Let’s credit the Oakland Zoo. They got pub from all the outlets covering Notre Dame for speaking the truth.

With 1:39 remaining and Notre Dame crashing to its fifth straight loss, Pittsburgh’s student section started chanting what could be the Irish’s harsh reality after Saturday’s 93-80 loss: “N-I-T. N-I-T.”

By remarkable coincidence, the last time Notre Dame settled for the Notre Dame was in 2006. That was also the last time they took a trip to the ‘Burgh.

The “N-I-T” chant was mentioned in every ND-centric article.

Brey implored everyone to “let this thing play out,” focusing on the redemption available in the last nine games of league play. But then there were the student section chants of “N-I-T” and “It’s all over” on Saturday, hitting a little too close to home for comfort.

The adjustment in the second half by Pitt was obvious and ND had nothing to answer.

Notre Dame controlled the first half by outshooting the Panthers. The Irish made 11 of their 12 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes and took a 45-39 lead into halftime. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon decided to double-team Harangody in the first half, which left center Luke Zeller wide open on the perimeter.

Zeller made Pitt pay by making six 3-pointers and scoring 18 points in the first half, tripling his season scoring average.

In the second half, Pitt decided to single cover Harangody in the post and stay on the Notre Dame shooters around the perimeter. The strategy worked as the Irish could manage only one 3-pointer after halftime in five attempts.

“We came out with a game plan that didn’t work, so blame that one on the coaches,” Dixon said. “We made some adjustments as the game went on. Our guys adapted. We figured it out. It’s a long game. We didn’t panic at halftime.”

That’s because Pitt is only worried about seeding. Not making the NCAA Tournament.

Frankly, Kyle McAlarney looked like someone ran over his dog. Then backed up, then ran over it again, then got out of the car and bashed it with a hammer.

Such was the dejection consuming Notre Dame’s senior guard Saturday after a 93-80 loss at Pittsburgh. And as much as the Irish maintained they weren’t peeking at the standings this week, McAlarney conceded they are aware the season might be slipping a bit after five straight losses.

“Yeah, that is what it feels like,” McAlarney said. “Especially us seniors, this is our last season here. We don’t want to end on a bad note like that. It’s tough not to think about it.”

One of the great plays was the pure hustle of this.

DeJuan Blair dove to the floor, tossing his 6-foot-7, 265-pound frame onto the hardwood, using his reach to swat the basketball back up court as he slid into the photographers crowded under the basket.

Jermaine Dixon picked up the rolling ball and launched it out of the reach of a streaking Sam Young, who did his own Blair impression as he leapt out of bounds to send the ball back across the court to Levance Fields. Fields fed Dixon for a lay-up, only to have the ball rim out.

Suddenly, with surprising stealth considering his size, there was Blair again, scooping the ball off the rim and jamming it home. The Peterson Events Center erupted and the Pitt Panthers were back in control.

Unfortunately no highlights of the whole sequence — especially the diving save by Blair that makes the thunderous dunk at the other end that much more impressive — instead at roughly the 45 second mark they just show after the save.

Blair was the story of the day. He was a force.

Blair had a double-double less than 13 minutes into the game and secured his 20-20 on a tip-in with 1:16 to play to give Pitt a 90-76 lead.

Harangody surpassed 20 points for the 13th game in a row but scored only eight points in the first half.

“DeJuan is one of the toughest players to go against in this conference,” Harangody said. “He never stops working. I love his game. It was a great performance for him. But their whole team played well.”

The match-up of the two big men was almost as entertaining as hoped.

Blair was off by one game, though. The excellent personal piece on Blair was timed for the Pitt-Villanova game. Unfortunately the  synergy was off.

“Someone once said to me that I’m doing for the city of Pittsburgh what Barack is doing for the United States,” Blair says. “I didn’t even know what to say. That’s just crazy.”

What may seem like hyperbole is proven to be anything but when you travel around the neighborhood with Blair. He is the Pied Piper-grown gargantuan, a hometown hero who can’t go unrecognized even hidden in a nondescript rental car. Grown men stop working to take a picture alongside him, and other adults insist he can’t leave without putting his name on a basketball. And kids? Kids who don’t know a thing about the University of Pittsburgh know who No. 45 is.

Naturally, you must read it all.

That game was also the 100th win for the seniors. The record at Pitt is 108. There are 10 more games left in the regular season, plus the Big East Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Go seniors, blow that record out of the water.