Older teams make things happen.

As Villanova was blitzing past Notre Dame, ripping up Texas and dispatching Providence, the Wildcats made everyone forget for a while what they really are. They're young, a roster that includes three seniors, no juniors and a big mix of sophomores and freshmen.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, looks a lot like Villanova did last year, rolling out three seniors in the starting five.

Last night form held. The veteran-laded No. 7 Panthers hit daggering shots while Villanova made gut-wrenching mistakes, all adding up to a 65-59 Pittsburgh victory.

"They hit huge shots," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "I thought we played well, but just timely mistakes on our part and timely shots on their part, that was the difference in the game."

The loss ended Villanova's six-game win streak at Wachovia Center, a run that began on Jan. 21, 2006 and included last year's NCAA Tournament opening rounds.

That isn't to say the young Wildcats (14-7, 3-5 Big East) ought to pack it in for the season. They are stuck in a glut of teams in the Big East, a pack that includes six teams that range from 4-3 to 3-5, but with a favorable schedule in February, the 'Cats have every opportunity to break out of the mix. Their recent three-game win streak proves the kind of team they can be.

The trick now is to be that team all the time.

"A couple of breakdowns here and there, that will get you in this league," senior Mike Nardi said.

The breakdowns came in bunches last night. Up 37-21, the wheels started spinning off when freshman Scottie Reynolds dribbled a ball off his foot while trying to drive the lane. By the time the yips left the Wildcats, they had gone nine scoreless possessions, committing six turnovers and missing three shots.

In the meantime, the Panthers (20-3, 8-1) put together a sweet 12-0 run to go up 43-37 on a Keith Benjamin three-pointer.

For the first time in a long time, Reynolds, who had been so terrific, looked like a freshman. He repeatedly tried to force himself into the lane despite the presence of 7-footer Aaron Gray, and committed seven turnovers.

Part of it was legs. He had none. In the past four games, Reynolds played 155 of a possible 160 minutes, including 40 at Providence last Tuesday and 38 at Notre Dame on Saturday. Even for a 19-year-old, that's a lot.

"It could have been [fatigue]," Wright said. "We tried to rotate the guards a little bit. Mike played 32 and Scottie 26; for those guys that's like getting a break."

When the Wildcats sit down to watch the game tape and search for the positive spin, they ought to be sure to freeze-frame the final 3 minutes. After clawing back into the game following Pitt's run, Nardi scored on a push to the hoop and after Curtis Sumpter stripped Gray to get a loose-ball possession, Nardi hit a banking jumper with 1 second left on the shot clock to make it 54-53.

The Wachovia Center, which has sounded an awful lot like a library this season, suddenly resembled a sports arena. But just as the electrified crowd came to its feet, Pitt senior Antonio Graves nailed a gut-check three-pointer.

Sumpter responded on the next possession, calmly sinking two free throws to make it 57-55 with 1:18 to play. But then the Panthers sunk the final dagger. With Graves, who notched all of his 13 points and all but one of his seven assists in the second half, drawing the attention in the paint, sophomore Levance Fields looped around under the basket, using enough screens to get lost for a split second.

As Fields spotted up on the wing, Graves kicked the ball and Fields drained the three-pointer.

"The league is so tough," said Sumpter, who looks to be over his deep shin bruise. He played 33 minutes and led the 'Cats with 21 points and nine rebounds. "When you get in situations like that, you have to take advantage of it.

"We went a couple of minutes without scoring and turned the ball over. You can't give a team like Pitt opportunities to keep scoring when you're not scoring, because they'll take advantage of it."

Disappointed certainly that his team's three-game win streak has now been followed by a two-game losing skid, Sumpter, however, knows better than to wallow in this too long. Four years into the Big East he knows how quickly standings can change, recalling nights when teams went into Virginia Tech, perennial basement dwellers in the conference, expecting to win and came out humbled.

"I don't look ahead anymore, not after two knee surgeries," Sumpter said. "You never know what's going to happen. We're getting better. Mistakes at the end of the game have cost us, but we're getting better. I can see it." *