FanNation

Bigdleech said 12/15, 11:06 PM
Although I am sure that you have already made an argument against them, I will say Pitt.
They have had a fairly tough schedule thus far, with wins at Duquesne and at Washington, and a thumping of Oklahoma State tonight at home. And Duquesne may not be a top school, but that is still a very good win in a heated rivalry.
Pitt also has very good depth, with six players averaging over 20 minutes per game. Four of those players average double digit points per game, with the other two scoring at least six each. Their dominant freshman, Dejaun Blair, is a force inside the paint, possibly better than Jordan. He averages 11 points and 9 rebounds per game, along with over one block per game and about two and a half steals per. He shoots 55 percent from the field. He also shoots 82 percent form the line, compared to Jordan's 31.
One huge and underrated stat is free throw percentage, Hitting a good amount, and hitting them in the clutch is very important when March Madness rolls around. Pittsburgh hits a very good 72 percent, while Texas A&M hits only 59 percent, which is very bad for a team as good as them.
Pittsburgh plays much better defense, averaging 8.8 steals per game, to A&M's 4.4.

Bigdleech said 12/16, 10:21 PM
They have had a weak schedule thus far compared to A&M, but they have done a great job blowing through it. Oklahoma State is a solid win, and they blew them out. There is nothing wrong with playing the better non conference teams at the end of the non conference schedule, it is actually smart.
Although the loss of Aaron Gray is big, he was not able to display leadership skills all of the time. In fact, the Panthers were able to win many games in spite of him when he would fall apart. And Sam Young may have not played much last year, but he has done a great job stepping in as the leader of this Pittsburgh team, just as Jones as done for A&M. Young also has a great supporting cast with Ramon, Levance Fields, and Mike Cook.
People say that defense wins championships. Well, there aren't many teams in college basketball with the defensive skills that Pitt has. They have held four teams under 53 points. Gray was great at blocking shots, but Blair has stepped in as the offensive and defensive presence that Gray was. He had five blocks against Oklahoma State, and he has been getting better and better over the last few games.
The offense is damn good too, averaging 82 points per game.

Bigdleech said 12/18, 12:02 AM
I'll be honest, I only have a few minutes to do this and I will make this quick. It looks like I will lose it anyway. So:
These are two very good teams, and I could honestly see either one of these teams making the Final Four. If Pitt is able to beat Duke on Thursday(it is on the 20th I think) then there will be no doubt that they deserve talk as a top team. The advantage that Pitt has is that they have not faltered against an inferior team. Texas A&M was hot, and they fell apart against an average Arizona team. Pitt has played well enough to stay undefeated. A&M has had a tougher schedule, but they should be undefeated like Pitt is. They were better than every team that they played, and they just weren't consistent enough to beat Arizona.
If Pitt can beat Duke, they would have a ton of confidence going into the Big East games, with the only team better than them being Georgetown, who have also failed to beat any top-notch teams.
To make a late run into March, you must be consistent and play well enough to win every night. Pitt has done that, and A&M hasn't. They both have good defenses, I should have given them credit for that as well. Pitt has hit needed shots and free throws.