Pitt-Wisconsin

Props to Wisconsin for playing their best possible game against the No. 2-ranked Pitt. The Panthers didn't play all that badly, Wisconsin just took advantage of the home crowd and shot the lights out. The Badgers look legit, and Alando Tucker might be the best wing player in the nation.

I've now seen Corey Brewer, Jarrius Jackson, JamesOn Curry, Daequan Cook, Mustafa Shakur and Wayne Ellington play, and Tucker is the best. He is the strongest of all of them, and he establishes himself inside, outside and in transition.

Things that went wrong for the Panthers? Well, the man-to-man defense is in trouble. When Pitt basketball is forced into zone defense, there is something wrong. Wisconsin presented problems in matchups for Pitt, stretching Gray and Kendall away from the basket with (randomly on-fire) Brian Butch while Tucker was too big for any of Pitt's wing players and too quick for Sam Young.

In the meantime, I think Pitt can rebound. It needs to keep working on working out the kinks of the other eight scorers. Ronald Ramon showed absolutely no fear in creating and taking his shots. I liked the tenacity of Antonio Graves and Mike Cook as well, and Levance Fields worked hard at the end of the game trying to get Pitt back into it.

Still, the Panthers aren't going to have it any easier on the 21st, when they travel to Oklahoma City to play Oklahoma State. Pitt fans, don't fret, the Panthers are still the best team in the Big East and they will be OK faster than you can say Carl Krauser plays basketball in Germany.

Peace.