Men’s Basketball: Pitt, DePaul headed in different directions

The distance between the No. 4 Pitt men’s basketball team and DePaul couldn’t be any greater… The distance between the No. 4 Pitt men’s basketball team and DePaul couldn’t be any greater as they prepare to clash on Saturday.

When the teams meet at 4 p.m. in Chicago, the Panthers (18-1, 6-0 Big East) will sit at first place in the conference standings as the Big East’s only undefeated team. The Panthers are coming off a 74-66 win over top-five team Syracuse.

On the other hand, the last place Blue Demons (6-12, 0-6 Big East) have lost 19-straight Big East matchups dating back to last season and were the victims of a 30-point loss at Marquette in their most recent outing.

“It’s real tough. We can’t hang our heads,” DePaul freshman guard Brandon Young said after the Marquette game. “You got to go to practice every day, work hard, keep moving forward. It’s going to pay off. We’re going to get that Big East win.”

Despite its record and current six-game losing streak, DePaul does have a few reasons to be optimistic. Young is averaging 12 points per game in his first collegiate season and fellow freshman forward Cleveland Melvin has posted 20 or more points in six of his last seven games.

“Cleveland’s probably their best player,” Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs said in a press conference. “He scores a lot and he plays with a lot of energy.”

Sophomore Tony Freeland joins Young and Melvin in averaging double figures with 11.2 points per game. The forward also adds 4.8 rebounds.

Although DePaul boasts some of the conference’s best young players, the Panthers enter Saturday’s contest confident that their experience can help them steer clear of the upset.

Pitt’s roster is laden with veterans, as the Panthers start three seniors and two juniors. Senior Brad Wanamaker said the team takes pride in playing like an experienced squad.

“We know we’ve got to go out with the same mindset and play like every game is a game to get better and work towards being a great team,” Wanamaker said.

The Panthers were forced to practice Thursday without head coach Jamie Dixon, who stayed home because of an illness. Dixon’s absence did little to stop the seniors from making sure the team went through a difficult practice in preparation for DePaul.

“We’re a focused team,” Wanamaker said. “As seniors, Gary [McGhee], Gil [Brown] and myself know as we go, the team goes, and we made sure we had a hard practice.”

In Pitt’s victory over Syracuse, the Panthers not only showcased their experience, but also their scoring balance. Nasir Robinson, who entered the game averaging just over seven points, led Pitt with 21 points and scored the game’s first nine points.

“He’s really effective when he waits and lets his teammates get him the shots,” Dixon said after the game.

Wanamaker also praised the Robinson’s gameplay and McGhee’s 13-rebound performance.

“Any time they play well is a plus for our team,” he said. “They are both great players for this program and for us to be good, we need our big men to contribute on the offensive end. That’s what they’ve been doing lately and that’s why we’ve been winning.”

The Blue Demons will have their hands full with the Pitt frontcourt as DePaul averages 32 rebounds a game to Pitt’s 43. The Panthers are second in the nation in rebounding.

If Pitt continues its solid start in Big East play with a win, Saturday’s game against DePaul could prove to be a record-setting day for the Panthers.

Not only will a win extend Pitt’s school-record start to a Big East campaign by improving to 7-0 in the league, but junior guard Gibbs will also have the chance to become the 38th Panther in school history to surpass the coveted 1,000 career point mark as he currently sits on 989.

“It’s not a big thing to me,” Gibbs said of the potential accomplishment. “But at the same time, it’s a team thing. If you do well as a team, individual goals take care of themselves.”

Wanamaker and Brown are also approaching 1,000 career points with 936 and 877 points, respectively.