BOSTON – For every one of his four years at Pitt, head coach Ben Howland has preached to… BOSTON – For every one of his four years at Pitt, head coach Ben Howland has preached to his teams the importance of playing defense.

And every year, the Panthers’ defense has improved, with this year’s squad setting a school record by holding opponents to 58.6 points per game, including Sunday’s 74-52 win over Indiana.

In the last five games, which have all been Big East or NCAA Tournament victories, Pitt has held its opponents to less than 50 percent shooting and allowed an average of 55.2 points per game. Wagner has been the only team to top the 60-point plateau during that stretch.

“Defensively, they always help each other and they’re going to make every play tough on you,” Indiana head coach Mike Davis said. “If you’re not strong with the basketball, they will take it from you. If you throw a bad pass, they will steal it.”

Leading the way for Pitt has been Julius Page.

Last weekend, Page was selected as the Big East Tournament’s Most Valuable Player based on the strength of his defense against the other teams’ best scorer.

On Sunday, Page was given the assignment of guarding Indiana’s leading scorer, Tom Coverdale.

With Page guarding him, Coverdale, who averaged 16.4 points a game this season, scored just six points on four-of-seven shooting.

“[Page’s] probably the best defender I’ve faced my whole career,” Coverdale said. “He’s so quick and he’s a great anticipator. He sees what’s going to happen before it happens.”

While Page and the Panthers’ defense were there last year for Pitt’s run to the Sweet Sixteen, this season, there are plenty of other reasons why the Panthers have a shot at making it to New Orleans.

Jaron Brown’s improved play

Last season, Brown led the team in rebounding and spent a lot of time doing the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.

This year, Brown is still doing the little things, but he’s added much more to his game. With his scoring average of 10.3 a point per game higher than last season, Brown has become one of Pitt’s go-to guys.

“[Brown’s] the glue of this team – he does whatever he can to win,” Page said following the win over Indiana. “He steps up in big games and that’s what he did [today].”

During the 2002 NCAA Tournament, Brown averaged just 6.7 points in the Panthers’ three games.

In his last three games, all Pitt wins, Brown has averaged 16.7 points per contest, including leading the Panthers with 19 in the Big East Championship win over Connecticut and 20 against the Hoosiers on Sunday.

“Not many people focus on [Brown],” Brandin Knight said. “He’s always mixing it up.”

“I was really excited at how he was playing,” Howland said of Brown. “I do believe in Jaron Brown and [he] never does let us down.”

A good Knight’s rest

In Pitt’s three NCAA Tournament games last season, Knight played an average of 40 minutes per game and probably would have played more had he not fouled out of the Panthers’ overtime loss to Kent State.

This time around, Knight has played less, thanks mainly to the addition of Carl Krauser as capable backup.

Against Wagner, Krauser played 27 minutes, scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds, allowing Knight to ice his right knee and ankle on the bench.

On Sunday, Knight sat on the bench for six minutes while Krauser ran the point. During that stretch, Pitt saw its lead increase to eight, with Krauser dishing out two assists.

“Carl Krauser has made this team a lot better than we were a year ago because we have a true point guard that comes in,” Howland said. “He made a big rebound when they were making a run and a really nice jump stop and pass to someone for a lay-up.”

Pitt’s physical inside game

Despite the fact that the Panthers played a physical brand of basketball last season, their toughness seems to be getting more recognition this season.

“They are a lot more physical than Maryland [and] they are definitely more physical than Connecticut,” Wagner coach Dereck Whittenberg said after Friday’s game.

Experience

This is a given with any team that has three seniors and two juniors in the starting lineup, but the experiences that this squad has been through since last year’s trip to the tournament has helped to shape Pitt into a team that can compete for a national title.

The loss to Kent State in the Sweet Sixteen last year let Pitt know what it’s like to experience disappointment on the national stage.

Road losses to Syracuse and Notre Dame during the regular season, in which the Panthers held double digit leads in both, showed them that no one can be taken lightly and no game is over until the final buzzer.

And the victory in the Big East Championship game gave Pitt the experience of what it’s like to be the last one standing.

While there are plenty of obstacles ahead, beginning with Thursday’s matchup with Marquette, this team just might get the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a national champion in New Orleans.

“We’ve played some really good basketball teams, but we haven’t played a team like [Pitt] all year,” Davis said.

With everything that’s different about this Pitt team, one thing is certain: The Panthers will bring their defense.

Joe Marchilena is the assistant sports editor for The Pitt News and he would tell you in what ways he has improved his game during the last year, but you probably wouldn’t believe him.