Think back to that previous mental image you have of Levance Fields before he stumbled over that cheerleader at the University of Dayton.

It's the one of him stepping back behind the 3-point line with the clock ticking down and hitting the winning shot against Duke at Madison Square Garden in New York. Or it's the one of him wildly celebrating on the Pitt sideline, legs flailing in the air, after that thrilling victory against the Blue Devils.

Fields was Mr. Clutch in that 65-64 victory, the game before his left foot was fractured.

Pitt has had to play the first half of the Big East Conference schedule without their point guard and spiritual leader, and three of their four losses were decided in the final minute when Fields most certainly would have had a say in the outcome.

It is impossible to say whether Pitt would have won every -- or any -- game that it lost without Fields, but there's no debating the Panthers have struggled mightily in those crucial situations without him.

For the third time in a month Saturday, the Panthers had a chance to win a tough game on the road and for the third time they fell victim to poor execution in the waning moments. And it was clear in the aftermath of the latest defeat -- a 60-53 setback at Connecticut -- that the Panthers are anxiously awaiting the return of their leader.

"It seems like we're right there," junior forward Sam Young said. "We're just missing pieces to the puzzle. We're trying to put it together even though we have missing pieces. It's hard."

Young was speaking of Fields. Later, on the subject of another question, Young spoke again about the team missing Fields.

"Sometimes I feel like I can do extra, get an extra rebound or make an extra shot, just so we can make up for where we lack," he said. "It is frustrating. I'm not going to lie to you. I can't wait until Levance gets back. I'm just going to have to wait until he gets better."

Young was not the only one who mentioned Fields by name after the Connecticut loss. Freshman center DeJuan Blair also said how much the Panthers need Fields back in the lineup.

"When we get Levance back, it's going to make us a lot better," Blair said. "We'll have our guys in the right places."

Young, Blair and the rest of their teammates must wait at least two more games until Fields returns to the lineup. The Panthers play host to West Virginia Thursday night and then Providence the following Tuesday before Fields is expected to make it back for a Feb. 15 road game at Marquette.

The Panthers made it through the first nine games with a 5-4 record, which is good enough for a tie for seventh place in the conference. But the winning record is in no way satisfying, according to players, even though they played those games without two starters.

"We keep bouncing back poor," Blair said. "We win, lose, win, lose. I don't like that. You know me, where I came from, I was a winner. I don't like this."

Young reiterated that the up-and-down play in the first month of league play is unacceptable no matter the circumstances.

"No, we're not OK," Young said. "I'm not saying it couldn't be worse, but we're not going to settle. I know we know we can do better than this. We are waiting for Levance to get back. But I'm not going to say we're OK."

Coach Jamie Dixon has had to play four freshmen in his eight-man rotation since Fields and Mike Cook were injured in December. For the most part, that eight-man rotation is trimmed to six in the second halves of close games when rookies Brad Wanamaker and Gary McGhee are stapled to the bench.

That could be one reason for the late letdowns. The starters likely are growing weary of playing all of those increased minutes. Still, Dixon wasn't about to blame fatigue for the loss at Connecticut.

When he was asked to assess his team at the halfway point of Big East play he said: "We're obviously playing four freshmen. Where we are isn't as important as where we're going to be. We're continuing to improve. That's our biggest goal, to continue to improve."

Improving in the clutch is a goal, too. But it might not be realistic to believe that will happen until Fields steps a foot back onto the court in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, maybe it's best for the Panthers to have their next two games against West Virginia and Providence salted away before crunch time.