SNY.tv: Online Home of All Things Sports

The confidence Blair's teammates showed in the 6-foot-8 big man was well-founded. Blair and Flynn shared conference Freshman of the Year honors this week. But to see the young man play in Pittsburgh's 70-64 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday was to wonder whether this long season has taken a toll on him.

Blair's game is built on both an unyielding energy and an uncommon on-court intelligence that allowed him to be among the conference's leaders in both steals and blocked shots. But that energy appears to be on the wane. In recent games at Syracuse and West Virginia, he was in and out of the lineup and combined to grab just nine total rebounds -- this for a player who's averaged 9.5 per game this season.

Against the Bearcats on Thursday, it was more of the same. The mind and heart were there, but the body was unwilling. Blair still tried to go up among the towers for rebounds and went strong to the hole. But the finishes didn't go down and the free throws were wayward. One banked in, another missed everything.

Coach Jamie Dixon is unconvinced that the 18 Big East games have taken their toll on Blair, insisting the freshman's playing time and production are directly proportional to the emphasis opposing coaches put on stopping him in the post.

"They've double-teamed him," said Dixon. "He [wasn't] great against Cincinnati because of that foul trouble. Then they double-teamed him in the post."

Double teams or not, Blair attempted just one field goal and scored just two points in 24 minutes. He also committed three turnovers as the effects of a now-32-game-long season are taking their toll on his decision-making as well. His three fouls shouldn't have been enough to keep him off the floor.

But as Cincinnati sophomore Deonta Vaughn was scoring 18 straight points to bring Cincinnati within a bucket of the Panthers, Blair was a spectator. Dixon took Blair out of the game with 16:40 left in the second half and the freshman received only a cameo thereafter.

The first question that transcends the positive result is whether Blair is, in fact, worn down -- or whether the decrease in production is merely a mirage, a product of strategy. The second question has two parts: Regardless of why Blair hasn't been the same force he was for most of three months, will he return to form and can Pittsburgh win big if he doesn't?

It's a testament to the preparedness and versatility of Dixon's team that it can play and win in a tournament setting against an able opponent without its most impactful player. Junior Sam Young picked up the load down low to ward off Deonta Vaughn and his shooting heroics, blocking shots, killing Cincinnati on the offensive glass and scoring 21 points. It was Young's who blocked Vaughn's shot with 20 seconds left to seal the victory. Young finished the game with six rebounds and four blocks to go along with his team-high 21 in 36 minutes.

"I knew, as of late, one of the [opposing] guards said something about we don't block as many shots as we did in the past," said Young. "I figured, not just in this game but past games, I tried to block as many shots as I could. And the opportunity presented itself today."

Tyrell Biggs -- the man who took most of Blair's minutes -- made several big plays, too, hitting shots, rebounding and using his quickness to help out on defense. Biggs had six points, four rebounds and a block in 20 minutes.

"He allowed us to play a little smaller, a little more versatile," said Dixon. "And it helped us defensively."

Senior Ronald Ramon of the Bronx made three big 3-pointers in the second half in a 12-point, four-assist effort. Fellow New York-area guard Keith Benjamin added 15 points.

Pitt's other key man, point guard Levance Fields, again didn't shoot well (2-for-9) --- as has been the case since he returned from a broken foot. Fields did get to the foul line (6-for-10) and contributed two steals and six assists.

Pittsburgh did a lot of winning -- and a lot of winning at this venue -- before Blair ever donned the blue and gold, and Dixon has plenty of talent at his disposal without Blair's inside dominance. But Panthers fans can hardly be optimistic about their chances of reaching the tournament semifinals or getting to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament if opposing coaches continue to have such an easy time taking Blair out of the game.

Next up for Blair and Pittsburgh is the deepest frontcourt in the Big East. Second-seed Louisville awaits at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Dixon's team has eliminated the Cardinals from this tournament in each of the last two Marches. Rick Pitino's team boasts five quality forwards, but they didn't stop Blair from scoring 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in 32 minutes of a two-point Pitt loss on the last Sunday of February.

"He's playing very well," reiterated Dixon. "And he will have a big game, I'm sure, tomorrow. It's all about adjustments -- foul trouble is a big key for him."

"But I thought he did some very good things," the coach added, as if trying to convince himself. "He got six rebounds in fewer minutes than he normally plays."

Dixon chose his words carefully, wanting to bolster the confidence of a player so crucial to any future success for the Panthers this season. Whether his words were based in truth or simply motivational remains to be seen.