10 of their past 14 and have a difficult schedule ahead. They have five games remaining and have to win all five to get back to .500 in the Big East standings.
"We don't have any quitters on this team," sophomore forward Lamar Patterson said after a 73-66 loss Sunday at Seton Hall. "We have a lot of guys who want to win. That's why we came here -- to win. We're going to get in practice, work hard and try to get these last five."
Pitt has won five consecutive games in the conference many times over the past few years, including twice last season, but doing it now might be a minor miracle given the inconsistencies that have plagued the team.
Coach Jamie Dixon has the tall task of getting the Panthers to refocus after the crushing loss to Seton Hall. The Panthers led by six with less than eight minutes remaining, but were outscored, 18-5, down the stretch. There were turnovers, missed shots and plenty of missed opportunities.
Dixon has had to wade his way through a season of ebbs and flows. The Panthers won 11 of their first 12, then lost eight in a row and won four in a row after that.
He is trying to make sure the Panthers don't meander through another long losing streak that will totally derail the season. Making the NCAA tournament through an at-large bid might not be a realistic goal any longer, but there is something to play for.
The Panthers want to finish the season with a winning record to qualify for the National Invitation Tournament, and they want to be in the best possible position for the Big East tournament. They are currently in a tie 14th place in the conference standings, but could easily finish in ninth or 10th place if they play well over the final three weeks.
First Published February 14, 2012 12:00 am
