I'd like to thank the Pitt Men's basketball team for cutting short my growing optimism before it got out of hand

A few weeks ago, when Travon Woodall returned to the Panthers lineup and the team finally ended their eight-game losing streak, I predicted that Pitt would go on a pretty epic run in an attempt to salvage their season and come oh so close to an NCAA tournament berth only to have their bubble burst on Selection Sunday.

The Panthers started their Big East schedule 0-7, but after Woodall came back, they went on a pretty impressive four-game run and started to look like the top ten team they were at the beginning of the season.

But just when it looked like they would climb up the conference ladder, they've come crashing back down to reality.

After two pretty humiliating losses to South Florida and Seton Hall, the Panthers are now 4-9, and whatever hopes they had of becoming a bubble team have, well, you know.

There's still talk of them going on a five-game winning streak to finish out the year and maybe making a nice run in the Big East tournament in March, but come on. As the saying goes: At this time of the year, a team is what it is.

The Pitt Panthers are a mediocre basketball team, and they are destined for the NIT.

Maybe the Panthers have another run in them, but this sort of reminds of the 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were a pretty awful team that year, but since the AFC North was pretty bad, as well, the team was still alive for a playoff spot late in the season despite their sub-.500 record.

My brother would call me daily to talk about it, and he would often say, "hey, man, they're in the weakest division in football. Don't give up hope just yet!" Finally, after hearing that for the 1000th time, I told him, "well, that might be true, but they're in last place in the weakest division in football."

And, as most college basketball fans know, the Big East is far from awful. It's maybe the best and deepest conference in the country. If the 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't go on a run in the awful AFC North, I doubt very much that the 2012 Pitt Panthers will go on a run in the awesome Big East.

It's OK. It happens.

The Panthers have had a pretty unbelieveable streak of making the NCAA tournament, but all streaks are made to be broken.

Thanks for the awesome decade, Pitt.

Get'em next year!