You know the drill. Here are four reasons why Pittsburgh, the top seed in their region, will take out the fourth-seeded Xavier Musketeers tonight in the regional semifinals. Xavier's single beacon of light shines forth below.
- DeJuan Blair: An absolute force down low, Blair is one of the best rebounders and defenders in the country. He can score, too, averaging about 16 points a game to go with his 12 boards. The only way to stop him is to get him into foul trouble. Otherwise, he's almost unstoppable.
- Sam Young: If things aren't working for Blair, the Panthers usually look to Young, who can seemingly do a little of everything. He can hit the three, as he showed again and again and again against Oklahoma State in the second round. Like Blair, he can also bang down low. Young's a handful, and one of the best second options in the country.
- Levance Fields: Known simply as "the General," Fields, a stocky, Brooklyn-born point guard knows how to run Pitt's offense. He averages close to eight assists per game, and has an ungodly 4:1 assist/turnover ratio, one of the best ratios in the country. There is no other player in the country I would trust more with the ball late in the game.
- Pitt's D: I've mentioned how good Pitt is at the end other end of the floor, but there defense is nothing to laugh at either. Sure, there are, without question, better defenses in the country; statistically, Xavier's is more efficient and more likely to get a big stop than Pitt's. Still, Pitt is pretty damn good at defending the basket and cleaning up the glass. I like their chances of shutting down Xavier's slightly above-average, A-10-style offense.
So why should the Musketeers even show up? Easy. Sean Miller, their head coach. Since 2004, when he took over Xavier's basketball program, the Musketeers have gone 117-45, reaching the NCAA tournament in four of Miller's first five seasons. In 2007, Miller, who first made a name for himself as a star point guard for Pitt in the late 80s, was two minutes away from knocking out mentor--and former Xavier coach-- Thad Matta's Ohio State team, which featured Greg Oden, before a few bad plays late and a couple of terrible calls cost the Musketeers an unexpected trip to the Sweet 16. Miller is one of the best strategists in college basketball. If any coach can figure out a way to beat Pitt, it's Miller.
