As Georgetown was the Big East "team of the 1980's" and Connecticut the team of the 1990's, a good argument can be made that Pittsburgh has been the Big East's team of the 2000's. Since 2001, Pitt basketball has soared to unseen heights: six 20 win seasons averaging 26 wins a season, the third winningest team in the nation by percentage, and achieving five Big East championship appearances in the last six years.

If Pitt is the reigning champ, think of Georgetown as the up and comer, because Saturday's game at Verizon Center has all the intrigue of a championship fight between the Big East's two best teams.

While not mirror images of each other, each team shares three traits which have served it well in 2006-07: accuracy, confidence, and timing.

The Panthers have proven to be a team adept at the right move at the right time. Time and time again they have put themselves in position to lock down their opponent and with it, have built up a level of confidence that no matter what the time and score of the game, they can and will prevail. These are traits shared by the Hoyas, which has been able to control the flow of games and develop a quiet confidence that has made them a tremendous late game team. The winner of Saturday's game will not only prevail in points but in poise, because these teams are so closely matched that the smallest of errors can have game-wide repercussions.

Last month's game at Pitt was illustrative of this. Though the Hoyas shot 61% in the game, a two minute lapse late in the first half stretched Pitt's lead from a manageable four to nine at the half. The margin of defeat was literally those five points. Because the relative strengths of these teams are so deep, the outcome may be decided late, but the every possession will be critical to that outcome.

Guard Levance Fields scored only 5 points in the Jan. 12 game but his six assists were huge, and Fields leads the team with as 2.35 to 1 assist/turnover ratio. He scored seven of his game high 15 points in the final minutes to get past Seton Hall and is averaging 13 points a game in his last three, with a 20 point game two weeks earlier versus Villanova.

Aside Fields is another offensive and defensive threat in Antonio Graves. Graves has been held under four points in each of his last thee games but is more than capable of a breakout game. If Pitt applies a vise-lock of a three quarter court press, Graves figures to be on the handle. His three point shooting has waned towards the end of the season and his ability to get open looks has to be a point of emphasis for the Pitt strategy.

Small forward Mike Cook absolutely buried the Hoyas last month with his 7 for 11, 18 point effort. While he has posted only three double figure games since then, Cook can contribute in many ways for the Panthers and cannot be ignored. Sam Young (6.0 ppg, 47.8% FG) and Levon Kendall (5.0 ppg, 41.2%) figure to split time at the power forward , with Kendall seeing more time in the pivot if Aaron Gray is limited or cannot play due to injury.

Teams that underrate these two players do so at their own peril. Young scored 11 in the win over Seton Hall, while Kendall recovered from a three game slump to post 14 points and 8 rebounds on the Pirates. Pitt's rebound margin is +4.9 this season and that can often be the difference in games, thanks to Kendall's ability to take up space and key off opponents shadowing Gray, so to speak. Kendall's scoring is a bonus, but his defensive intensity is a must-have.

As for Aaron Gray, he's a  legitimate player of the year candidate in the Big East and has done everything the Panthers have asked this season. In his last two games against Georgetown, he has averaged 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and three assists a game, and the Panthers will go this season as far as Gray can take them.

The scope and intensity of his injury poses a problem for Jamie Dixon. With three tough games ahead of them--after Georgetown, Pitt gets  West Virginia and Villanova--any further injury could hurt Pitt tremendously in Big East and NCAA play.   Maybe Gray makes a Willis Reed-like recovery before a national TV audience, but if he can't, Pitt needs to adjust to the circumstances and judge how much time they can afford to have him on the court.

For Georgetown, the winning streak has not only brought wins for the Hoyas, but solidified a starting five that now features five legitimate offensive threats. That Georgetown was able to come back on Cincinnati despite an ineffective Roy Hibbert and a foul-heavy Jeff Green was just another example of how the Thompson system is so hard to compete with. Pitt may see cracks in that armor with the Hoyas' poor ballhandling in the last two games, but the ability of Georgetown to get all five players active in the game will be something to watch.

Pitt figures to test the inside game with or without Gray. Its three point shooting is as strong as Georgetown's, but the Panthers could make serious inroads by forcing the action inside and picking up early fouls on Green and Hibbert. But just as Pitt saw the Hoyas on a down night of sorts in, Cincinnati so too did the Hoyas see Pitt struggle at Seton Hall; not only in Gray's absence, but in Pitt's 14 turnovers and an exterior defense that saw Seton Hall score 43 points from the guard position, despite Jamal Nutter and Eugene Harvey missing 10 of 15 three point attempts for the Pirates in a three point loss.

Like two championship fighters, these teams know each other's styles and moves. Each of the last three games between the teams has been by five points or less, and each has saw a breakout performance that proved the difference: 23 from Ashanti Cook in 2004-05, 22 from Jeff Green last season at Verizon, 18 from Mike Cook last month at the "Pete". Someone is going to take over this game, and there are at least five candidates on either side of the court that are more than capable of doing so.

Here's a look at some potential matchups:

Jonathan Wallace vs. Levance Fields. Wallace must shake of a poor ballhandling effort against UC and be prepared for traps and backcourt presses. Offensively, he is capable of a big game from three and has the ability to force Fields off the ball and into a secondary role.
Jessie Sapp vs. Antonio Graves. Sapp gets it--and that's bad news for opposing players. His ability to see the open lane inside has paid dividends for Georgetown down the stretch, and his defensive skills continue to peak at the right time. Sapp must seek to  shut down Graves in the three quarter court set and force turnovers, something which Graves has been very good in avoiding, with less than 1.7 per game.
Dajuan Summers vs. Mike Cook. Summers needs a big game and his experience gained over the last ten games gives him an edge over the 6-4 Cook. Summers missed all five three point attempts at Pitt last month and could really lift the Hoyas with better outside shooting.
Jeff Green vs. Levon Kendall/Sam Young. As Green goes, so go the Hoyas, and Pitt knows it. Green may be even more valuable by the assist if his teammates can get open and he cannot.
Roy Hibbert vs. Aaron Gray/Levon Kendall. Assuming Gray plays, it's a tough assignment for Hibbert, who has been bothered by physical play in the last two games. Roy must steer clear of fouls and get the kind of sets from the top of the circle to open the lanes. Even if Kendall ultimately guards Hibbert, Kendall can cause problems as well. But if Roy is on his game, it causes considerable adjustments for Pitt in a game where the margin of error is so thin between the two teams.
GU bench vs. Pitt bench. Pitt's bench doesn't go deep but is among the best in the nation. Young, Tyrell Biggs, and Ronald Ramon were 7 for 10 from the field last month against the Hoyas and will get their points in this one. Georgetown may not go deep in this one but could use a boost from Macklin, Ewing, or Rivers in short spurts.

Keys to the game:
1. Aaron Gray. How does Pitt compensate if he isn't ready?
2. Ball Control. Villanova did it. So did Cincinnati. Pitt may look to press, and Georgetown must break it early, otherwise it will be saddled with a short shot clock much of the game.
3. Tempo. Neither team can cannot afford to fall behind, so every possession is big. Georgetown need to stress ball control in the back court, while Pitt must avoid losing the entry pass inside.

For Pitt to win, the Panthers hold Georgetown under 50% shooting, get Hibbert and Green in early foul trouble, and force 12 or more turnovers, Georgetown's goals for the game will be to control the inside lanes, get Green and Hibbert plenty of opportunities, take advantage of three point shooting, and put themselves in a position to control the flow of the game late.

It's amazing to see how far this Georgetown team has come in three years, but that's all in the past Saturday. This is a test for the here and now, the conference's #1 seed, and maybe a peek into things to come in March for both teams.

CBS couldn't have asked for a better storyline. Neither could Georgetown.