Pitt Vs. Villanova: Open Gamethread

Can Pitt stay hot? That's the question.

Make no mistake, the bandwagon is rockin' again and if Pitt drops this game, it'll be a huge disappointment. The Panthers have simply been a different team with Tray Woodall coming back and at home, you'd like to think they can win this game after beating Georgetown and West Virginia in the past contests.

The biggest foe in this one? With all due respect to Villanova and the fact that they're playing better lately, the Panthers' best chance for defeat may be underestimating the Wildcats. That's not to say Villanova is a bad team and, trust me, if this game had come a week earlier, it'd looking like pick 'em. But now that we've seen what Pitt can do, this should be a win.

That said, I think it'll be a bit closer than expected. Nova rebounds well ... really well (in the top ten in the NCAA). And even though they don't shoot very well, that can change in any given game. I could see the Wildcats giving Pitt trouble to be sure.

Leave your pre-game thoughts in the comments thread and stop back at 2:00 p.m. to comment during the game.