Pitt takes on UConn Huskies

At stake in Sunday’s game against Connecticut for the Pitt men’s basketball team is first… At stake in Sunday’s game against Connecticut for the Pitt men’s basketball team is first place in the Big East conference, the nation’s longest home winning streak, and a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament next month.

However, if you asked Panther head coach Jamie Dixon, he would tell you that this weekend’s game is no different than any other game.

“We have to look at every game like it’s just as important as our first league game,” Dixon said. “And if we don’t, we wouldn’t be standing where we are in the standings right now, because you can slip up with a lack of effort in one game or two games. If you don’t look at every game the same, then you’re going to fall. And I think our league has proven that day in and day out,”

Against the Huskies (19-4 overall, 7-2 Big East) last month, Pitt lost to Connecticut, 68-65, at the end of regulation after freshman guard Antonio Graves’ game-tying shot attempt bounced off the rim.

While the Panthers (22-2, 8-2) felt they should have won the game, the close score solidified their spot as a legitimate contender for the Big East and National titles. In Sunday’s game, Pitt will look to employ a similar game plan against the Huskies and hope for a better outcome.

“We’re going to just emphasize the same things,” Dixon said. “Rebounding and defending. And we did a lot of things very well the last time we played [Connecticut], but we could have done some things better. And we go into every game trying to think we’re improved. We have a couple of different emphases in today’s practice and the next couple of day’s practice where we’ll try to improve on, but that’s what we do after every game and before every game.”

In the first game, the Panthers, on the strength of junior forward Chevon Troutman’s defense, held Connecticut’s leading scorer and National Player of the Year candidate, junior Emeka Okafor, to 11 points, nearly eight below his average. However, against Notre Dame on Monday, Okafor registered 24 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks in the losing effort for the Huskies.

Another National Player of the Year candidate leads Connecticut’s backcourt, as junior Ben Gordon averages nearly 18 points per game and leads the Big East Conference in three-point shooting, connecting on approximately 45 percent of his three-point attempts. However, in January’s game against Pitt, it was sophomore forward Denham Brown who led the Huskies with a team-high 20 points against the Panthers.

“[Connecticut is] very talented all the way through,” Dixon said. “They obviously have a name. They’re a major university that attracts people from all over the country and have very good players and a very good coach with an outstanding reputation. So they have a lot of great things going for them.”

Like the Huskies, the Panthers will also be coming off a Monday loss. Against Seton Hall, Pitt lost in double overtime by the score of 68-67. Troutman and freshman forward Chris Taft both recorded double-doubles with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and 16 points and 15 rebounds, respectively. Sophomore guard Carl Krauser led the Panthers with 23 points despite fouling out late in the game.

Taft is looking forward to the rematch with Connecticut and the excitement that will engulf the Petersen Events Center on Sunday afternoon.

“We just got to go out there and play our game,” Taft said. “Everybody is going to be hyped up for it and we just have to be ready.”

The game on Sunday is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ABC, with Brent Musberger calling the play-by-play and Dick Vitale providing the color commentary.