ESPN Men's Basketball

PITTSBURGH -- No surprise here. Pitt versus Villanova was feisty, scrappy, at times flat-out ugly and entertaining to the last minute. The 70-65 win is a huge boon to the credibility and resume of a once-again soaring Pitt team that remains almost impossible to beat at home.

More to come in a column shortly but here are a few immediate reactions:

• What makes this Pitt team so dangerous is that it doesn't have a superstar. Every player plays hard and every player can hurt you -- Gilbert Brown off the bench, Gary McGhee underneath, Ashton Gibbs and Jermaine Dixon from the backcourt. They play like all Pitt teams -- hard and gritty -- and will be a very tough out come tourney time.
• Gary McGhee is one of most unsung players in the Big East. He plays yeoman's minutes in the post and does every little piece of work you need him to do. He had 10 critical rebounds against Villanova and hit 3 of 4 free throws.
• Count Scottie Reynolds out at your own risk. The Villanova guard was all but swarmed by Jermaine Dixon but finished with 20 points and nearly scared the bejesus out of the Pitt crowd when he hit back to back 3s late in the second half.
• Pitt now moves into a third-place tie with West Virginia and with a favorable four games to come -- at Notre Dame, at St. John's, home against Providence and Rutgers -- could easily sneak even higher into the final Big East standings. That's astounding for a team that lost so much and was picked ninth in the league.
• The road, meantime, doesn't get easier for Villanova. The Cats have a home date this week against South Florida, then travel for the showdown in Syracuse, to desperate Cincinnati before finishing up with West Virginia at home. It's a tough finish for a very good team and could go one of two ways for the Cats: toughen them up for March or exhaust them. Will be interesting to see which way it goes.

PITTSBURGH -- No surprise here, but it's been a very physical, scrappy game with both teams struggling on the offensive end. Villanova has managed just nine field goals and Pittsburgh 10, with both teams connecting only just 34 percent from the floor.

Truth is, Pitt -- which led by 10 -- ought to be up a lot more than six. Villanova has played without two of its best players for significant minutes and has shot the ball poorly. But the Panthers, never a great shooting team, have had their own share of struggles scoring buckets and keeping things going offensively.

Some things to keep an eye on the in the second half:

*Both Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher have two fouls for Villanova and though the Wildcats are deep in the backcourt, they aren't deep enough to go long term without both of them. Reynolds played just nine minutes and Fisher eight. Maalik Wayns has done an admirable job filling in but Villanova needs one of the veterans in the backcourt to handle the defensive intensity Pitt brings. In part because of the fouls and limited playing time, Reynolds only has taken three shots. He's been more productive in the second half all season so it will be interesting to see if he lights up after the break.

*Gary McGhee has been very active on the inside for the Panthers, with six rebounds and six points. Though the Wildcats aren't as strong in the frontcourt, they're going to have to find a way to battle with McGhee. Pitt is really hurting Villanova with second-chance points, 10-4.

*Will this game turn at the foul line as well? In the Elite Eight game, Villanova sank 22 of 23 free throws versus 21 of 29 for the Panthers. This time the Wildcats, the league's best from the charity stripe, are only 4 of 9 in front of the raucous Petersen Events Center crowd and rocking student section. Pitt, meantime is a perfect 9 for 9. This game hasn't been called too tight - 9 fouls on each side - but the free-throw line once again could be the spot that means the difference between winning and losing.

PITTSBURGH -- Greetings from the Petersen Events Center. Getting ready for what ought to be a tough -- and potentially foul infested -- game between two hard-nosed teams in Pittsburgh and Villanova.

At this time of year, every game has deeper meaning, but for the Panthers and Wildcats it's even more critical. Pitt is sitting in the much-coveted fourth position in the Big East, the last spot to claim a double-bye in the league tournament. With Louisville and Georgetown right behind them, the Panthers need a win to get a better hold on that bye. Villanova, of course, is fighting for the Big East regular-season crown with Syracuse -- with all eyes pointing toward the showdown next Saturday between the two squads. Of course there can't be a showdown if Villanova doesn't keep pace today.

A few other key things/players to watch:

• Jermaine Dixon. The last time he played Villanova he was in charge of stopping Scottie Reynolds on the last play of the game in the Elite Eight. That didn't go so well, and Dixon remembers it clearly. He said in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he circled this game on his calendar at the start of the year, looking at it as his chance to redeem himself and erase the painful memories of Reynolds' buzzer-beater.
• Can the Wildcats -- in particular Antonio Pena -- stay out of foul trouble? Because of its high-octane offense and scrappy guards, Villanova has been prone to a lot of fouls all season. The Cats average 33 whistles per game. Against a team as tenacious on the defensive end as Pitt, keeping out of foul trouble will be even more critical for Villanova, and in particular for Pena. The Wildcat big man has fouled out of five games and frequently finds himself saddled with early foul trouble. Nova doesn't have a lot of depth inside, and keeping Pena in the game is of vital importance.
• Whose style wins? In the end, this game is going to come down to a battle of wits. Villanova leads the Big East in scoring offense, averaging 85.4 points per game; Pittsburgh is second in the conference in scoring defense, giving up just 66.5. If forced into a slower pace and a half-court game, can the Wildcats adjust and win with defense and pluck? Conversely, can the Panthers survive if Villanova gets out in the open court?