·         There isn't much I can guarantee you, but I'm pretty certain the Orange will be the only team in college basketball this season to assemble a 17-nothing run in game it never leads. Nearly as unlikely, Pitt's Jamie Dixon will be one of the few coaches this year to get a technical foul for a reaction to a personal against the other team.

·         SU missed all 10 of its field goal tries in the first 8:01, falling behind 19-0. In the next 6:36, it was 6-7 FG, while Pitt was 0-7 from the floor.

·         Rookie #C.J. Fair became the first freshman to lead SU in scoring since Brandon Triche had 16 points in the big win at 10 West Virginia a year and a day prior to Monday.

·         The back-and-forth runs at the start of Monday's game were unusual, but not that much beyond March's season-ending NCAA loss to Butler. The Orange found themselves down 12-1 in that one before their first basket 7:07 in. They later had a 17-4 run, capped by a Wesley Johnson three, to take a short-lived 40-39 lead. Monday's game was briefly tied at 41.

·         Prior to Monday, the Orange had not trailed by 10-or-more in any game this season and by no more than three at halftime. In six games this year, they haven't been behind at all.

·         SU has still won 24 of its last 28 regular season Big East games. All of those losses have been to either Pitt or Louisville.

Return of the Road Restaurant Report: A trip to Pittsburgh is made authentic by lunch at Primanti Bros.  Matt Roe and I went there Monday before the top-five matchup at Petersen Events Center. It was my third trip, but first to the original location in the ethnically-diverse Strip District. That's the one they showed on ESPN's TV coverage of the game.
                Primanti's pioneered the art of cramming coleslaw and fries right onto the sandwich. Who needs a plate? Matt's a great lunch partner. We ordered a steak-and-cheese and a capicola, split them up, splashed on some hot sauce (his suggestion) and devoured them in no time.

Quote of the Week:
“Coming to Syracuse as a player, having to buy my jersey, drive our own car to the away games – we'd get a little gas money – and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the ride there and back… it's nice to see that growth.”
-- Five-time national champion Orange lacrosse coach John Desko, ever a champion of the growth of his game, on the benefits of his team's schedule to play in three NFL stadiums and another Big East football venue this year.

This Weekend's Broadcasts:
Tom./8:45 a.m.         TK99                          Free Parking with Gomez & Dave
Tom./7:00 p.m.         TK99/ESPN97.7     AmeriCU Jim Boeheim Show
Sat./10:30 a.m.         TK99/ESPN97.7     MBB vs. Villanova