Panthers looking to go 7-0

After going on the road for the first time this year and gaining a convincing win, the men’s… After going on the road for the first time this year and gaining a convincing win, the men’s basketball team returns home tomorrow to take on Penn State in the Petersen Events Center.

Carl Krauser leads unbeaten Pitt (6-0) into the game with 16.7 points per game. The senior also leads the team in assists per game with 3.3. Krauser contributes on the defensive end of the floor, as well, as he has tallied 16 steals in the Panthers’ six games so far. He will look to repeat his performance of a year ago against Penn State.

In last year’s game, Krauser took control to lead Pitt to an 84-71 victory at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. His 28 points led all scorers, and he registered six assists to lead the team. Pitt opened the game on a 13-2 run, but the Nittany Lions slowly crept back into things, eventually taking a 30-29 lead. Pitt immediately responded with a 12-0 run, however, and gained a lead they would never relinquish.

Center Aaron Gray has emerged as a threat underneath in his first year as a starter, averaging a double-double. He helps Krauser on the offensive end, adding 13.7 points per game. Either Gray or Krauser has led the team in scoring in each game this season.

Gray leads the team in rebounding, as well. He averages 10.5 a game, including a season-high 17 in the Panthers’ 71-60 thumping of Duquesne on Wednesday. He has averaged more than two blocks per game this year.

Levon Kendall, the other big man in the Panthers’ starting lineup, adds 6.8 rebounds a game to go with 2.3 assists and 6.7 points.

Pitt’s starting lineup has only featured one change in the early goings of the season. Freshman Levance Fields – who has averaged 6.7 points and three assists per game this year – got the nod in the first four games. But sophomore Ronald Ramon, who is widely regarded as the team’s best defender, has started the past two games. Ramon brings seven points and three assists to the floor each game to go with seven steals for the season.

Kendall, Gray, Krauser and John DeGroat have made up the rest of the starting lineup each game, but the Panthers have reached deep into their bench in every contest so far. Ten different Pitt players have averaged more than 10 minutes a game.

Pitt has beaten its six opponents by an average of 20 points per game this year, a margin that could be even larger if the Panthers were able to knock down more free throws. Pitt, which has been shaky from the line for the past few years, is hitting just over 67 percent of its attempts on the year.

Ed DeChellis sits at the helm of Penn State (4-2). The third-year coach has yet to lead the Nittany Lions to a winning record, but his nine wins in his first season were more than the program recorded in its previous two years.

Also, he has produced Big Ten All-Freshman team members in both of his years: Marlon Smith in 2003-2004 (the first Nittany Lion ever awarded that honor), and Geary Claxton in 2004-2005. The team returns four starters from a squad that went 7-23 a year ago.

Claxton is Penn State’s most dangerous player, averaging just shy of a double-double each game. He leads the team with 15.7 points, and adds 9.2 rebounds, as well. He has led the team in points in three games this year, and in rebounds in three games, as well.

Two other players join Claxton in double-digit scoring. Jamelle Cornley – who led the team with 17 points in their last game, a 75-71 win over the University of Missouri-Kansas City – chips in 13 a game off the bench, while Travis Parker adds 10.

The Nittany Lions’ three-point shooting has been unimpressive, as they have hit just 29.4 percent of their attempts. They have also struggled from the foul line. Their leading shooter, Maxwell DuBois, hits only 77.8 percent of his free throws, while the team as a whole is shooting just 65.1 percent from the charity stripe.

Penn State’s starting lineup has been unchanged since the season opened. Claxton, Parker, David Jackson, Ben Luber and Brandon Hassell make up the Nittany Lions’ starting five.

This will be the 145th meeting between the intrastate opponents. Penn State leads the all-time series, 75-69, but Pitt has won the last four contests.

Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Network.