Pitt Basketball: Pitt Vs. Butler - Panthers Look To Avoid Upset

That's it - the opening round is over and from here on out, Pitt is very capable of being beaten.

I don't know if scare is the right word, but fans should be extremely wary about Butler. For starters, there's the experience factor. We all know about Butler's run to the championship game last season. But in a way, that should serve as motivation for Pitt. Here's a team that accomplished what they've been unable to. So instead of looking at this as a scare, Pitt should come out and be extremely motivated to play.

Butler's also on a roll, having won its last ten games.

Then there's the fact that Butler's actually a pretty good team. They played competitively against Duke and Xavier earlier this season in losses and also beat Florida State.

I'll be perfectly honest, if Pitt ends up losing this game, there's no excuse for it. Butler is a good, tournament-tested team, but Pitt doesn't have much business losing this one. This is not the same Butler team from last year without NBA player Gordon Hayward.

The thing Pitt needs to be concerned about is rebounding. Old Dominion was one of the best best rebounding teams in the nation, but was really held in check by Butler. Pitt needs to stay aggressive so that they don't suffer the same fate.