Panthers could face former coach Howland

One day removed from losing the Big East Championship title game, Pitt received a No. 3 seed… One day removed from losing the Big East Championship title game, Pitt received a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s West region.

“I think this is a great situation for us,” Dixon said. “This is what we’ve been playing for all year long, so we’re looking forward to it.”

The Panthers (27-7) face No. 14 seed Wright State (23-9) at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., Thursday. Wright State defeated Butler, the No. 5 seed in the Midwest region, in the Horizon League title game.

“[Wright State coach] Brad Brownell has done a great job,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “He’s been there just a short period of time and is already getting them to the tournament.”

Pitt’s four-team pod also features sixth-seeded Duke (22-10) and 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth (27-6). Also playing in Buffalo will be the Midwest region’s No. 4 seed Maryland (24-8) and No. 5 seed Butler (27-6).

Maryland plays No. 13 seed Davidson (29-4). Butler squares off against No. 12 seed Old Dominion (24-8).

“We’re excited about being close to Pittsburgh,” Dixon said. “It gives us an opportunity to get our fans up there and support us as they have been all year.”

But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Pitt’s region is the potential meeting between Dixon and former Pitt coach Ben Howland, who now coaches UCLA.

UCLA (26-5) bowed out of the Pac-10 tournament in the quarterfinals, and was bumped to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament field as a result. The Bruins’ pod consists of No. 15 seed Weber State, seventh-seeded Indiana and 10th-seeded Gonzaga.

The winner of the UCLA-Weber State contest plays the victor in the Gonzaga-Indiana showdown.

Howland coached Northern Arizona from 1994 to 1999, where he hired Dixon as an assistant coach. Howland then took Dixon with him to Pitt in 1999.

Howland turned Pitt’s program into a winner, taking the Panthers to two NCAA Tournaments in four years after an eight-year absence from the tournament field.

“Obviously people are going to look at those things,” Dixon said. “But we’re focused on Wright State, that’s how we always do it.”

The CBS Selection Show was broadcast live in the Petersen Events Center lobby in front of both Pitt basketball personnel and Panther fans. The show featured live shots of Pitt’s crowd for CBS’ national broadcast.

The crowd’s reaction didn’t quite match the intensity that usually follows a bad call on the Pete’s game floor, but the fans and team alike responded with clapping.

“I think we could’ve been a two seed,” Dixon said. “We ended up with a No. 5 RPI. Our strength of schedule was almost higher than everyone in the country.”

But it wasn’t just the numbers that convinced Dixon that his team deserved a higher seed.

“We played a lot more road games than a lot of other teams in the country,” Dixon said, never shedding his par-for-the-course smile. “I think we put ourselves in a great position winning 27 games.”

Three of the last five NCAA Tournament appearances have ended in the Sweet 16 for Pitt, but the last two seasons, the Panthers were bounced out over the first weekend.

In 2005, Pitt received a No. 8 seed. Matched with an experienced ninth-seed Pacific, the Panthers struggled from the field and lost, 79-71.

One year later, the Panthers destroyed Kent State in the first round, 79-64. And after Missouri Valley champion Bradley shocked fourth-seeded Kansas in the sub-region’s other game, it appeared as though Dixon would take Pitt back to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.

But the Bradley Braves proved tough and resilient, holding off several Pitt runs in the second half to stun the Panthers 72-66.

In Dixon’s first year coaching Pitt, the Panthers reached the Sweet 16. But Tony Allen and Oklahoma State met Pitt in East Rutherford, N.J., and the high-flying highlight reel toasted the Panthers for 23 points.

Pitt was a No. 3 seed in that tournament, and Dixon resolved that he was happy enough with the third seed this time around.

“You can never be disappointed with a No. 3 seed,” Dixon said. “We had a very good year with the postseason tournament and conference season.”