After narrow victories in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Panthers travel to… After narrow victories in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Panthers travel to TD Banknorth Garden in Boston to take on the Xavier Musketeers in the Sweet 16.

The No. 1-seeded Panthers and the fourth-seeded Musketeers each avoided early round upsets at the hands of pesky teams such as East Tennessee State, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin.

The Panthers narrowly got past Oklahoma State last Sunday, escaping with an 84-76 win. The team was again paced by the strong play of its ‘Big Three’: Levance Fields, DeJaun Blair and Sam Young.

‘I really feel confident in my team this year to get past the Sweet 16,’ said sophomore guard and forward Gilbert Brown. ‘We’re well prepared, the players we have on the team are more athletic, and we’re a better rebounding team than before.’

A main reason for Pitt’s success has also been the play of guard Fields. And speaking of point guard play at Pitt, Xavier coach Sean Miller is about as familiar as they come with the Panthers.

Playing at the Fitzgerald Field House from 1988-92, Miller was the Big East freshman of the year and led Pitt to the NCAA Tournament three times. Miller has since moved on into coaching and has already left his mark on another program, Xavier, through only his fifth season.

After leading them to the Elite Eight last season and losing several key players from that team, Miller and the Musketeers reloaded this season.

This year’s team is led by senior forwards B.J. Raymond and C.J. Anderson at 14.1 and 10 points per game, respectively, while junior forward Derrick Brown contributes nearly 14 a game, as well.

These players highlight a deep roster that is full of athletic and explosive players who should give the Panthers frontline a challenge.

‘They’re real tall and athletic and they play a different style of pace,’ said Fields.

The Musketeers, regular season champions out of the Atlantic 10 for the third straight year, come into this game after having defeated Portland State, 77-59, and Wisconsin by a score of 60-49.

While the Panthers have already gone down in the history books this season, garnering the program’s first ever No. 1 ranking and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they know there is still more history to be made.

‘Now that I have the opportunity to [get past the Sweet 16],’ said Young, ‘we don’t want to let that opportunity slip past us.’

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