We all knew that Dante Taylor was a game-time decision for Thursday's game against West Virginia. So when we heard shortly before the game that a big man wasn't suiting up, it wasn't a big surprise.
Until it was announced that Talib Zanna was the big man in question.
Zanna has served admirably in games this season and, at times, even excelled. But now, a freak injury resulting in a broken thumb means he'll be sidelined.
For a while.
At first it wasn't known how the injury occurred. Then, as it usually does, the truth came out:
Pitt received some bad news before the game. Forward Talib Zanna will miss 3-6 weeks with a right thumb injury. Zanna, a 6-foot-9 redshirt freshman, fractured his thumb Thursday after a pregame meal when some horseplay with some teammates went awry.
"They were messing around after the pregame meal, getting into a car," Dixon said.
Ugh. It always seems injuries area always easier to take when they occur in actual basketball activities. But horseplay? Man.
Pitt now loses some of its depth - one of the things that makes this team so special. Pitt is now going to be forced to do some juggling.
Gilbert Brown could move to power forward as Nasir's backup or Dante Taylor could slide down to that role in a pinch.
The thing that's tough to accept is that Zanna will be gone for three-six weeks. That could mean he's back for the early part of the NCAAs or it could mean his season is over.
Again. Ugh. I don't want to make this sound like it's the end of the world, but it definitely is a blow.
Please stay out of foul trouble, Nas.
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