roninbuc: Great win last night in a hostile arena- a little dicey at the end when WVU got to within 4 points, but Sam Young continued with the best game of his career. Come tournamnent time, will we have to hope Kendall gets in foul trouble, or do you see Sam taking some of Levon's minutes with his strong play? Right now, I don't see Dixon benching Kendall (senior leadership, and all that).

Ray Fittipaldo: I don't see Dixon benching Kendall either. You have to realize that Young had scored 30 points total in the first nine Big East games. He has not exactly been a model of consistency. He played great last night, but he always seems to play great against West Virginia. He's going to have to show that he can do it against other teams.

roninbuc: Lets say right now that the top seeds in the NCAA's are UCLA (West), North Carolina (East), Florida (South) and an open seed in the Midwest, if Pitt and Wisconsin both win their conferences, does the loss to the Badgers knock Pitt down to a #2 seed?

Ray Fittipaldo: I would think so. I don't see how the selection committee would give Pitt a No. 1 seed when the Panthers were throttled by the Badgers. The only way that happens is if Pitt wins the Big East tournament and Wisconsin goes out in the first roiund of the Big Ten tournament. We all know how the selection committee likes how teams finish. That's the only foreseeable scenario where Pitt beats out the Badgers, though, in my mind.,

PittHoopsatPittBlather: What do you think has been the biggest reason Mike Cook has struggled the past two games (shooting 1-14 from the field). I figured he may have been a bit nervous at Villanova playing in front of his family, but after last night, I'm clueless. Do you think it's a cause of concern?

Ray Fittipaldo: If it goes into the next game, I'd start getting concerned. He did play well the two games prior to Villanova. Maybe he's going through a little slump. It happens. If he does continue to struggle, Dixon does not have many options. He could replace Cook with Benjamin, but Benjamin has always been a role player, not a starter. The only other option is Gilbert Brown, but Dixon would have to burn his redshirt if he played him now.

jk: Are we going to see an inconsistent Sam Young all year because of his knees?

Ray Fittipaldo: I have not heard one thing about Sam knee's since the Big East season got under way. Dixon has not brought it up once when asked about his play. Young's problem since January has been his consistency. Some of it has to do with foul trouble he had. Some of it has to do with playing time, I'm sure. We don't get a chance to ask Sam about his knees because he does not speak with reporters, but no one has really used it as an excuse since December.

jk: Why do you think Pitt's playing great defense lately?

Ray Fittipaldo: Jamie Dixon said this morning on a Big East coaches conference call that this could be his best defensive team ever by the end of the season. That is saying something, considerig Dixon's first season was the one with Julius Page and Jaron Brown that set all kinds of defesnive records. The biggest difference I see this season is the perimeter defense. That was a weakness the past two seasons, but now the Panthers can get out and guard the 3-point shot because of the three-guard lineup. As inconsistent as Cook has been the past two games, he still beats John DeGroat or Yuri Demetris or Mark McCarroll any day.

PittHoopsatPittBlather: How many more regular season losses do you see on Pitt's schedule?

Ray Fittipaldo: I think last night's win set the Panthers up well for the rest of the season. They have three consecutive home games against Providence, Louisville and Washington. Barring a really bad game, they should win all three of those. After that, they have games at Seton Hall, Georgetown and Marquette and another home game against WVU. I'll go out on a limb and say two more losses (probably at Georgetown and Marquette).

Knight2001: Who is the 3rd best team in the Big East in your mind after Pitt and Marquette? West Virginia?

Ray Fittipaldo: Probably Georgetown. WVU had the benefot of an easy early schedule in the Big East. The Mountaineers will lose a few more games. That loss at Cincy could end up hurting them with the NCAA selection committee. I think it's going to come down to the last game of the regular season at Marquette for the regular season title. That's an ESPN primetime game. What better way to get ready for the Big East tournament?

wow11: Under this scenerio, where would we get seeded in the NCAAs? -- 13-3 in conference, lose in BE title game

Ray Fittipaldo: I feel pretty safe in saying that would get Pitt a No. 2 seed in that scenario.

jk: I know Pitt has a 21-3 record, and don't get me wrong it's great, but do you think these scoring droughts and scorig runs by the opposing teams the last few games are a sign of trouble?

Ray Fittipaldo: WVU was bound to get hot at some point during that game. They're too good offensively to score only 40 points in a game. The thing that bothered me about the way it happened, though, was how Pitt had a chance to score during the run. In between Frank Young's and Darris Nichols' 3-pointers, Kendall got the ball wide open underneath and actually looked to pass! He had a layup and wanted to pass. He cannot play passive like that in an important game or Pitt is going to lose.

wow11: Is it time to sit Mike Cook down? He's killing us out there right now with too many bad shots, turnovers, careless defense, I think its time for a change ...

Ray Fittipaldo: Who plays in his place? I love Benjamin's game, but he seems to thrive in his reserve role. As I said before, do you want to burn Brown's redshirt year and hope he can come in and play significant minutes in the NCAA tournament after sitting the bench the whole season? The best bet is to coach Cook up in the next few weeks and try to limit his mistakes.

PittHoopsatPittBlather: While it's a good thing that Pitt has so many players that can step up and have good games any given night, it seems like because of that, some players completely disappear at other times. After Gray, who in your opinion, is the player we can least afford to have an off night come tournament time?

Ray Fittipaldo: I would say Ramon because of his 3-point shooting ability. He made two big 3-pointers in the second half last night that kept WVU at a comfortaable distance. Pitt is going to need someone to step up and make 3s in the tournament. Ramon cannot have a terrible shooting night or it could spell trouble.

Pittsburgher_for_life: Are the Pitt Panthers for real this year? Or will they fall off towards the big dance?

Ray Fittipaldo: I don't see this team falling off at all. Quite the opposite. I think they're on the upswing. It's all about peaking in March and this team is showing signs that it can do some major damage in the tournament.

jk: Why is Pitt playing Washington next Saturday?

Ray Fittipaldo: CBS wanted a marquee non-conference national television game to broadcast. Washington was a top 15 before the season. The Huskies have struggled to live up to their billing, but CBS can't back off the game now. Pitt is going out to Washington next season for a return game that also will be another national TV appearance.

jk: Can we go ahead and buy our elite 8 tickets now? Just kidding, but this may be the most complete team of the Howland/Dixon era.

Ray Fittipaldo: You may be right. I was on the coaches conference call earlier in the day and Welsh said this Pitt team has no weaknesses. He said it was Final Four material. I know coaches routinely say all kinds of stuff to butter up the opponent, but I've heard just about every coach in the Big East say that at one time or another this season -- before and after they play Pitt.

PittHoopsatPittBlather: Football recruiting has gotten me thinking about the 07-08 basketball team. From what you've seen or heard about the incoming players, who looks like they may play some quality minutes next year?

Ray Fittipaldo: Everyone seems to think that DaJuan Blair is going to come in and play right away, but he'll have Sam Young and Tyrell Biggs ahead of him on the depth chart. Pitt is going to need one of the incoming freshman centers to play a lot of minutes. So I would say either McGhee or Diggs will get the most playing time. Maybe they split minutes at the center position, who knows?

roninbuc: Pitt seems to have a firm hold on the Big East regular season title right now, but do they have to also win the Big East Tourney for a top seed in the regionals (#1 or #2)? Does the overall strength of the Big East being down this year hurt their chances for a top seed?

Ray Fittipaldo: I wouldn't be so confident about the regular-season title. Marquete has a much easier schedule down the stretch and the final game of the season is at their place. I don't think the conference hurts Pitt all that much. The Panthers are No. 3 in the RPI, and that's what the NCAA selection committee looks at most. Pitt upgraded the non-conference schedule, so it would not be a problem.

Ray Fittipaldo: Thanks for the questions this week. I have to get up to Pitt for practice. Read more about Pitt tomorrow in my online Q&A.