The DePaul loss was bad and the Rutgers one was even worse. Pitt looked better against Marquette and Syracuse on the road, but a loss is a loss is a loss.
Simply put, this is about as close a must-win as you get in the middle of the season. Pitt has some winnable games left if they continue to make progress as they have the rest of the season, but has plenty of challenging ones left, too.
Today, there's going to be Louisville's press to deal with, which should be fun. For me, it all starts with that. If they can't handle the notoriously good press from Louisville, it's going to be a long day. The Cardinals have been on a bit of a slide losing five out of their past seven, but been better than Pitt who is without a single win over that same span. The encouraging thing? Four of the seven losses have been by only five points or less.
How do you see this one shaping out? Leave your comments below in the gamethread, which will be up all day and then comment during the game.