After a loss to South Florida snapped their four-game winning streak, the Panthers could find themselves in a must-win scenario against Seton Hall on Sunday.
Pitt might be able to lose another regular season game as long as it find a way to win a Big East Tournament game, but with road games still ahead against UConn and Louisville, losing only one more contest down the stretch might prove difficult.
Jamie Dixon will see a familiar face on the court for Seton Hall in former recruit Herb Pope. Pope, a local Western Pennsylvania kid, was headed to the Panthers, but instead decided to attend New Mexico State. After a year there, he transferred to Seton Hall, where he's flourished. Pope averaged a double-double in his second year with the Pirates, and this year, has turned into one of the dominant big men in the Big East, averaging more than 15 points and ten rebounds per game.
The Panthers need to find a way to not only contain Pope, but senior guard Jordan Theodore. Theodore is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.8 points per game and while he's not all that accurate from the field (hitting less than 40 percent of his shots and under 30 percent of his three-point attempts), more times than not, he finds a way to score points. Against Rutgers in the team's last game, he had 24 of them.
Seton Hall, like Pitt, experienced a long losing streak this season. Starting 15-2, the Pirates appeared headed for an NCAA Tournament berth. But after dropping six in a row, they're in a similar position as the Panthers, desperately needing a win.
For more on the game and Pitt basketball, check out SB Nation's blog, Cardiac Hill.