GAME NOTES: A pair of Big East rivals collide in Morgantown this evening, as the sixth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers play host to the 22nd-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers.

The Mountaineers are on a bit of a role right now, winning four straight games to move to 6-2 in Big East play. West Virginia is trailing only Villanova (9-0) and Syracuse (9-1) in the conference standings and enters this game off a thrilling 77-74 victory over Louisville.

The Panthers looked to be a real contender for the conference crown not too long ago. However, losses in three of the last four outings have tempered the enthusiasm a bit among Pittsburgh faithful. The team's struggles continued this past weekend with the Panthers dropping a 70-61 decision at South Florida.

Pittsburgh has won six of the last eight meetings with West Virginia, but the Mountaineers improved to 94-84 all-time in the series with a 74-60 victory last March in the Big East Tournament, making up for a pair of losses to the Panthers during the regular season.

The Panthers simply could not contain South Florida's Dominique Jones, who erupted for a whopping 37 points in leading the Bulls to a win over Pittsburgh this past weekend. The loss spoiled a terrific offensive performance by Gilbert Brown, who led the Panthers with 25 points, on 9-of-13 shooting.. Brad Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs chipped in with 14 and 11 points, respectively. However, Pitt was outscored at the free-throw line, 24-12 and forced USF into a mere five turnovers in the game. This is not the kind of team that is going to put up flashy offensive stats. The Panthers are defensive-minded, limiting foes to just 60.2 ppg and holding them under 40 percent shooting (.395). Gibbs is the team's top offensive threat, averaging 16.8 ppg despite shooting just .399 from the floor. Wanamaker is next in line at 12.9 ppg, followed by Brown's 11.2 ppg.

Da'Sean Butler proved to be the difference in WVU's recent win over Louisville, as the 6-7 senior scored a season-high 27 points, including the last five in the game for the Mountaineers. Butler was 9-of-9 from the field and hit four three-pointers in the narrow victory. Kevin Jones added 16 points and Wellington Smith followed with 12, as West Virginia held a huge advantage at the free-throw line, outscoring the Cardinals, 26-9 in the win. Butler is the clear leader on the floor for West Virginia, as he paces the team in scoring (16.5 ppg), while ranking second in assists (69) and third in rebounding (6.3 rpg). Help comes in the form of Jones (14.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Devin Ebanks (11.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and Darryl Bryant (10.8 ppg, team-high 71 assists).

The Panthers are in a funk right now and that certainly doesn't bode well for them against the Mountaineers, who seem to be peaking at the right time.