Feb. 23, 2008

Game Notes: Louisville (Feb. 24)

PITTSBURGH--Pitt (19-7, 7-6 Big East) returns home for its 14th Big East regular season contest when it hosts No. 18 Louisville (21-6, 11-3 Big East) Sunday at the Petersen Events Center. Tipoff is set for Noon ET.

The game will be televised by ESPN Regional and broadcast locally on WTAE-TV (Channel 4). John Sanders (play-by-play) and Eric Murdock (color commentary) will handle announcing duties while Bill Shissler will oversee production. The contest will be televised in 34 different markets around the continental United States from Bangor, Maine to St. Louis and Tampa-St. Petersburg.

On Sunday, Pitt is attempting to snap its two-game losing streak. The back-to-back losses mark the first time that Pitt lost consecutive games since it lost games at Wisconsin (Dec. 16) and vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 21) in 2006. Under Jamie Dixon, Pitt has lost back-to-back games only six times in his 161 career contests. Dixon also owns a 20-8 career record after losing a game. Since Dixon became head coach, Pitt has lost three consecutive games in only one series: Feb. 20-26, 2005 (at Villanova, West Virginia, Connecticut). The Panthers have five regular season games remaining: Louisville, Cincinnati, at Syracuse, at West Virginia and DePaul.

Pitt entered its weekly schedule without a national ranking for the first time in over two years and 43 consecutive polls. Prior to this week, Pitt was ranked in 109 of the last 118 national polls. The Panthers are currently listed in the "Also Receiving Votes" category in both polls.

Pitt has battled injuries all season long. For the majority of the year, Pitt played with just eight scholarship players including four freshmen. Junior point guard Levance Fields returned to action for the Marquette and Louisville games after missing each of the last 12 games with a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot. He was cleared by doctors to practice on Thursday, Feb. 7. Senior small forward Mike Cook (torn ACL) is out for the season. Redshirt freshman Austin Wallace is also out for the season (fractured patella) and junior Cassin Diggs (groin/hip strain) has suffered injuries as well. Fields and Cook represent Pitt's two most experienced players as both started all 37 games last year and were Pitt's only two returning starters from the previous season. Through Pitt's first 12 games, Fields, Cook and Wallace accounted for 26% of Pitt's minutes played, 28% of its scoring, 47% of assists and 16% of its rebounding (see chart on page 6). Pitt went 8-4 without both Cook and Fields. In those 12 games, Pitt averaged 71.2 points per game while shooting 46.9 percent (315-672) from the floor and 38.9 percent (74-190) from 3-point range. Several of Pitt's players stepped up in their absence (see chart on page 10).

At home, Pitt owns a 14-1 record this year and has won 16 of its last 17 home games. Pitt is in its sixth season in the Petersen Events Center and carries an 94-9 all-time record and .913 winning percentage in the building. The .913 winning percentage ranks among the nation's best home court records over the last six years (see chart page 8). Pitt has won 43 of its last 51 Big East home games and is 38-8 against Big East opponents in the Petersen Events Center. No opponent has defeated Pitt two different times in the Petersen Events Center. Pitt also owns a 56-1 record vs. non-conference opponents in the Petersen Events Center. Pitt has also won 77 of its last 78 home games against regular season non-conference opponents.

Pitt enters the game after winning seven of its last 12 contests. It is 7-6 in Big East play after dropping an 82-70 loss at Notre Dame and a 72-54 decision at Marquette. The 18-point loss at Marquette marked Pitt's largest Big East loss since Jamie Dixon became head coach. Prior to that game, Pitt had never lost a Big East regular season road game by more than eight points. It defeated Providence by 19 points on Feb. 12 and West Virginia on Feb. 7. Ronald Ramon's buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner in the last seconds gave the Panthers a 55-54 win over the Mountaineers.

In Louisville, Pitt plays its second consecutive nationally ranked opponent. Louisville (11-3 Big East, 21-6 overall) enters the contest on a six-game win streak. Louisville represents Pitt's 11th ranked opponent at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt owns an 8-2 record vs. ranked opponents at the PEC. Pitt owns a 3-2 all-time record vs. Louisville and is 3-1 vs. the Cardinals since they joined the Big East Conference in 2005-06. Louisville defeated Pitt  66-53 during the two school's last meeting at the Petersen Events Center.

TODAY'S TOP STORYLINES

•A win would give Pitt its school record seventh consecutive 20-win season. Jamie Dixon would become the first coach in school history to guide Pitt to five consecutive 20-win seasons. Pitt is the only school in the Big East to win 20-overall and 10-league games in each of the last six seasons.

•Pitt has won 16 of its last 17 home games and is 14-1 at home this year.

•Pitt is in its sixth season in the Petersen Events Center and is 94-9 all-time (.913 winning percentage) in the arena. Pitt owns a 38-8 all-time record vs. Big East opponents in the Petersen Events Center. No team has defeated the Panthers on two different occasions at the Petersen Events Center.

•Since Jamie Dixon became head coach in 2003-04, Pitt is 20-8 after a loss. Over the last five years, Pitt has dropped back-to-back games only six times and three consecutive games only once.

MEDIA INFORMATION

GAME 27: #18 LOUISVILLE (21-6, 11-3 Big East) at PITT (19-7, 7-6 Big East)

Sunday, February 24, 2008 • Noon ET • Petersen Events Center (12,508) • Pittsburgh, Pa.

Television: ESPN Regional/WTAE-TV (John Sanders and Eric Murdock; Producer: Bill Shissler).

Note: Today's game will be televised in these markets: WCTX (Hartford, Conn.), Charter-St. Louis (St. Louis), WTTV (Indianapolis), WMYS (South Bend, Ind.), WAZE (Evansville, Ind.), Cox New Orleans (New Orleans), MASN (Baltimore/Washington, D.C.), WBGR (Bangor, Maine), MSG (New York), Time Warner (Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse), Catch 47 (Tampa/St. Petersburg), WWHO (Columbus, Ohio), WKRC (Cincinnati), WHAS (Louisville), WRGT-DT2 (Dayton), ETVW (Madison, Wis.), WTOV (Wheeling, W.Va.), WTAE (Pittsburgh), WHP-DT (Harrisburg, Pa.), WQMY (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), WHVL (Johnstown, Pa.), Cox New England (Providence), WMLW (Milwaukee), Metro Sports (Kansas City), WOAY (Bluefield, W.Va.), WVFX (Clarkesburg, W.Va.), WTAP-DT2 (Parkersburg, W.Va.), WACY (Green Bay), WMME (Chicago), WPHL (Philadelphia).

Radio: Pitt Panthers/ISP Sports Radio Network (Bill Hillgrove and Dick Groat), 94.5-FM (WWSW), 970 AM (WBGG). Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 126 (Pitt feed).

Internet Broadcast/Live Stats: www.pittsburghpanthers.com

The Coaches: Pitt: Jamie Dixon, 9th year at Pitt, 5th year as head coach (124-37); Louisville: Rick Pitino, 7th year at Louisville (163-64), 22nd year overall (515-188).

Rankings: Pitt: unranked; Louisville: 18-AP, 18-ESPN.

Series: The two schools meet for the sixth time in men's basketball. Louisville owns a 3-2 record

vs. Pitt. The Panthers are 3-1 vs. Louisville since the Cardinals joined the Big East Conference.