Seniors Lead Pitt Closer to No. 1 Seed

There is nothing more terrifying at the end of the season than to be the road opponent on Senior Day. UConn was harshly reminded of that in their 70-60 loss to Pitt, a win largely won by the Pitt seniors.

Elder statesmen Sam Young and Levance Fields were unstoppable, even though Fields entered the game as questionable with a lower back contusion.

The win likely clinched a No. 1 seed for Pitt in the NCAA Tournament. It might've also put UConn's hopes of a top slot in peril.

No. 3 Pitt 70, No. 1 UConn 60: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

The story going into the game was the matchup of Hasheem Thabeet and DeJuan Blair, Part Two. While Thabeet was effective in the first half with 14 points, he was held scoreless in the second half. Blair was limited by UConn double-teams, keeping him to eight points and eight rebounds.

Pitt had a surprisingly effective game plan against UConn. Known for their very efficient halfcourt offense, Pitt ran at every chance on Saturday. Any turnover, defensive rebound or mental lapse by UConn and Pitt would push the ball upcourt, forcing Thabeet to expend too much energy.

UConn struggled shooting the entire game. Even A.J. Price, who hit the clutch threes in the second half to give the Huskies a chance, shot 5-for-15 to get his 19 points. Pitt simply rarely let UConn's guards get penetration or find room to work. That made it harder to get the ball inside, as the Huskies' overall lack of a three-point shooting threat meant Pitt could pack it inside against UConn.

UConn shouldn't be in danger of losing their No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but they could be. If Louisville ends up winning the Big East regular season title outright -- rather than a three-way tie -- and has a deep Big East Tournament run, UConn could find itself bumped to a No. 2 seed. It just doesn't seem likely that the NCAA selection committee would put three teams from one conference on the top line.