Scouting Pitt

Jamie Dixon has his team on top in the Big East, do the Bulls have any chance here (Picture credits: ESPN.com)

The Bulls are on the road again as they face #4 Pittsburgh (23-2 (11-1)). Pittsburgh is a solid team that just beat Villanova and is in the driver's seat for the regular season Big East title. The Bulls were just awful against Notre Dame and are hoping to show a little more life in this contest.

Pittsburgh is one of the best teams in the county and the numbers reflect that. They average 76 points per game (33rd in the nation), 41.4 rebound per game (5th in the nation), 18 assists per game (5th in the nation), and shoot .473 from the field (30th in the nation. The Bulls on the other hand, are struggling in every possible way. USF enters the game averaging 62 points per game (309th - yikes), 37.6 rebounds per game (58th - only bright spot), 12.5 assists per game (206th - look at Crater), and shoot .413 from the floor (287th - couldn't shoot the broad size of a barn).

Here are the players we will have to watch out for. [keep reading]

Guard Ashton Gibbs (6'2" 190-pounds) is the spark-plug for the Panthers, but he will most likely be out for this game. He is averaging 16.3 points per game and helps open up the lane for the other Pitt players. This will help USF as they struggle at the guard position and may make scoring just a bit harder for Pitt (haven't hit 76 points, season average, in 5 straight games). Guard Brad Wanamaker (6'4" 210-pounds) will take over as the scoring leader for Pitt. He averages 12.6 points per game, shooting 48% from the field, pulling down 5 rebounds per game, and dealing 5 assists. Poland, Crater, and Noriega will have their hands full with him.

Inside, Pitt is anchored by forward Gilbert Brown (6'6" 210-pounds). Brown averages 11.1 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 2.9 assists per game. The other forward, Nasir Robinson (6'5" 220-pounds) is the other big man on the wing for Pitt. Gilchrist and Anderson (maybe Famous is he shows up) do have the size advantage on the forwards here (Gilchrist is 6'10"), but Pitt is very athletic and all of their players crash the boards hard, which will make it tough for the Bulls to get the rebounding edge here. Center Gary McGhee (6'10" 250-pounds) is the big man in the paint, averaging 7.3 points per game and 8 rebound per game. He is a big body that the Bulls will struggle to keep out of the paint.

Other names to watch:

Guard - Travon Woodall - 5'11" 190-pounds - 7 PPG 3.4 APG

Forward - Dante Taylor - 6'9" 240-pounds - 5.9 PPG 4.6 RPG

Forward - Talib Zanna - 6'9" 225-pounds - 3.6 PPG 3.6 RPG

Outcome of the game: This team is in a downward spiral right now. Over the past few games, the Bulls have been slammed by Syracuse, lost a heartbreaker to Marquette, and of course the beat down by the Irish. I don't see the Bulls even making this game a competition. The score will probably be low to start the first half due to the injury to Gibbs, the lead man for Pitt. But the second half, the Panthers are just too talented, too deep, and USF just does not have the type of team to compete with them .

Final score prediction: Pittsburgh 72 USF 56