As per the routine, comment freely before during and after.

HALFTIME UPDATE: Pitt down 40-33.

Cold doesn’t even begin to describe the way Pitt started the game. Just plain missing good shots. Very frustrating.

They were unable to control the pace for the first 15 minutes. Finally showing a little more defensive transition.

Marquette is a very accurate team, and it is showing. They are getting great ball movement and penetration to have good shots. They are having open looks and really trying to free up the shooter.

Pitt’s problem, disturbingly, is in the paint. They aren’t getting their shots inside, and keep having break downs on defense because of the perimeter threat Marquette’s shooters pose.

FINAL UPDATE: Pitt won 77-71.

Marquette scored 2 quick 3s at the end to totally screw anyone who bet on Pitt and had to give up the points.

Pitt was coming back and maybe they still would have won, but when Dominic James went out with the shoulder injury, that really did it. Weird how it happened. Didn’t look like a hard hit, when Fields tried to recover the ball, just seemed that it was where he hit. I’ve had a few shoulder injuries, and there are times when I’m astounded that more don’t happen in sports. It seems as much about the spot than the force.

Graves had a tremendous game. His shots were falling, and he seemed less tense when he was out there. Gray was cleaning up on the boards, but still couldn’t hit nearly the number of easy baskets. Not to mention his troubles holding on to the ball (or bouncing it off of his knee).

Marquette, amazingly, had a horrible day at the line. Really struggling.