2 posts tagged “pittsburgh panthers”
Panthers vs. Friars
Once upon a time, Pittsburgh was enveloped in the top ranking in the country for the first time ever. That ranking was short lived and the Panthers tumbled with two losses in a short period of time. Seven straight and nine wins in their last 10 contests have propelled the Panthers to the top again. They will put their top ranking on the line as they face Providence on the road.
The top spot has not been a sought after spot this season as the teams in that spot have tumbled out of it and those approaching it have been stopped along the way.
Pitt (25-2, 12-2) will reluctantly, or otherwise, serve out their role. They are rolling, winning each of the last seven by an average of 15.7 points. Their big victory came over the prior number one team, Connecticut last Monday. They also were able to avoid a letdown and decimated DePaul 80-61 on Saturday.
Dominating the last two games, as he has done all season, has been DeJuan Blair. He dominated U-Conn's star player Hasheem Thabeet by scoring 22 points and snatching 23 rebounds. His encore was a 20 point, 18 rebound performance against the Blue Demons. The Panthers are 21-0 when Blair scores 10 points or more.
Providence (16-11, 8-7) once had high hopes and were a shoe-in for the NCAA Tournament as they started 6-2 in the tough Big East. But all the good feelings have been lost when they dropped five of seven after their 103-84 home loss to Notre Dame.
Weyinmi Efejuku did his best to turn the tide of his team, scoring a career-high 31 points in a losing effort. He has averaged 23.7 points in his past three games. Sharaud Curry scored 23 points as well.
Providence is 1-10 all-time against number one teams.
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Huskies -2 1/2 vs. Panthers
Wrapping up Big East play the Pittsburgh Panthers will travel to East Hartford to take on Connecticut Saturday afternoon. This game will no doubt feature a ground game that could rival a precise military assault as both teams boast a prolific rushing game.
For Pittsburgh, a road victory to wrap up the season would mark the first time in 26 years that they will finish the regular season with nine victories. Panthers' running back LeSean McCoy will be key in being victorious over the struggling Huskies from Connecticut. U-Conn boasts an explosive weapon of their own in back Donald Brown.
While his team has been inconsistent down the stretch by alternating wins and losses, Brown has been fantastic and leads the nation with 148.5 yards per game on the ground. Not to be outdone, McCoy is first in the nation in scoring with 10.9 points per game and not too far behind Brown with 118.9 yards per game, good for fourth in the country.
During the Huskies (7-3, 3-3) inconsistent stretch in which they have gone 2-4, including two weeks ago when they lost their last game to South Florida 17-13, Brown has rumbled for 727 yards and five scores. The junior has 1633 yards and 16 scores on the season.
Meanwhile Pitt (8-3, 4-2) has won three of their last four, including last week's win over arch-rival West Virginia 19-15. In that game McCoy ran for 183 yards, which is a career high. He scored twice running his total touchdowns to 20 on 1308 yards.
U-Conn has won two in a row and three of the four games played in the series, including both of its home games in 2004 and 2006. The Panthers only win came in 2005 at home in Pittsburgh.
