March 9, 2008

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PITT-DePAUL POST-GAME NOTES

*Pitt concludes its regular season with a 22-9 overall record and 10-8 Big East slate. The Panthers will enter the Big East Championship as the No. 7 seed. Pitt's first game is slated for 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening at Madison Square Garden. Pitt travels to New York City on Tuesday morning.

*With the victory, Pitt has won 10 or more league games for the seventh consecutive season. Pitt is the only school in the Big East to win 20-overall and 10-league games in each of the last seven seasons.

*Pitt's 98 points today marked the third-highest offensive output in the Jamie Dixon Era. The Panthers poured in 103 against Houston Baptist (11/9/07) and 100 against Notre Dame (1/4/06).

*Pitt's 37 made field goals tied the third-highest mark for made baskets under Dixon's reign. They also dropped in 37 buckets against Penn State (12/10/05).

*Pitt had six players reach double figures in scoring today. DeJuan Blair (22), Sam Young (19), Gilbert Brown (13), Keith Benjamin (12), Levance Fields (11), and Ronald Ramon (11) all recorded more than 10 points for the Panthers.

*DeJuan Blair's 22 points were a career-best. His previous high was 20, which he accomplished on four separate occasions. Today also marked Blair's 13^th double-double of the year as he hauled in 14 rebounds. The school's freshman record for most double-doubles is 15 set by Sam Clancy in 1977-78.

*Pitt's 45 first half points were the Panthers' highest offensive output before intermission since the Oklahoma State game (12/15/07).

*With his 11 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, Levance Fields was just one assist and one rebound shy of a triple-double. Only three players have recorded a triple-double in school history. Fields' nine rebounds and nine assists were both career-highs. It was the fourth time in his career he tallied nine assists and just the second that he grabbed nine boards (Marquette, 3/3/07).

*Pitt honored its four seniors in a pre-game ceremony. Those four include Keith Benjamin, Mike Cook, Maurice Polen and Ronald Ramon. Pitt also honored four-year team managers Jeremy Grubbs (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pine Richland H.S.) and Jordan Marks (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shadyside Academy) along with athletic trainers Gretchen LeVan and Laura Marie.

*Among the many four-year accomplishments of Pitt's 2007-08 senior class include:

·         Attempting to advance to its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

·         96-34 overall record and .738 winning percentage.

·         42-24 Big East regular season record and .630 winning percentage.

·         Two Big East Championship Finals appearances (2006 and 2007).

·         Four consecutive 20-win seasons.

·         Four consecutive 10-plus win Big East regular seasons. A win on Sunday vs. DePaul would give Pitt 10 wins.

·         The only senior class in the Big East to win over 20 overall games and 10-plus Big East regular season games in four consecutive seasons.

·         One of only five senior classes in school history to win over 90 career games.

·         Benjamin and Ramon are attempting to become the seventh and eighth players in school history to compete in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments during their basketball career at Pitt.

·         61-9 four-year record and .869 winning percentage in games played at the Petersen Events Center.

·         47-4 four-year record and .920 winning percentage in games played vs. non-conference teams.

·         Ramon became the 36^th player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point mark in his career.

·         All four student-athletes are expected to graduate with a degree from the University of Pittsburgh:

Keith Benjamin--Administration of Justice

Mike Cook--Communications

Maurice Polen--Psychology

Ronald Ramon--Communications

*Pitt improved to 4-2 on Senior Day at the Petersen Events Center.

*Pitt improves to 13-7 overall vs. Big East Conference teams added in 2005-06. Pitt is 3-1 vs. Cincinnati, 3-0 vs. DePaul, 3-2 vs. Louisville, 2-4 vs. Marquette and 2-0 vs. South Florida.

*The March 9 date tied for the latest that Pitt has ever concluded a regular season. Pitt also concluded its 2002-03 season on March 9 vs. Villanova.

*Jamie Dixon is 127-39 overall in his fifth season as Pitt's head basketball coach. The 127 victories are the fourth-most victories for an NCAA Division I coach after five seasons as a head coach. Here is where Dixon ranks on the NCAA Division I all-time wins list after five seasons:

*Pitt is now 96-10 all-time at the Petersen Events Center, which translates to a winning percentage of .906.

*Pitt has now won 18 of its last 20 home games and concludes its season with a 16-2 record at home.

*Pitt now owns a 40-9 all-time record vs. Big East opponent in the Petersen Events Center.

*Since Jamie Dixon took over as head coach, Pitt improved to 22-9 after a loss. Over the last five years, Pitt has dropped back-to-back games only six times.

*Pitt improves to 3-1 all-time vs. DePaul and 3-0 vs. the Blue Demons since they joined the Big East Conference in 2005-06.