Saturday, 12 January 2013 10:58

Written by Ray Fittipaldo

Pitt-Marquette game prediction

(Season record: 1-2)

Pitt 66, Marquette 60

Marquette has struggled to score in its first two road games. The Golden Eagles got beat 82-49 at Florida in late November and 49-47 at Green Bay Dec. 19.

Coach Buzz Williams has his team off to a 2-0 start in conference play, but Marquette had to win a pair of close games at home to do it. The Golden Eagles beat Connecticut, 82-76, in overtime and then beat offensively-challenged Georgetown, 49-48, last Saturday.

This is the first game in a week for the Golden Eagles, so we’ll see if they are bothered by the long layoff and the early noon start.

Pitt should be used to the early starts by now. The Panthers had a noon tip in their Big East opener against Cincinnati and an 11:00 a.m. tip last week at Rutgers. They lost both games, but they did get off to a good start against the Bearcats before falling apart in the second half.

More important than the start time for Pitt is this: the Panthers have some positive vibes after the 28-point beat-down of Georgetown Tuesday night. They gained some confidence from that game and an understanding of how they need to play on offense and defense to win.

The Panthers have to pressure and be the aggressors on defense, and they have to play inside-out on offense. That’s what made them so successful against the Hoyas and I expect a similar game plan against the Golden Eagles.

I don’t expect another blowout, but I give the Panthers the edge at home.

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