I think that is because the fans see the writing on the wall. Durand being out for the year hurt but was an injury Pitt could overcome to some extent while still competing against high level teams. Patterson and Zanna were the keys and were two guys Pitt could not afford to have drop off. With the ankle with Zanna and thumb with Patterson, both have looked pretty bad. Zanna has no lift and Patterson could not hit a shot to save his life against VT (3 or 4 airballs).
Cam Wright is a solid player and so is James Robinson but when you have to count on them to score, you are in trouble. Add that to the fact that Pitt fans have a ton of respect for Cuse, I don't think any "realist" fans are expecting much tonight. I am sure these guys will battle and play hard but I don't see it getting them very far tonight.
On top of all of that, with Zanna and Young having their injury problems, Pitt is no longer to hurt people on the glass. They have been out rebounded the last 4 games. Offensive rebounding has been a staple and one of the big reasons Pitt has had success against Cuse over the years. Right now, they have not been rebounding well at all. This is just another reason as to why I think Cuse rolls in this one.
I do feel bad lol