Although the 9-0 men’s basketball team has yet to face a Big East opponent, head coach Jamie… Although the 9-0 men’s basketball team has yet to face a Big East opponent, head coach Jamie Dixon stressed that the nonconference schedule is not to be overlooked.

“I don’t think there is anything easy about our schedule,” Dixon said. “Just because we’re beating teams by a large margin doesn’t mean they’re easy. It means we played well.”

The Panthers frequently play well in nonconference contests, as they’ve won their last 53 such games at home, including their most recent win against Rider on Saturday.

No. 3 Pitt executed its game plan en route to an 87-68 victory this weekendand will look to continue those efforts as it hosts the Delaware State Hornets tonight at the Petersen Events Center.

Delaware State, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, boasts two outstanding freshmen players who will be a primary focus for the Panthers’ defense.

Casey Walker and Desi Washington combined for 37 points, including eight 3-pointers, in the Hornets’ most recent 75-56 victory over Maine.

Both young players are often on the court together as they each average more than 30 minutes of playing time per game.

Both received honors for their performances in the past week. Walker was recently named Rookie of the Week in the MEAC and fellow classmate Washington was listed as a “top performer” by the MEAC. Keys for the Panthers will include a continuation of the play of senior guard Brad Wanamaker, who rebounded from a subpar performance against Duquesne to score 16 points and contribute 11 assists in the Rider win.

For Wanamaker, the statistics in the assist category are indicative of the work the Panthers put in during practices.

“Coach really emphasizes that we need to make the extra pass in order to find the open man,” Wanamaker said. “We showed on the floor what was preached to us in practice.”

Another important carryover from the Rider game is the contribution of sophomore forward Dante Taylor, who improved significantly from his freshman campaign.

“Dante had a great freshman year, but he is having an even better sophomore year,” Dixon said. “He is showing great progress.”

In 16 minutes of play against Rider, Taylor was 5-7 from the field and ended the game with 13 total points.

Taylor also sees the value in the Panthers’ ability to distribute the basketball and produce balanced scoring.

“I think you see more people open when we’re making the extra pass,” Taylor said. “Everyone feeds off of that.”

For the Panthers and Dixon, Taylor’s forward position has been an example of the team’s versatility, which the team hopes will be evident in tomorrow night’s game.

“The forward position is interesting, and it’s productive,” Dixon said. “Nasir Robinson makes us better, and we’re seeing that with Dante and Gary McGhee; the numbers speak for themselves.”

Dixon also noted that J.J. Richardson and Talib Zanna have been significant contributors as well, thus giving the Panthers a strong five-player rotation at the forward position.

This diversity of personnel underneath the basket could be instrumental in stopping the forward power of Delaware State’s Marques Oliver.

Oliver recorded 18 rebounds in his past two games and most recently earned four blocked shots against Maine.

But rebounding has been the most consistent strength for the Panthers as they currently lead all Division I teams with an average of 16.8 rebounds per game.

With a combination of balanced scoring, strong rebounding and tough defense against the Hornets’ surging freshmen, the Panthers have a good possibility of earning their 10th victory of the season.