Pitt vs. Loyola Marymount: Open Gamethread

From the Nittany Lions to the Lions, eh? After a somewhat challenging run of games against Stanford, Texas Tech, Duquesne, and Penn State, Pitt gets back to basics tonight with Cupcake Heaven, right?

Yeah, pretty much.

Up next for the Panthers is Loyola Marymount. On the surface, that name doesn't carry a whole lot of weight and with a 6-2 record this year with losses only to Northern Iowa and Vanderbilt, they have the look of a potential challenger.

But dig deeper, friends. Truth be told, Loyola's wins haven't been that impressive, either. Their victories against Grand Canyon University (yes, there is such a place) by three points, 1-8 Long Beach State by a single point, 0-8 Marist by six points, and UC Riverside by four points aren't what you would call awe-inspiring.

It's true they hung with Vandy, but the Commodores also lost to Providence. They also hung with mid major threat Northern Iowa, but they're not as good as they have been in the past with losses to Milwaukee and Ohio.

None of this is to suggest the Panthers should be waiting for Loyola to roll over and die, but the Lions just aren't a team that should give Pitt trouble. They do have some offense as the team is scoring 80 points a game this year, but if Pitt comes to play, it shouldn't be a team that gives the Panthers much of a fight.

Game on ESPN3 tonight so get the laptop hooked up to the TV and join us here at 7:00 p.m. to comment live during the game and in the meantime, leave your pregame thoughts below.

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