Condolences to Chas and his family for their recent loss. Deep loses such as this always put the importance of sports in perspective. Sports are a wonderful outlet from the trials and tribulations of daily life, but when buzzer sounds, remember, its just a game. If you have yet to read Chas’ heartfelt post on the loss of his grandfather, please take the time to do so now.

Now onto today’s game.

Pitts identity in the media heading into today’s game is no different than it has been the last 8-10 years. Blue-collar.

I think toughness is precisely the reason the Pittsburgh program has created ways to win consistently against schools with better pedigrees. Ben Howland started it before he fled to UCLA. Jamie Dixon, the current Pitt coach, has upgraded it.

I don’t need to see a stat sheet to say that Pittsburgh leads the Big East Conference in broad shoulders, sharp elbows and harsh expressions.

I said earlier this year that it is amazing how Pitt’s identity has remained the same through the Howland and Dixon years. The players are different but the theme stays the same. However, we as fans have already learned, and teams and pundits alike are learning, that this Pitt team is different.

According to Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted effiency stats, Pitt boasts the No. 3 most efficient offense in the country. Pitt has steadily been improving its offensive efficiency the last four seasons. In ’06 they finished No. 21, in ’07 No. 12 and in ’08 No. 8.

Rick Pitino was on ESPN’s First Take yesterday, and emphasized the typical themes regarding the Panther’s before discussing, somewhat strangely,  the near airline tragedy in NYC and talking about his close calls in the friendly skys. Note to self: If on a plane with Pitino, find another flight. I suppose anyone who flies that much will have a close call or two. You can still see the interview, here.

Pitino knows Pitt will be physical, they always are. So maybe it worked out well that his team got an extra two days off this week due to NCAA rules.

While everyone talks about Pitt’s defense, Louisville is the team coming into the game with the the No. 1 rated defense when it comes to adjusted efficiency. Pitino coached teams can drive others crazy with its pressure and press, something the Panthers have handled well in the past expect for on one occasion. Honestly, with Fields in charge, I am not too worried about the offense.

As Ray Fittipaldo points out in today’s Post Gazette, Pitt’s defense may be the bigger worry.

The reason Louisville was able to beat Pitt in the first meeting last season was the manner in which the Cardinals dissected the Panthers’ defense. They shot 58 percent from the field.

Defense might be the bigger concern in this game, especially considering Pitt allowed South Florida to shoot 48 percent Wednesday in a 75-62 home victory. Louisville is averaging 73 points per game in its first three Big East games and is one of three remaining conference teams without a loss in league play.

Other media is taking the easy route of looking at Pitt’s upcoming schedule, looking at the rankings of the upcoming teams and turning it into a story. Yawn.

I can see today’s game going either way. Louisville is a tough team to figure out. Nice wins over Kentucky, ‘Nova and, most recently, ND and loses to Western Kentucky, UNLV and Minnesota. Although I was in New England to witness Pitino’s dismantling of the Celtics, I still fear his teams when it comes to college.

If Pitt is to lose and fall from No. 1, sure it will be disappointing. It has been fun for all of us, as die hard Pitt fans, to look at the rankings and see OUR team in the top spot. However, when it comes to National respect amongst regular college basketball fans, it won’t matter until Pitt goes DEEP into the NCAA tournament. That’s not because of Pitt’s past in the tournament, its just because teams don’t really get noticed until they make a deep run. There’s nothing wrong with that.

That being said, I expect a win today.

Enjoy the game. I’ll post an open thread closer to tip.