Men’s Basketball: Panthers look to stay undefeated in Big East

The No. 5 Pitt men’s basketball team will attempt to defend its untarnished Big East record… The No. 5 Pitt men’s basketball team will attempt to defend its untarnished Big East record tonight as the Panthers (19-1, 7-0 Big East) face a top-25 team for the second time in three games in No. 16 Notre Dame.

The Irish (16-4, 5-3 Big East) are coming off an important 80-75 win over Marquette, avenging a loss to the Golden Eagles 12 days prior.

In the win, senior guard Ben Hansbrough, the younger brother of former North Carolina All-American Tyler Hansbrough, had a career-high 28 points and led the second half rally that helped Notre Dame pull away for the win.

“I think he’s one of the best players in the country,” Marquette head coach Buzz Williams said after the game against the Irish. “He plays with a high motor. I think he’s extremely competitive, moves without the ball as well as anyone in the country and his shot is part of the pass.

Hansbrough leads the Irish with 18 points per game.

Before Hansbrough’s explosion that helped Notre Dame pull away, the Irish, facing an 11-point deficit, switched to a zone defense to contain the Golden Eagles.

Following the win, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said the Irish didn’t have any answers for the Golden Eagles when they were playing man-to-man.

“So let’s try to change their rhythm a little bit,” Brey said. “Their shots came up but in a little different rhythm [after the switch to a zone defense].”

Although the zone was effective against Marquette, last week Nasir Robinson tallied 21 points as Pitt conducted a clinic on how to tear up No. 3 Syracuse’s highly touted zone defense. The Panthers scored 19 straight points to start the game.

“We didn’t want to settle for jump shots against the zone, [Syracuse’s] 3-point shooting percentage is ridiculously low,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said after his team’s 74-66 win over the Orange. “We knew we had to get interior touches and baskets. You have to break a zone with a team, not just one man, and we did that for the most part.”

Both Notre Dame and Pitt play well at home. Notre Dame boasts a 13-0 record on its home floor this season. But the Irish will have to face the Panthers inside the Petersen Events Center, where Pitt has won 51 of its last 52 games, including two wins against top five teams this season.

The Irish haven’t won a road game all season.

After the Marquette win, Notre Dame senior Tim Abromaitis said he expects the Panthers to be prepared for their matchup with the Irish. Abromaitis is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13 points a game.

“They’ve proven themselves to be a really tough team,” he said. “I think we will be excited for it, but they are definitely ready for us. It should be a good game.”

Pitt is coming off its ninth straight win after an 80-50 trouncing of DePaul on Saturday. DePaul, although a heavy underdog, was the kind of trap game that catches inexperienced teams looking ahead to a big matchup later in the week. But Pitt’s experience allowed it to overcome that hurdle.

Pitt’s seniors continued their consistent dominance in the win, making sure the Panthers stayed on track. Gilbert Brown led all scorers with 17 points, Gary McGhee led all rebounders with 15 boards, and Brad Wanamaker led all players with nine assists.

Dixon said the seniors’ dedication to improvement carries over to the rest of the team.

“We have improved dramatically over just two months’ time and our seniors have done some incredible work to improve themselves,” Dixon said. “When you see your seniors improve like this, then it gives inspiration to all your players.”

In the teams’ last meeting, Notre Dame beat the Panthers at Madison Square Garden, 50-45. That win completed an Irish sweep of the Panthers last season.

Pitt will look for some revenge as it attempts to keep its winning streak alive.