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GAME NOTES: The suddenly struggling Pittsburgh Panthers return to the friendly confines of the Petersen Events Center this weekend, as they welcome the Seton Hall Pirates to town for a Big East showdown.

The Panthers have dropped two straight and four of their last five games. An unsuccessful road swing resulted in a pair of losses over the last six days at South Florida (70-61) and most recently, at West Virginia (70-51). The losses dropped Pittsburgh to 6-4 in league play, leaving the team little chance of winning the conference crown this season.

The Pirates are not in the race for the league title either at just 3-6. The team has dropped two straight games, although both were competitive affairs against USF (76-74 OT) and second-ranked Villanova (81-71).

This is the 50th all-time meeting between these two teams, with Pittsburgh holding on to a 29-20 series advantage. However, it is Seton Hall searching for the regular-season sweep, after posting a 64-61 home win over the Panthers on January 24th.

The Pirates can never be counted out, as they are one of the top offensive teams in the conference at 82.2 ppg. It certainly doesn't hurt to have one of the Big East's most dynamic players in Jeremy Hazell. The junior guard has made more shots than every other player on his roster has attempted except one. The result is a gaudy 23.0 ppg, good for second in the conference. It's no surprise that Hazell also leads the team in three-pointers with 70 to his credit. Herb Pope provides the perfect complement with his interior game, averaging a double-double with 12.0 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Hazell was once again on his game against Villanova last time out, but even 32 points from Seton Hall's leader was enough to overcome the explosive Wildcats. A real problem in the game was the disparity on the boards for Seton Hall, which was outrebounded 50-31.

This will be a game of two different philosophies, as Seton Hall's explosive, up-tempo style will clash with Pittsburgh's methodical, defensive approach. That is how the Panthers do it though and the results are usually favorable, with Pitt allowing just 60.7 ppg, while holding foes under 40 percent shooting (.396). The offensive end is where this team struggles at times, averaging a modest 66.7 ppg on the year. Ashton Gibbs is the top scorer at 16.5 ppg. Brad Wanamaker is both a scorer (12.3 ppg) and deft distributor (team-high 90 assists), while Gilbert Brown (10.2 ppg) and Jermaine Dixon (9.8 ppg) provide some scoring depth. In front of the third largest crowd in WVU Coliseum history, Pittsburgh could not find its offensive groove, converting just 30.2 percent of its shots, including an anemic 20 percent in the second half (6- of-30). Dixon led the way with 13 points, while Gibbs checked in with 11.

The Panthers are definitely ripe for the picking and behind the play of Hazell, Seton Hall is type of team to capitalize.