Panthers face Wagner tonight

Let the madness begin.

Whether you’re talking about the men’s NCAA Tournament that began… Let the madness begin.

Whether you’re talking about the men’s NCAA Tournament that began Thursday or the possibility of war, the Pitt men’s basketball team is preparing to begin its tournament run.

By earning the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, the Big East Conference champion Panthers (26-4) will face Northeast Conference champion Wagner (21-10) tonight at the Fleet Center in Boston. The task before the Seahawks is a daunting one in part to tournament history.

In the history of the tournament, only four No. 15 seeds have ever unseated a No. 2 seed, but the magic of the Seahawks could start with their coach Dereck Whittenburg.

Whittenburg, who is in his fourth season at the helm, is the only coach in the tournament to have won a national championship as a player. As a member of the 1983 North Carolina State title team, Whittenburg threw up the prayer that was tipped in to give the Wolfpack the upset of the Houston Cougars.

Past upsets aside, Pitt has the numbers in its favor.

The Panthers are 56-0 against NEC teams, including two wins this season. Also, Pitt’s defense is holding opponents to a school record of 58.9 points per game and is 48-1 under Ben Howland when holding opponents to under 60 points.

“There’s a first time for everything, that’s how I approach everything,” Julius Page said in a press conference Tuesday. “I don’t want to be a two-seed losing to a 15 because that’s going to be remembered, so we’ve got to come out ready to play.”

Entering the game, Pitt is riding a nine-game winning streak, while the Seahawks, who are in their first ever trip to the big dance, are on a three-game winning streak. Included in that streak is the program’s 900th victory, which came in the NEC Championship game.

“Any time when you’re winning and you’re hot, you are a little more confident, but hopefully we won’t have a hangover,” Brandin Knight said. “Guys have left that game on Saturday and we’re focused on these games coming up.”

The keys of the game for Pitt will be to neutralize Wagner’s leading scorer, Jermaine Hall, who is averaging 21.6 points per game. Also, the Panthers will need to control the tempo of the game, as Wagner likes to run the floor rather than set up in a half-court offense.

Though this is an important game for the Panthers, the looming conflict with Iraq could potentially disrupt tournament play. However, NCAA President Myles Brand has assured the world that the games will go on as scheduled.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women in uniform involved in the Iraqi conflict and elsewhere,” Brand said in a statement posted on NCAA’s Web site. “At the same time, we share the president’s resolve to maintain normalcy under Liberty Shield.”

The Panther players and coaches voiced their concerns over the conflict as well.

“We leave all those decisions up to the NCAA, but as a player it will be a lot better for us to play this week and next week, rather than postponing it and not knowing when you’re going to play,” Knight said. “Everyone’s going to be dealing with the same thing, so regardless of what the NCAA decides, everyone will just have to deal with it.”

Howland also offered his thoughts on the potential effects that an armed conflict would have on the tournament.

“Number one: I think it’s scary,” Howland said. “As important as this is to us, and our lives here, and our team, and everything we’ve been doing all year … when you look at the significance of what’s going on over there, it puts things in perspective.”

Should the Panthers defeat the Seahawks, Pitt will return to action Sunday afternoon to face the winner of the Indiana-Alabama game.