WVU Loses to Pitt

Well, West Virginia lost to Pittsburgh at Pitt. So, now 8-1 in the conference. They were bound to lose in-conference eventually. It's just a shame it had to be to Pittsburgh. But, the Mountaineers were playing very poorly and kept it close. Let's look at the positives and negatives from the game:

POSITIVES:

1. J.D. Collins and Joe Herber attacking the basket. When the perimeter defense of Pitt had cleared the lane, J.D. and Joe went to the basket after faking passes or handoffs and had easy layups. I liked that. That exploited about the only weakness in the Pitt defense but it didn't stop Pitt from attacking the perimeter.
2. WVU defense was stout. West Virginia easily could have been blown away in this game but the defense was tough. And, considering it was 4-on-5 at times, that makes it that much more impressive (I don't count Pittsnogle as part of the defense at Pitt).
3. WVU kept it close despite lackluster games by the stars. Gansey played a decent game but didn't come up with any big plays that made a difference. Pittsnogle was a non-factor on both offense and defense. If anything, Pittsnogle hurt the Mountaineers while he was in the game.
4. Beilein was tough. I liked seeing Pat get up in the face of Krauser and fight back. There's no reason Pitt should be able to push the Mountaineers around and I appreciate the fact that Beilein and Herber and Collins were tough enough to fight back. This is another reason I'm disappointed with Pittsnogle's play last night...he just takes it. Gray was pushing him all over the court and he just let it happen.
5. Dickie V. Yeah, I really don't like him but I appreciated the continual compliments he paid the program and Coach Beilein. He really seemed genuine in his praise of the Mountaineers and that's good publicity. I also like the fact he complimented next season's recruits...that makes me feel better.

NEGATIVES:

1. Pittsnogle is in a major shooting slump. He had wide-open looks and didn't make them. He committed turnovers. His defense was horrific. The Mountaineers were better when he was on the bench. And this is about game number 3 of this bad play. I'm a Pittsnogle fan and I know he needs to shoot his way out of the slump...but if he would make up for his bad play on the offensive end with tough defense, I wouldn't criticize so much...but he didn't. He did commit fouls though.
2. Gansey is slumping too. Yeah, he may have scored 14 but he didn't come up with his normal steals or assists. I'm sure he'll work his way out of it but he's not playing the way he was 4 weeks ago, that's for sure.
3. The officiating. No, they didn't cost WVU the game because they were equally bad for both teams. This is basketball, not football. I saw more pushing, shoving, tackling, etc. in this game than in the last Marshall football game. I understand letting the teams play but Big East play has become ridiculous. I don't like ticky-tack fouls but the refs cannot allow this type of basketball to continue.
4. The loss after all the buildup. ESPN.com had run some great articles on Beilein and the program and this kinda kills that momentum. But, like I said, everyone has to lose eventually.

So, now the Moutaineers need to bounce-back against a very tough Georgetown team. It would be very easy for this team to lose a few in a row if they're not careful...hopefully, Pittsnogle gets his stroke back and they can win 4 or 5 of the next 7 games.