I’ve got theories. I just don’t have answers.

Pitt’s defense has just disappeared, and it defies explanation for this sustained problem. It isn’t like they have played bad defense all season. It’s been the last 2+ weeks, but it hasn’t been fixed over the six games in that time. There have been brief moments. Even, perhaps halves where the defense started to look better. But it just keeps slipping.

It isn’t just better teams and players. There’s just something missing right now.

The sustained problems makes all of the theories weak explanations. They might excuse a game, perhaps 2, but this long a stretch renders them highly unlikely.

Theory 1: Levance Fields has returned.

The return of Levance Fields to the lineup meant the team’s rotation was changed again. Minutes — especially for the guards/small forward — are now very different. Spacing on the court, assignments and just reconnecting with the chemistry has to happen.

Mentally, the players relaxed on defense because with Fields back, order was supposed to be restored. The players were more concerned with getting the offense back up. To do more scoring and running. Not focused on the defense.

Theory 2: The Providence Effect.

Sometimes, for a team that has had to gut out games each time, nothing can be worse than having such an easy time of things on both ends of the court. Pitt just smacked around the Friars before the defense went to hell.

Providence is a horrible defensive team and really not too great on offense if the 3s aren’t falling. Pitt was able to do anything they wanted against Providence and didn’t have to work too hard on defense.

That filled the players with false confidence about what they could do. That they could score at will and sit back more on defense.

Theory 3: Too Much Gambling.

Pitt has continually been out of position on defense. Everyone has been screaming about the fundamentals. Pitt’s defense has been about solid fundamentals. Keeping good position and make a team have to take a contested shot. Nothing fancy. Stay with the man and don’t be leave the man for the ball.

Lately, there’s been a lot of aggressive slapping and poking at the basketball. Trying to get the steal and force the turnover. The problem with that is if you miss or don’t make a play, you go out of position. It means an easy pass or score. That seems to be happening a lot.

Theory 4: Exhaustion.

Physical and mentally, this team might just be worn down.

The physical side is obvious. They have been playing a 7 man rotation for most of the Big East schedule. They are a banged up team with off-season surgeries and physical rehab looming.

Then there’s the mental toll of playing short-handed for half the season. Especially with 3 freshmen and redshirt freshman seeing double-digit minutes. No chance to just feel like they can catch their breath or just plain stop for a minute.

Every body ready? There may be some gaps as I try to duck parental responsibilities to yell obscenities at the TV.

7:05: sloppy. You expect that to some extent from WVU on senior night early. But Pitt?

7:08: I know Smalligan is a senior in his last game, but they do have to call his fouls.

7:12: 13-9 highlights then Ramon burying the 3. Good times.

7:19: Nichols heading to the bench with 2 fouls. I’m shocked. This looks like a game where the officials will be whistling in favor of the home team.

7:25: Gilbert Brown playing with a lot more confidence and aggressiveness.

7:29: The Mountaineers are really going at Pitt’s guards inside. Getting the calls.

7:39: I can see Dixon getting a tech in this game with the way it is being called.

7:44: Unbelievable. I spend all season keeping cool about the refs. Trying to give them the benefit of the doubt — as long as there is some consistency and it isn’t too blatant in the homecourt sway. This one, though is killing me. Every aggressive move to the basket gets a foul called on the defense. Then it changes. Fields called for an offensive foul driving to the hoop.

29-25 WVU with 3:41 to halftime.

8:01: It’s halftime. Pitt trails 40-30.

Good news, Pitt has only attempted 4 3s. Bad news, they still haven’t made one.

Major foul issues in the first half. Blair, Ramon and Young with 2 fouls. Brown has 3. Astoundingly it is 12-11 in foul calls. Of course WVU has its foul calls a bit more diffused. I still haven’t figured out how the refs are calling this game.

Pitt’s bigger problem has been turning the ball over. 10 turnovers in the first half. Fewer opportunities for Pitt.

Despite being down 10, Pitt can take the second half. Blair has to stay out of foul trouble, though, and a couple 3s have to be knocked down. Not to mention make those easy buckets inside — go up stronger.

8:15: That isn’t exactly the start to the second half Pitt needed. Missing shots, Blair with a dumb offensive foul on a pick (late whistle, but it was a foul), too aggressive on defense leaving the WVU players with easy looks after a simple fake.

Now down 45-30.

8:20: The Pitt players are visibly frustrated. Dixon is going to have to use up all the timeouts in the first 5 minutes.

8:31: I don’t think I’ve ever seen spurtability in foul calling. They call several on Pitt. Then a few on  WVU.

Joe Alexander is killing it tonight for WVU.

Senior night for WVU on top of a desperation must-win game for them. Darris Nichols and Jamie Smalligan will be playing their last home game (unless they lose, in which case there’s always a couple NIT games).

As usual, going into a game that has so much pressure for the NCAA, the coach will try to pretend that it really isn’t that big of a deal and that the Mountaineers are in good shape.

“We need to win two so I’d feel a lot more comfortable,” Huggins said. “But I think we’re fine. I really do.”

I don’t unless they win this game. The Big East offices wouldn’t be thrilled, but Pitt has a chance to flush the NCAA hopes of another Big East team tonight.

For the Big East Tournament seeding, it likely will decide who will be in 6th place in the conference. The 6th place team plays the 11 seed and #7 faces #10. To say nothing of facing the #3 instead of the #2 in the second round. Odds are that the #10 seed will be Syracuse and Seton Hall will be #11 — assuming Syracuse beats Seton Hall on Wednesday.

Keith Benjamin says he looks forward to playing in Morgantown, while  — and I know this will be a shock — Coach Jamie Dixon is upbeat about the team.

For coach Jamie Dixon, things are going according to plan. He said the final two weeks of the season were when he wanted the Panthers to be hitting their stride. He knew Levance Fields would need time to get back into playing shape, and he knew the team would have to readjust to playing with Fields again.

The Panthers are not hitting on all cylinders — their defense has been shoddy at best the past five games — but Dixon believes his team is starting to round into form.

“I’ve been pointing to these last couple of weeks,” Dixon said. “We got Levance back. We don’t have [Mike Cook, Austin Wallace and Cassin Diggs]. This is who we’re going to have. This is the team we’re going to be.

“We need to get better down the stretch. Our goal was to be better the last four games. That’s really been the goal the entire time. We’ve been pointing toward this stretch.”

Other articles. Ronald Ramon: Hoopie killer.

Ramon has averaged 7.9 points per game throughout his career and made 39.4 percent of his 3-point shots.

In seven games against WVU, he’s averaging 10.1 points and shooting 50 percent (15-for-30) from 3-point range. In two victories against the Mountaineers last season, Ramon was 5-for-5 from the floor, 4-for-4 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 at the foul line

He’s been a force defensively, too, and used to give Mike Gansey trouble when they played. Gansey averaged 14.4 points and shot 53 percent in his two years with WVU. He averaged 8.8 points and shot 33 percent in five games against Ramon and the Panthers.

“He gets right up on you and gives you no room,” Gansey said in 2006.

Pitt has won four in a row against WVU and five of eight since Ramon has been eligible. With Ramon in the lineup, the Panthers are 5-2.

Sam Young is getting vocal, and Gilbert Brown took a knee to the hip in the Syracuse game.