Dancing in Dayton: Pitt earns No. 1 seed

‘ ‘ ‘ For the first time in the school’s history, the Pitt men’s basketball team is a No. 1… ‘ ‘ ‘ For the first time in the school’s history, the Pitt men’s basketball team is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ After numerous days of sports media speculation regarding where they would be seeded, the Panthers were awarded the top seed in the East bracket. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s [the No. 1 seed] a great thing, but it doesn’t mean anything at this point,’ said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. ‘It’s an accomplishment, but at the same time, there are 65 teams, and every one of them thinks they can win.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ First up for the Panthers is a Friday matchup in Dayton, Ohio with the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, who received a No. 16 seed as tournament champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The two teams had one common opponent this season: the Belmont Bruins, who the Panthers defeated 74-60 on Nov. 25. The Buccaneers went 2-1 against Belmont this year, including a 30-point blowout win on Jan. 19. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ While the Panthers are relatively unfamiliar with the Buccaneers at this point, the next few days will be spent studying how they play. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’re going to learn a lot about them tomorrow, and we’re going to watch some film,’ said senior forward Tyrell Biggs. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ As the top seed in their bracket, the Panthers will once again have a No. 1 next to their name, and they feel ready for that challenge after experiencing what it’s like to have the bull’s-eye on their backs on two separate occasions this year. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I think being No. 1 already this season is a good thing because we’ve been there and dealt with [the] so-called pressure,’ said freshman guard Ashton Gibbs. ‘We’re in that spot again, so we just have to live up to it now.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt wasn’t the only Big East member to earn a No. 1 seed. Conference regular-season and tournament champions Louisville was named the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play in the Midwest region. Louisville’s first two games are in Dayton, as well. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Connecticut grabbed the top seed in the West bracket. Although the Huskies lost their final two games to Pitt and then Syracuse in the Big East tournament, they received the last No. 1 spot just ahead of Memphis. The Tigers are the second seed in Connecticut’s region. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This is the first time three teams from one conference earned No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ North Carolina received the other No. 1 seed in the South bracket. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The East bracket is filled with teams the Panthers are familiar with, as they have played seven teams in their bracket over the past few seasons. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt has squared off against No. 3-seed Villanova and No. 5-seed Florida State just this season while facing teams such as No. 2-seed Duke and possible second-round opponent No. 8-seed Oklahoma State last season. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt knocked off Florida State in a low-scoring, 56-48 slugfest on Dec. 21, but lost in its only meeting with Villanova this year on the road, 67-57. Meanwhile, Pitt defeated both Duke and Oklahoma State in 2007-08. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Another intriguing potential matchup for the Panthers could come in the Elite Eight, when they could square off against No. 6-seed UCLA and former Pitt coach Ben Howland. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But the Panthers aren’t looking ahead right now, as they know that they have to take one game at a time. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We have to worry about East Tennessee State first,’ said sophomore guard Brad Wanamaker.