Junior point guard Levance Fields said a month ago he would like to return to the lineup for the Marquette game Feb. 15, but athletic trainer Tony Salesi said yesterday that is not a likely possibility at this point.

Salesi was upbeat and positive about Fields' rehabilitation, but he said the prospect of returning to game action in 10 days is a bit unrealistic. Fields, who has a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot that happened Dec. 29 at Dayton, is scheduled to have another set of X-rays and a CAT scan Thursday. After that examination, the doctors and trainers will have a better idea for a return date.

"I would say [Feb. 15] is on the aggressive side based on what we know [now]," Salesi said. "Even if we get a good report on Thursday and we can start doing a few more things that doesn't leave you much time to get ready for a game. You're talking about getting back into running, shooting and practice. A lot of it will be what Levance can handle. I think when he said that it was an overly optimistic time frame."

Salesi allowed that athletes heal faster than most people and that there is always a chance that Fields could come back earlier than he expects.

Pitt originally set a timetable of 8 to 12 weeks after surgery. Yesterday was five weeks from the date of his surgery. If Fields comes back at eight weeks, he would be able to play in the final three regular-season games and the postseason tournaments.

"I couldn't be happier with where Levance is in his rehabilitation," Salesi said.

Fields is still wearing a boot and has not been cleared to run or shoot yet, but he has been a model patient with his conditioning regimen, according to strength and conditioning coach Tim Beltz.

Beltz has Fields on an interval-based training regimen. He does cardiovascular work on the exercise bike, elliptical machine and in the swimming pool. He also is lifting weights.

"Levance has done a really good job of preparing himself to make sure he's ready to play as soon as possible," Beltz said.

Fields was not available for comment yesterday.

When Pitt graduated 7-foot center Aaron Gray last season the general assumption was the Panthers were going to be better when it came to shooting free throws. But even though the Panthers subtracted their worst free-throw shooter from the equation they have not improved much from the line.

Pitt made 66 percent of its shots from the free-throw line last season. This season the Panthers are shooting 68 percent overall, but only 62.5 percent in Big East Conference games. Their inability to make free throws has been costly in each of their four conference losses. In those losses, Pitt is 35 for 57 (61.4 percent) from the line. The Panthers were 13 for 20 from the line in a 60-53 loss Saturday at Connecticut; the Huskies were 18 for 21.

"We got beat at the free-throw line," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "That's something we didn't want to happen."

Dixon always says the percentage does not matter as much as making free throws when they count. The Panthers have been missing the ones that count recently. Against Connecticut, Gilbert Brown missed two free throws with 5:16 remaining when the Panthers trailed by three. With 1:42 remaining, after he was fouled shooting a 3-pointer, Brown only made two when, once again, Pitt trailed by three. Connecticut, by contrast, was 9 for 10 from the line in the final six minutes of the game.

It has been a familiar refrain in every loss. In the loss to Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights scored six more points at the line. Cincinnati and Villanova each outscored Pitt by 10 at the line. It has not helped that two of Pitt's best free-throw shooters are injured and not playing. Mike Cook, who is out for the season, made 83.3 percent of his shots from the line before he was injured. Fields made 70.6 percent of his free throws before he was injured.

Pitt has lost three of its past five games, but the Panthers remained in the top 25 of The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls that were updated yesterday. The Panthers are No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 25 in the coaches' poll. That's the lowest the Panthers have been ranked since December 2005, when they were not ranked in the AP poll and No. 25 in the coaches' poll.