At this point, what more can anyone really say? The Wildcats (10-13, 3-8 Big East) have been able to play with many opponents. But most of the time, they simply don't have enough to make the ultimate difference. And that's why they keep score.
There's been a four-point loss at Marquette, a four-point loss at Cincinnati, a 10-point loss at Louisville in which they led by five at halftime, a second four-point loss to Marquette. And now this.
"It's inconsistency of inexperience," said coach Jay Wright, reiterating what's become the theme of this bumpy ride. "That's exactly what it is."
The Wildcats, who have been to the NCAA Tournament the last 7 years, have lost three straight. They'll get Providence (13-11, 2-9), one of the two teams behind them in the conference standings, tomorrow night at the Pavilion. Then they'll have another 8-day break before heading to surprising South Florida (13-10, 6-4), which beat them by 17 on the Main Line in early January and is 11-1 at home. And so it goes.
Pitt (15-9, 4-7), which has made every four-letter tourney beginning in 2002, now owns a four-game winning streak after dropping the eight before that. It's hardly a coincidence that junior point guard Tray Woodall was out with injuries when things were going south. He scored a career-high 29, going 12-for-12 from the foul line. That included six in the closing 35 seconds. And it was his breakaway layup off an inbounds pass from Chester High's Nasir Robinson at 0:20 - when he drew a flagrant foul from freshmen Ty Johnson that also allowed Pitt to retain possession and turn it into a six-point play - which ended the drama.
