Notre Dame will tip off its men's basketball season in the next half hour, and not too surprising, the crowd is sparse right now at Purcell Pavilion.

It is football Saturday, and, though, Notre Dame doesn't play until 8 tonight against No. 8 Pittsburgh, one can safely assume most Irish fans are more wrapped up in the football team right now then in the basketball team.

Plus, North Florida isn't exactly a big ticket draw in basketball.

The Ospreys are in their first season as a full-fledged Division I member. They transitioned from Division II at the start of the 2005-06 season and are eligible for the postseason for the first time this season.

Today is the second time the Irish have played the Ospreys, with Notre Dame winning a Dec. 31, 2007, game 77-58.

I'll go out on a limb here and say Notre Dame should win just as handily today as it did nearly two years ago.

As far as the football team, Charlie Weis is obviously facing a must-win situation tonight.

The fifth-year coach will likely not return without defeating Pitt tonight, and even a win over the Panthers doesn't guarantee Weis will be able to keep his job.

But I don't think a win is going to be in the equation when a decision on Weis' future is made. Pittsburgh will win tonight.

It will probably be close, because that's how all but two of the Irish's games have played out this season, but the Panthers and Irish are going in two different directions right now. And I think we all know which one is going up.

So look for Pittsburgh to win by a touchdown and get ready for another week of speculation of Weis' future.