HALL ON HOOPS

Word in Denver is that tonight’s game, which is to start at about 9:10 ET, will tip a few minutes later.

Regardless, this should be a tough, physical game … at least that’s what both teams and coaches are saying. But there is some finesse on both teams, and they like to get out in transition. But expect a battle underneath between DeJuan Blair and Drew Naymick.

A key for Pitt? Try Gilbert Brown. He’s played tremendously as of late. As long as he continues, Jamie Dixon is able to keep his players fresh.

Oral Roberts quit. Coach Scott Sutton even admitted it.

The Golden Eagles were up until midway through the first half. Then they started chirping and trash talking. The Panthers took exception to it, and ramped up their intensity.

And, Levance Fields’ shot returned.

Sutton said if Fields can shoot like he did Thursday, the Panthers are going places in this Tournament. Like Houston. Like San Antonio. Truth is, that and the free throw shooting were the only two things missing from Pitt’s arsenal in New York.

One down for Pitt, one to go.

I guess I’m still waiting for the game when this hot streak ends. It has to, right? The Panthers can’t keep this up, can they?

If they can, they’ve got a great shot at the Final Four. But I’d like to see if they can shut down their opponent if the offense isn’t clicking like it has. That happened a little in the BE semis against Marquette.

That will be the key to a deep Tourney run.

That said, this team seemed poised and ready. They are confident and have every reason to be.

Michigan State, the Panthers’ opponent Saturday, has been led by Drew Neitzel all season. But Thursday, he scored only five points and was picked up by guys like Raymar Morgan. If Neitzel has another off game, I don’t see Michigan State suriviving Pitt.

The Pitt Panthers always seek motivation. It’s necessary in games where they are favored to win.

They think they’ve found it.

Oral Roberts’ Moses Ehambe said Wednesday: “On the court (at ORU), it says, ‘Expect a miracle.’ I’m going to say that right now: expect a miracle. We’re here to shock the world. Nothing Less. I mean, why not? We made it this far, so why not?”

I’ve been told that the Panthers players weren’t too happy with those comments, as harmless as they seemed when I heard them at the time. But it went up on that proverbial bulletin board in the Pitt locker room.

30 minutes to game time. If Pitt wins, the Panthers will play Michigan State Saturday. That could be the national game … which means a late start. But the Panthers have to win today first.Â

First, I apologize for some troubles I had in NYC getting you this blog.

But we’re back online now, so here goes, live fron Denver …

Thursday’s game for Pitt won’t be as easy as many believe. Oral Roberts is a deep, experienced team that has been here before (three straight years) and trots out mostly seniors and juniors on the floor. The Golden Eagles don’t have a star like last year 9Caleb Green, who averaged 20.5 ppg), but they are balanced and play better defense, so said coach Scott Sutton.

As a quick aside, Scott Sutton doesn’t look as much like father Eddie than brother Sean does.

Anyway, the Eagles to a man said they are ready to be physical with the Panthers. The players I spoke to had sort of a bring-it-on mentality. A few snickered at the notion that any team could be as physical as Pitt.

If the Panthers prove to be the more physical team, especially down low where they have a bit of a size disadvantage, they’ll win this game. But expect a close one.

Oh, and I’ll take Temple over Michigan State. There’s my 5-12 upset.

As always, any Pitt questions … just put them in the comments and I’ll try to respond. (I finally figured out how to do that!)

The Panthers pulled one out Wednesday, no thanks to Levance Fields at the foul line. That’s something that’s always been a bugaboo of this team … no matter what Jamie Dixon tells you.

The big surprise Wednesday was the play of Sam Young, particularly on defense http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2008/03/13/sports/doc47d8b541b38af507719549.txt

Young actually looked like he wanted to play defense, and his attitude allowed Dixon to go to a smaller lineup to guard against Deonta Vaughn’s shooting. Vaughn scored 30 points, but he took 25 shots, including 15 threes. All things considered, the Panthers did an OK job covering him.

But the key was keeping John Williamson off the score sheet. The Cincinnati forward had eight points. The last time these teams played, he had 27.

Can the Panthers upset Louisville tonight. You bet. The Panthers are magic here in NYC, and they insist their defense is getting a lot better (it’s about time they realized it needed to). But beating Louisville won’t be easy, not with Pitino’s bunch completely healthy. The Cardinals are deep, talented and my early sleeper for the Final Four. For Pitt to win, DeJuan Blair must neutralize David Padgett underneath, and someone needs to pay attention to Edgar Sosa outside.

Rumor mill This Jamie Dixon to USC rumor is getting some legs here in NYC. I’ll still need to see it to believe it, because Pitt AD Steve Pederson will probably do anything to keep Dixon. … Sam Young showed up at the postgame press conference with an ice pack on his knee, but reports are he’s fine. … A bowl of soup at Friday’s costs $7.50. Ouch.

I’m on my way … or at least I will be shortly.

Follow the Big East tournament here, in the Beaver County Times and on timesonline.com. I’ll talk games, NCAA chances, rumors and rumblings … and maybe Little Italy food.

Feel free to ask questions via the comments … about Pitt or anything college hoops related.

OK, off to pack. See you in NYC.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon wanted to be in New York City by now (Monday night, 9 p.m.)for the Big East Tournament, which starts Wednesday. He told reporters earlier Monday that he wanted to make sure there were no travel snags.

The Panthers already encountered one.

There were no available flights out of Pittsburgh to NYC Monday night, so the team will be en route to New York Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m., a team spokesman said Monday night.