Big East Saturday: The Grizzly Blair Mauls DePaul

Pitt muscles past DePaul, 92-69

DeJuan Bear, er Blair, had another enormous game, one to the likes of a game he hasn't played since high school. Blair had a career-high 32 points en route to mauling outgunned DePaul.

He also pulled down 14 rebounds in an effort to completely dominate the Blue Demons, and Blair had several plays where he grabbed two or three offensive boards at a time. Even better, Blair shot a respectable 61 percent from the field.

The Panthers have also been hot as a team. Since the disappointing loss 67-57 at Villanova, they have scored 90 or more points in three straight games. They have manhandled opponents on the boards, nearly out-rebounding teams over that stretch two to one.

Senior guard Levance Fields had a season-high 16 assists, while only committing one turnover. DePaul was not as fortunate, remaining winless in conference play. Forwards Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal were the lone bright spots for the Blue Demons, but they had no chance to out-rebound the rabid Bear.

Cincinnati 64, Georgetown 62 (OT)

It was a story of two teams going in complete opposite directions. The Bearcats have won four of their last five Big East games, while the Hoyas are in free fall after losing six of seven since the deflating loss on ESPN to Duke.

A game of poor shooting and effective defense, junior guard Deonta Vaughn lead Cincinnati with 16 points after dumping 34 on Notre Dame three days earlier.

Sophomore forward Yancy Gates had a solid game coming off the bench, with 11 points and seven rebounds in only 24 minutes of playing time.

The Hoyas did not have many bright spots, shooting an embarrassing 40 percent from the field. Center Greg Monroe lead the Georgetown scoring effort while shooting 4-of-12. A clown-like performance all around.

Villanova 102, Syracuse 85

Defense? What's that? Don't ask Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. Villanova jumped on the Orange early and never cooled down, scoring a whopping 53 points in the first half. Despite Syracuse shooting better in the second half, they were still an ugly 38 percent on the game.

Villanova senior guard Dante Cunningham continued his emergence in the Big East. He put together his most impressive shooting clinic yet, going 12-of-15 for 31 points. He also was a major contributor on the defensive end.

For the Orange, Johnny Flynn and Eric Devendorf combined for 11 turnovers. Devendorf was especially bad, shooting 6-for-18 and committing seven turnovers. He still had 21 points.