The Pittsburgh Panthers mens basketball team has accomplished a lot this season. They went 28-3. They were undefeated at home. They beat the #1 team in the country... twice. They ascended to #1 in the polls, a first in school history.
Yet, none of that matters. Sure, it all looks nice, and a probable #1 seed in the NCAA tournament will be a a big deal for the team and school. But if this team is unable to at least get to the Final Four, it's all for nothing.
Luckily for the Panthers, this seems to be the best and most disciplined the University has ever seen.
Many people talk about DeJuan Blair and his physicality and how it is a game changer, and rightfully so. Blair is a tremendous talent. He is undersized for his position at only 6'7, but plays much bigger. Just ask UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, who has eight inches on Blair, yet was handled in both meetings between the Big East rivals this season.
Asides from Blair, this team boasts, in my mind, the best small forward in the nation, Sam Young. Young's ability to take over games with his athleticism and versatility makes him the biggest threat right now going into the post-season. He can knock down the 3, or take it to the hoop for the jam. His 31 points and 10 rebounds against UConn on Saturday showed just why every team in the nation should fear Young.
Even though I think highly of Blair and Young, I think the highest of Levance Fields. FIelds is also undersized, at only 5'10. He doesn't have the physicality or athleticism of Blair and Young, but he has something better: intelligence. Fields may be one of the smartest players I have ever seen at the college level. His assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in the nation and he rarely hurts the team.
The 'Big 3' of the Pitt Panthers is something special. But the role players are definitely noteworthy as well. Jermaine Dixon and Tyrell Biggs are great players, especially Dixon, who is the younger brother of Juan Dixon. Off the bench, the Panthers are one of the strongest teams in the country, with talent like Gillbert Brown, Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wannamaker.
The problem for the Panthers is if Blair gets into foul trouble, as they really have no one significant to come off the bench for him. In the Panthers three losses this season, Blair has fouled out of two of them and had 4 fouls at the end of the other. Pitt needs Blair to stay free of fouls, while still playing physical if they want to win a national championship.
With that said, I see that Panthers making a deep run in the tournament, as well as winning a Big East Championship. Anything less than a Big East Championship and a trip to the Final Four should be deemed a failure for this team, because they are THAT good.
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