Panthers looking to smoke Douby

One of three undefeated teams in the nation at 14-0, including a 3-0 mark in the competitive… One of three undefeated teams in the nation at 14-0, including a 3-0 mark in the competitive Big East and on the heels of a physical win at No. 10 Louisville on Sunday, Pitt plays the middle of a three-game road trip with a game at Rutgers tonight.

Despite the big road win over the Cardinals and the Panthers’ newly minted No. 9 ranking, Jamie Dixon and the Panthers are still not satisfied heading into tonight’s clash with the Scarlet Knights.

This year, under fifth-year head coach Gary Waters, the Scarlet Knights are making some noise with a 12-4 overall record and 2-1 mark in the conference, already exceeding last year’s 10-19 finish.

Last Wednesday, Rutgers gave then-No. 3 Villanova a battle before falling in overtime, 84-78. The Scarlet Knights played another extra session on Saturday with a 78-68 win at DePaul, outscoring the Blue Demons 20-10 in overtime. Having just struggled to put away the Blue Demons themselves – Pitt had to rally for a 73-65 win over DePaul last Thursday – the Panthers know this is not a game to be taken lightly.

“That’s the thing with the Big East. Everyone’s saying ‘OK, we got a big win in Louisville, you would think initially Rutgers and St. John’s may be a little bit easier,’ but really the Big East is so tough,” junior forward Levon Kendall said.

“They’re obviously a really good team and have a good chance of making the NCAA Tournament, so you really can’t take any nights off in the Big East and that’s why it’s the best conference in the country.”

The Panthers are heading into Piscataway, N.J., with a lot of confidence, something they will need to come away with a win at the Scarlet Knights’ home floor. Displaying almost surreal confidence and taking charge is freshman point guard Levance Fields, who is coming off a 13-point outing from Sunday that included a trio of baskets from beyond the arc.

Aaron Gray has maintained his consistency by adding his ninth double-double on Sunday with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Though he missed five free throws that day, as Pitt shot a measly 58 percent as a team, Gray’s two shots from the line clinched that meaningful win 61-57.

“That’s why our team is so strong. I have an off night and Sam [Young] comes in and plays really well, then Aaron has an off night and one of our other guys will step up, and that’s why we’re pretty tough to guard,” Kendall said. “On any given night a guy could step up and have a big game.”

Dixon will look for his team to improve on rebounding and free-throw shooting, essentials for a team looking to make a run in a conference with six ranked teams.

On the defensive side of the ball, there is only one major focus for Pitt, which is Rutgers guard Quincy Douby. The junior from Brooklyn is leading the Big East in scoring with an average of 23.3 points per game and is a threat from 3-point range, with 69 this season.

No other Scarlet Knight is averaging double figures in points, but Dixon compares Douby to Notre Dame’s sharpshooter Chris Quinn, who torched the Panthers for 37 points in a wild 100-97 double-overtime Pitt win back on Jan. 4.

“He’s going to get shots. We talked about that [Monday] with our guys. He’s going to take shots, he’s got range, he’s going to put it on the floor. He has a variety of ways so you can’t really shut down one thing,” Dixon said of Douby. “We’ve done a good job on a lot of guards this year, keeping them below their averages, so we’re sticking to our sound principles.”

He added, “He’s very dangerous. I think Douby may have more range in the Quinn category and they’re kind of similar players. I think they both do things off the dribble and they’re both NBA-type guards.

After starting the season unranked and given few expectations, the Panthers treat every game as if they have something to prove.

“I think any good team’s got to have a chip on their shoulder. Anybody playing in this league’s got to have a chip on their shoulder. You’ve got to prove yourself every night,” Dixon said. “The teams you’re going to be playing against are so good and they’re so familiar with the team players. The players are familiar with the other team’s players.”

Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised locally on FSN.