Pitt has five over break, start conference play

Well, that might have been fun. Pitt men’s basketball completely dominated its first nine… Well, that might have been fun. Pitt men’s basketball completely dominated its first nine games, starting out 9-0 for the seventh straight season. While students are gearing up for a nice period of relaxation, the Panthers’ work is just starting. Pitt plays five games between now and the spring semester, including its first road game and the start of Big East play. ‘Coach [Jamie Dixon] said we’ve been playing good teams and decent teams, but we’re about to start playing great teams,’ said forward Sam Young after the Panthers 80-51 win Saturday night over Vermont. Of course, it’s possible for the Panthers to keep on winning big. The safe assumption is that Pitt’s 21-point average margin of victory will come down a bit over the next couple of weeks as it starts to see some real challenges. University of Maryland-Baltimore County OK, so maybe there’s one more cupcake before the onslaught begins. The Retrievers are 4-3 but will play Central Connecticut State on Wednesday before coming to the Pete Saturday night. UMBC has three players averaging double figures. Darryl Proctor leads the team with 18 points per game, Jay Greene is next with 13.3 and Rich Flemming is averaging 11.3. Proctor leads the team with nine rebounds per game, and Greene is tops with seven assists per contest. The Retrievers practically play with six players, including those three, along with starters Matt Spadafora and Justin Fry, all logging at least 24 minutes per game. Freshman Chauncey Gilliam is also coming off the bench to play about 25 minutes per game. Frank Mcknight is the only other player averaging double-digit minutes, playing a bit more than 10 minutes per game. One aspect in which to look for Panther domination is rebounding, as opponents often outrebound the Retrievers. Siena Last year, the Saints knocked off then-No. 20 Stanford and upset Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 13 seed. This year, Siena is 4-3 but will play Marist Tuesday night before coming to the Pete Dec. 17. Edwin Ubiles (15 ppg), Kenny Hasbrouck (13 ppg) and Alex Franklin (13 ppg) lead the Saints are led in scoring. ‘ Florida State The Panthers play on the road for the first time to start a group of away games. The Seminoles are 7-1 ‘mdash; and 3-0 at home this year ‘mdash; but play Florida, Georgia State, Texas Tech and Charleston Southern before playing the Panthers Dec. 21. Florida State’s biggest offensive threat is Toney Douglas, who is third in the ACC with 19 points per game. Chris Singelton is 10th in the conference with 8.1 rebounds per game. The Seminoles are second to last in the conference in scoring, averaging only 70 points per game, and third to last in rebounding differential, only outrebounding opponents by three. They’re also last in the ACC in assists. ‘ Rutgers Big East play starts on the road for Pitt. The Scarlet Knights are currently 5-3 but play five games, including a trip to Chapel Hill to play No. 1 North Carolina before taking on Pitt Dec. 31. Freshman Mike Rosario is the only Rutgers player scoring in double figures, averaging 17 points per game. Gregory Echenique, another freshman, averages just less than 10 points and 10 rebounds a game. Rutgers is the top shot-blocking team in the Big East, but has the worst turnover margin. Rosario is the only Scarlet Knight to start every game this year, as the team has used four different starting lineups in eight games. Last year Rutgers came to the Pete and upset the Panthers 77-64. ‘ Georgetown As of now, the Hoyas are ranked No. 20 in the country. Barring any unforeseen occurrences, this will be the Panthers’ first game against a ranked opponent. Even if the Hoyas drop from the rankings before this game, Georgetown-Pitt is always a competitive and physical contest. Georgetown (5-1) plays five games, including one against Memphis, before welcoming Pitt to the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Jan. 3. Losing players like Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace is never a good thing, but a highly touted recruiting class leaves Georgetown with hopes that it still can compete this year without waiting to develop some of its younger players. The biggest newcomer for the Hoyas is freshman power forward Greg Monroe, who teamed with three-year starter DaJuan Summers, gives Georgetown a formidable tandem. The Hoyas have four players scoring in double figures, all averaging about 13 points per game: Summers, Monroe, Chris Wright and Austin Freeman. The Hoyas are a young team: Jessie Sapp and Bryon Jansen are the only seniors on the roster. Georgetown is the second-to-worst 3-point shooting team in the Big East, and the worst offensive rebounding team in the conference. The Hoyas are 13th in total rebounding, as well as in turnover margin.