Q: Can you explain Pitt's offense? Every announcing team that broadcasts a Pitt game has one constant theme: this is an ugly offensive game. Pitt never backdoors anyone when they're being overplayed. You never see a shooter curling off a screen for a jump shot. Everything is one on one and perhaps throwing the ball to a open person. Pitt hardly ever scores on out of bounds plays. It's the same old thing year after year. I've been tough on Jamie Dixon, but it's the defense that carries this team. He should get credit for this. Finally, Brad Wanamaker was and is a mistake. He hasn't had a signature game and has showed nothing.

Bill Meyer, Ashburn, Va.

FITTIPALDO: The offense is your basic motion offense that many other teams in college basketball run. The stagnancy you're seeing the past few games has more to do with the personnel running it than the philosophy behind the offense. When this offense is run well -- as it was earlier in the season -- it is very effective. The Panthers have routinely shot 50 percent or more in games with this offense. Even though the Panthers found a way to win three of their first four Big East games, they do not have enough talent on offense to overcome the loss of two starters. This team is really starting to miss the leadership of Levance Fields. I think Pitt is 8-1 in conference play, 7-2 at worst if he is healthy. The offense is not the problem. The players running the offense is the problem now. The sooner Fields returns, the sooner the offense will return to form.

Q: I understand that Jamie Dixon sat Ronald Ramon for the remainder of the first half because he had two fouls. Doesn't Pitt's injury situation push Jamie to take some chances? I'm not sure if Pitt loses that game if Ramon plays in the second part of the first half. The offense was completely stagnant.

Vinny Losasso, York, Pa.

FITTIPALDO: We've seen Dixon sit other players when they pick up two early fouls. I think it's a solid philosophy to sit a guy with two fouls, especially when you have a lead the way Pitt did. But your point is a good one. Other coaches will take a chance and put a guy with two fouls back in a game earlier than Dixon. I guess it's a matter of how that coach feels about the player with the fouls and the players who are replacing him. Ramon was having a hard time staying in front of Connecticut point guard AJ Price. Maybe Dixon did not have confidence that Ramon would play good defense on him having to play careful. Or, in the worse-case scenario, would have picked up his third foul. Dixon seemed to be more comfortable playing Keith Benjamin and Brad Wanamaker at the point. Wanamaker did OK on defense, but he really struggles on offense and is a liability at times. And when you ask Benjamin to run your team for an extended period I think you're asking an awful lot. We can sit and second-guess Dixon all day, but you can only play with what you have. Right now, the bench is short because of the injuries. He just does not have many options.