Pitt vs. DePaul: Easier than expected

Beating DePaul was pretty expected, but a 38-point win? Come on.

First things first - I'll be the first to admit that Pitt played exceptionally well. But you should never win in conference by that much. Losing by nearly 40 points in a conference game is a flat out embarrassment. I don't care if you are DePaul - that simply shouldn't happen. And, traditionally, it doesn't - that was apparently Pitt's largest margin of victory in a Big East game. Ever.

On the flipside, how can you not be impressed with what the Panthers did, winning 93-55? For me, I was glad to see them not let up - something they typically do. They were up by 23 at halftime and the lead only got bigger from there. Refreshing to see the team pile on and not let the opponent back in the game.

The other thing was that everybody got plenty of minutes with the blowout - no one had fewer than 16. Nine of the ten guys that played also had at least seven points. Leading the way in scoring? Trey Zeigler with 18 in only 18 minutes. Zeigler's been tearing it up lately and is looking as good as he was advertised when we first learned he was coming here. But back to my initia, point - I wondered earlier if Dixon would play the reserves a bit more once the game was getting out of hand in the first half. I was really glad to see that was the case. With the short turnaround with the Louisville game coming up on Monday, no need to burn the starters out.

Also worth pointing out Steven Adams' effort. He had nine points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. Huge game for the big man. He's been a little up and down in the Big East, but is getting better as the season goes along.

If you're looking for a down subject, that would be Pitt's 18 turnovers. DePaul pressed and gave Pitt some fits with that - not particularly encouraging since we'll have that to look forward to on Monday against one of the best in the business at it in Louisville. On the road, no less. If Pitt's going to win, they'll need to handle the press - something they didn't do with great ease today.

On a more global scale, the team is now 17-4 and another 20-win season seems like a certainty with games still left against Seton Hall, South Florida, and DePaul. But assuming they can win those, Pitt will need to also steal another game to ensure an NCAA bid. Maybe St. John's or Villanova. Maybe Pitt gets one of these next two against Louisville and Syracuse. Then there's also Notre Dame, Cincinnati, and Marquette. The bottom line is that Pitt is looking more like a tournament team. Pretty soon, we could be be talking about seeding and not just getting in.