Pitt Feels Generous, Gives Providence Huge Win

Yet another No. 1 went down last night when Providence upset Pittsburgh. This is important because ... well, it’s not really important. The No. 1 ranking is basically meaningless (as are all rankings). Pitt is still in line for a No. 1 seed, which is all that really matters at this point. ↵↵It was, however, a huge win for Providence, a team that was on the wrong side of the bubble going into last night’s game. Luckily for the Friars, the Panthers were in a giving mood, according to Big East POY candidate DeJuan Blair:↵

↵↵⇥“It was just terrible. We didn’t play as us,” said Blair, who has fouled out in two of Pitt’s three losses. “They deserved (it). We gave them that game.” ↵↵Oh, well, how nice of you, DeJuan. He must have the conference, not his team’s, best interests in mind here -- if Providence gets in, the Big East is looking at eight bids. Fouling out was certainly a fine way of ensuring the gift of victory for Providence. Although at least two of the fouls called on DeJuan were extremely questionable. Maybe the refs felt like contributing to the Friars’ Tourney Bid Fund as well. ↵↵And that Fund is filling up quickly. If they can beat Rutgers next week, Providence will finish the regular season above .500 in the Big East. That alone should warrant inclusion in the Tournament. Although certainly, 11 losses (and counting) doesn’t look good, their resume is void of any particularly bad losses to inferior opponents. ↵

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