Men’s basketball: Panthers look to claim Big East title on senior night

The men’s basketball team has been searching all season for the ultimate Big East bragging… The men’s basketball team has been searching all season for the ultimate Big East bragging rights — the conference title.

For better or worse — that search is about to end.

With one game remaining in conference play, the No. 5 Panthers will look to clinch the Big East season championship with a victory over No. 19 Villanova on Saturday at the Petersen Events Center.

But Pitt seniors Brad Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee and Nick Rivers embrace the challenge posed to them in their final home game.

“It’s coming down to the last game on Saturday,” McGhee said in a news conference. “I’m excited for it. It’s a bittersweet feeling but I’m ready to go.”

Not only would a victory guarantee the Panthers (26-4, 14-3 Big East) a double-round bye and the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament next week, but Pitt would almost be guaranteed to receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“This would be our first Big East regular season title [in five years] that we didn’t share if we win this game on Saturday,” Brown said. “I think it’s playing in our minds too that we don’t want to share anything, we want to be the outright champions.”

The Panthers hope to pick up a win against a ranked Villanova team before heading into the postseason, after losing to two ranked opponents in the past two weeks (No. 16 Louisville and No. 15 St. John’s).

But Villanova (21-9, 9-8 Big East), has had trouble recently. After starting the season 16-1 and vaulting into the top 10, the Wildcats have gone 5-8 since Jan. 17, including a blowout loss to No. 7 Notre Dame by 29 points on Monday.

Despite that, the Panthers know they have to be ready to face Villanova in a league that has proven to be one of the toughest in the history of college basketball.

“When we play on that third day [of the Big East Tournament] we’re going to be playing a team that’s going to probably be seeded higher in the Big East Tournament than they would be in the NCAA Tournament,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “There’s nothing to compare it to. It hasn’t happened before and it won’t happen again.”

With typically strong contributions from guards Corey Stokes, Mallik Wayns and Corey Fisher, Villanova’s recent troubles on the court have been unexpected.

Fisher, the team’s leading scorer at 15 points per game, excels at getting to the basket and creating opportunities for himself and others off the drive. But Notre Dame cut off Fisher’s lanes to the basket and forced him to settle for contested jumpers in the team’s most recent loss.

An ankle injury to Stokes forced him to miss the Wildcats’ Feb. 12 game against Pitt when the Panthers left Philadelphia with a 57-54 win without the services of their own leading scorer, Ashton Gibbs.

Gibbs leads the Panthers in scoring coming into the game, averaging 16.3 points per game, whereas seniors Wanamaker and Brown rank right behind him at 12.2 and 11.1 points per game, respectively.

McGhee is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 7.8 boards per game, and will look to exploit Villanova’s lack of depth and size on the interior.

Not only does Pitt want to keep ’Nova at bay to earn a No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament, but head coach Jamie Dixon and the rest of the Panthers want to send their seniors out on a high note in their final home game.

“I think that would be the most memorable moment [of my Pitt career],” McGhee said. “Winning a final home game and getting a Big East championship at home, that would mean a lot to me.”