Pitt ready to face Oklahoma State

A new face was standing on the other side of the microphone to ask Carl Krauser a question…. A new face was standing on the other side of the microphone to ask Carl Krauser a question.

“Hey, Carl, what do you think we’ve got to do to win this big game we’ve got?” Pitt forward Chris Taft asked, with a carefree smile on his face.

“We’ve got to give the ball down to Chris Taft and Chevy Troutman and those guys down there,” Krauser responded, grinning from ear to ear. “We’ve got to play our Pitt style of basketball.”

Loose, jovial and full of confidence. That’s how the Pitt basketball team was acting as it got ready to get on the bus to head for East Rutherford, N.J., for its Sweet 16 game against Oklahoma State tonight at 7:27 pm. The game will be aired on CBS and broadcast locally on WPTS.

The Panthers have advanced this far for the third consecutive year, and although the first two trips ended in defeat, each season was considered a success. But this year, just being there isn’t good enough.

“This is not really an accomplishment to us, and I think that’s a good thing,” Julius Page said. “Last two years, we came up short, and obviously, to say that we’ve improved, we have to make it past this game.”

Unlike the past two seasons, No. 3 Pitt enters this game as the lower seed and is facing possibly the toughest team it has seen in the NCAA Tournament in the last three years.

Oklahoma State (29-3) earned a No. 2 seed after winning the Big 12 regular season title and tournament championship, and the Cowboys’ game is similar to the Panthers.

“Pretty consistent, pretty similar and very well-coached and very good defensively,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said when asked to describe Oklahoma State. “It’s a very experienced team — a lot of seniors, a lot of transfers.”

One of those transfers is point guard John Lucas, who came to Oklahoma State from Baylor last off-season. Lucas leads the Cowboys offense, averaging 4.6 assists per game to go along with 15.3 points, and will be a tough matchup for whichever Panther gets to guard him.

“It’ll be a game-time decision,” Page said about who will guard Lucas. “He’s real quick; he can shoot the ball; he backs down from no one, no matter how big the other opponent is.”

Also in the backcourt is Tony Allen, the Cowboys’ leading scorer, with 16 points per contest. Allen and Lucas were named the Big 12’s co-Players of the Year, the first time two players from the same team have won the award.

“They shoot the ball pretty well,” Dixon said. “They’re a very good jump-shooting team … from mid-range and also from three, as well. Their bigs can step out and shoot the ball very well.”

Down low, Oklahoma State relies on forwards Ivan McFarlin and Joey Graham. McFarlin leads the team in scoring and rebounding in the tournament, with 16.5 points and 10 boards in two games, while Graham is scoring 12.5 points and grabbing three rebounds.

What the Cowboys lack is size, with no one taller than 6 feet 8 inches tall, but Taft doesn’t think that’s much of an advantage for Pitt.

“They can jump real high, and they play bigger than that,” he said. “Their height doesn’t mean anything. It matters how much heart you’ve got, and you can tell they’ve got a lot of heart.”

One aspect Pitt will have to improve on is its shooting. The Panthers have shot worse than 40 percent in their two tournament games, and, against a team that shoots better than 50 percent a game, Pitt’s offense is going to have to heat up.

“We have to be [due for a great shooting game],” Krauser said. “It’s fate; it’s destiny, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to shoot the ball well, we’re going to rebound well; we’re just going to play great basketball.”

While Pitt’s inside game has been successful, its outside shooting has been off. Krauser, Page and Jaron Brown have combined to shoot 28 percent over the past three games.

“We’ve just got to come out and execute and we’ve got to take care of our business on offense,” Page said. “As long as we keep winning, we’re going to keep playing basketball, and I love to play basketball. I’m going to do whatever I can in my power for us to win.”