Pitt vs WVU

Emily Mallon

The Panthers will look to make a statement tonight on their home court against bitter rivals WVU. Pitt lost a heartbreaker to St. John's on Saturday 60-59 and they're looking to redeem themselves in the national spotlight. Many think if Pitt would've held on, they'd be the #1 team in the nation and a lock for a 1 seed. Now, however unfair it may seem, they're in legitimate jeopardy of losing that seed. 


Pittsburgh beat WVU 71-66 without Ashton Gibbs earlier this season. Tonight, Gibbs will be back and if his performance on Saturday means anything (26 points), West Virginia should be scared. 

There's no way Deniz Kilci will have another career night in scoring. Last time he faced Pitt, Kilci had a career high 19 points. The bulk of those field goals came from a hook shot that Pitt couldn't defend. Pitt is a fantastic defensive team, so Kilci better have more in his arsenal if he wants to score 19 against them tonight. 

So far the biggest disappointment of the season has been Gilbert Brown. A man with such promise and talent that seems to play unsure of himself. Against lesser opponents, he shines. But when tough competition comes around, he seems to disappear or make mistakes. It's frustrating because besides his immense talent level, he usually makes the smart play. If you zero in on him for a few minutes, he's making the right pass, helping out on defense, and doing everything a smart basketball player should do. Two seconds later though, he's taking a bad shot, throwing the ball out of bounds, or falling asleep on defense. Perhaps, I hold Brown to a higher standard because i pictured him becoming a superstar based on what he showed us early in his career. This year, he's hurt his NBA stock significantly. There's still time for him to change it. If Brown comes on strong at the end of the season and has an exceptional NCAA tournament, his stock will once again be high and he'll have a good chance at being drafted. Luckily, Pitt is deep and don't rely on him to be the leading scorer. Wouldn't it be nice though?? 

I predict Pitt will put WVU away early. It's redemption time! Let's Go Pitt!!!