Pitt plays another tourney-caliber squad

The Pitt men’s basketball team and tomorrow’s opponent are all too familiar with the highs and… The Pitt men’s basketball team and tomorrow’s opponent are all too familiar with the highs and lows of the NCAA Tournament. Flash back to four seasons ago, when Vermont, the No. 13 seed, notched a stunning 60-57 overtime victory against fourth-seeded Syracuse in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Now a distant relative of that tournament team, the Catamounts (4-2) roll into the Petersen Events Center to take on the No. 3-ranked Panthers, looking to write a new chapter of tournament promise of their own. ‘They’re a very good team,’ said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon about Vermont. ‘We expect them to be a tournament team.’ Pitt comes in riding an eight-game winning streak for the seventh season in a row and owns a 62-1 record against nonconference opponents at the Petersen Events Center. On Wednesday, the Panthers (8-0) dismantled Duquesne in the 77th City Game 78-51. Senior Sam Young paced Pitt with 23 points and added two blocks. Sophomore center DeJuan Blair had a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds. The Panthers’ defense stepped up to hold Duquesne’s leading scorer, Aaron Jackson, to a season-low six points in the contest.Jackson came into Wednesday night’s game averaging 16.6 points per game. It’s something the Panthers will try to do against a Vermont team that is averaging 78.7 points per game. Vermont boasts a solid offensive attack led by last year’s America East Player of the Year, Marqus Blakely. People might remember the junior when he became a YouTube sensation his freshman year after he threw down a powerful dunk against Albany in the conference championship. Since then, the Catamounts have quietly built a solid supporting cast to help out the high-flying forward, who averages 18.3 points and nine rebounds per game this season. The 6-feet-5-inch Blakely could have his hands full with Pitt’s big frontcourt. The Panthers have made a habit of shutting down their opponents’ top scorers with tight man-to-man defense. Take Michael Bramos from Miami of Ohio for example. The team’s leading scorer just a season ago did not make a field goal against the Panthers, and he recorded his two points on foul shots toward the end of the game on Nov. 17. Or, Texas Tech’s John Roberson, who averages 15 points per game for the Red Raiders but was held to just seven against Pitt is another example. Dixon acknowledged the Panthers’ staunch nonconference schedule is arranged on purpose. ‘We’ve tried to pursue the top teams in the mid-major conferences,’ said Dixon. ‘It’s also easier to get them because a lot of teams won’t bring them in to play because they don’t want to take the chance on a loss. It’s a challenge, but that’s why we do it.’ The Catamounts are another one of those teams that should remain at the top of their league this year. ‘I know they’re picked to win their conference,’ said Dixon.