Maybe what the Wildcats need is a dose of Charlie Sheen to get their tiger-blood boiling and to get back to their winning ways?
Ashton Gibbs is back from his MCL injury, but the Panthers are no longer a lock for a 1-seed. After losing two games since the last meeting with Villanova, the Panthers will need a win on Saturday to take the Big East regular season title outright, and will potentially share it with Notre Dame with a loss.
Those two losses were both away from home, however, and their only loss on campus this season remains to the same Notre Dame team that humiliated a lethargic Villanova squad.
In their last meeting, each team was missing a key backcourt player. Both Corey Stokes and Ashton Gibbs were sidelined with injuries for that game . Despite that, College GameDay broadcast a rather exciting affair that was not decided until the final possession.
Though Stokes has appeared to recover from his turf toe, Corey Fisher is now the Wildcat guard suffering from an ailment. The starting point guard underwent an MRI this week on his right knee, and is currently listed as day-to-day with a tendonitis. He leads the team in scoring (15.7), assists (5.0) and steals (1.6) and is still expected to play against Pittsburgh.
Though Ashton Gibbs gets all of the fanfare for Pitt, his teammate Brad Wanamaker may be the team's most important player. He is only the second player in Pitt history to score 1,000 points, pull down 500 rebounds and dish out 400 assists. He has even earned some mentions from Big East coaches as a Player of the Year candidate.
The 'Cats will have to control that excellent Pittsburgh backcourt, while Yarou once again battles inside with Gary McGhee, who is a consistently strong defender and rebounder and a good-enough offensive player as well.
If Villanova plays with some heart and intelligence, there is definitely hope that the 'Cats will be in a position to win this game. Things haven't changed that much since February 12th. Pittsburgh is a difficult place to play, however, and the Oakland Zoo will do everything it can to get in Nova's head.
A win against Pitt could be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to fixing Villanova's confidence problem, but it may take some confidence to get that done. Villanova needs to hustle early and not let Pitt pull away in the first half like they did against Notre Dame. If the 'Cats feel like they are still in the game, maybe they will play like it.
The defensive effort against Notre Dame simply wasn't there, however, and the 'Cats will either need to play up to the level they are capable of, or perhaps it is time to give James Bell, Dallas Ouano and Russell Wooten a 20+ minute run. Pittsburgh is not invincible, and the Wildcats can absolutely give them trouble if they play to the level they did earlier in the season.
The game will tip-off at 4:00 PM on March 5th from the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Television coverage will be provided nationally by CBS.
For more Pitt Preview information, please check out our preview for the February 12th game: Cat Scratch Fever.
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