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2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team

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2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball
Big East Regular Season Champions
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Champions
Belfast Int'l Basketball Classic Champions
NCAA tournament, Round of 32
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 12
APNo. 4
Record28–6 (15–3 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPetersen Events Center
(Capacity: 12,508)
Seasons
2010–11 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Pittsburgh 15 3   .833 28 6   .824
No. 5 Notre Dame 14 4   .778 27 7   .794
*#12 Syracuse 12 6   .667 27 8   .771
No. 14 Louisville 12 6   .667 25 10   .714
No. 18 St. John's 12 6   .667 21 12   .636
Cincinnati 11 7   .611 26 9   .743
No. 22 West Virginia 11 7   .611 21 12   .636
Georgetown 10 8   .556 21 11   .656
No. 10 Connecticut 9 9   .500 32 9   .780
Villanova 9 9   .500 21 12   .636
Marquette 9 9   .500 22 15   .595
Seton Hall 7 11   .389 13 18   .419
Rutgers 5 13   .278 15 17   .469
Providence 4 14   .222 15 17   .469
South Florida 3 15   .167 10 23   .303
DePaul 1 17   .056 7 24   .226
2011 Big East tournament winner
As of April 4, 2011[1]
*Syracuse:: 7 wins vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Syracuse–(27–8)(10–6)
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by eighth-year head coach Jamie Dixon, in his twelfth total year at the university. The team played its home games in the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and are members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 28–6, 15–3 in Big East play to capture the regular season conference championship. As the 1 seed in the 2011 Big East men's basketball tournament, they were upset by 9 seed Connecticut in their first tournament game. They received an at-large bid in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as the 1 seed in the southeast region. They defeated 16 seed UNC Asheville in the first round before being upset by 8 seed Butler in the second round.

Outlook

[edit]

The Pittsburgh Panthers finished the 2009 season 25–9, 13–5 in Big East play and lost in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big East men's basketball tournament. They received an at–large bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, earning a 3 seed in the West Region. They defeated 14 seed Oakland in the first round before being upset by 6 seed and AP No. 25 Xavier in the second round. Finishing at No. 20 in the final Coaches' Poll, Pitt returned four starters and the bulk of their reserves including 86% of its scoring and 88% of its rebounding.[2] Pitt has been ranked in the 2010-11 preseason among the top ten teams in the nation, and among the favorites to win the Big East Conference, by multiple national publications.

The Panthers conducted a preseason tour of Ireland, going undefeated in several exhibition games played against national and professional teams.[3]

At the Big East Conference media day on October 20, Pitt was selected by a vote of the league's coaches to finish first in the Big East Conference receiving 12 out of 15 possible first place votes. Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs received a preseason first-team all-conference selection.[4] The Panthers were ranked fourth in the nation in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll[5] and fifth in nation in the preseason AP Poll.[6]

Season

[edit]

Pittsburgh finished their out-of-conference schedule 12–1, losing only to Tennessee at the Consol Energy Center, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As of March 7, the Panthers were ranked third nationwide in both polls. They finished the regular season at the top of the Big East Conference, with a 15-3 record in conference play.

The Panthers earned a number one seed in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the third overall seed in the tournament.

The Panthers used a balanced attack, with eight players averaging 4.9 points per game or more. Gilbert Brown and Brad Wanamaker both averaged over ten points a game, while Ashton Gibbs led the team at 15.9 ppg (eighth in the Big East).

Coaching staff

[edit]
Name[7] Position Year at
Pittsburgh
Alma Mater (Year)
Jamie Dixon Head coach 12th (8th as Head Coach) TCU (1987)
Pat Sandle Assistant coach 10th San Francisco State (1987)
Brandin Knight Assistant coach 5th University of Pittsburgh (2005)
Pat Skerry Assistant coach 1st Tufts (1992)
Brian Regan Director of Basketball Operations 4th Saint Vincent (1988)
Jordan Marks Video Coordinator 2nd University of Pittsburgh (2008)
Jason Richards Video Assistant 1st Davidson (2008)

Recruiting

[edit]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Isaiah Epps
point guard
Chatham, Virginia Hargrave Military Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jan 11, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 93
J. J. Moore
small forward
South Kent, Connecticut South Kent School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Nov 11, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 94
Cameron Wright
shooting guard
Cleveland, Ohio Benedictine High School 6 ft 4.5 in (1.94 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Aug 9, 2009 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 93


Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: not ranked   Rivals: not ranked
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Pittsburgh Commit List for 2010". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  • "Pittsburgh Basketball Recruiting 2010". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  • "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 3, 2010.

Roster

[edit]

[8]

Name # Position Height Weight (lb.) Year Hometown Previous School
Gilbert Brown 5 Forward 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 2Senior (RS) Harrisburg, PA South Kent School
Isaiah Epps 2 Guard 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 2Freshman Plainfield, NJ Hargrave Military Academy/Plainfield HS
Ashton Gibbs 12 Guard 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 1Junior Scotch Plains, NJ Seton Hall Prep
Gary McGhee 52 Center 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 2Senior Anderson, IN Highland HS
J. J. Moore 44 Forward 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 2Freshman Brentwood, NY South Kent School/Brentwood HS
Aron Nwankwo 15 Forward 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 2Freshman Baltimore, MD Baltimore City College
Lamar Patterson 21 Guard/Forward 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 1Freshman (RS) Lancaster, PA St. Benedict's Prep/J.P. McCaskey H.S.
J. J. Richardson 55 Forward/Center 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 1Sophomore Missouri City, TX Fort Bend Hightower HS
Nick Rivers 14 Guard 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 1Senior Phoenix, AZ Brophy College Prep
Nasir Robinson 35 Forward 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 1Junior Chester, PA Chester HS
Dante Taylor 11 Forward 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 1Sophomore Greenburgh, NY National Christian Academy (MD)
Brad Wanamaker 22 Guard 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 2Senior Philadelphia, PA Roman Catholic HS
Travon Woodall 1 Guard 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 190 1Sophomore (RS) Brooklyn, NY-Paterson, NJ St. Anthony HS
Cameron Wright 3 Guard 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 1Freshman Cleveland, OH Benedictine HS
Talib Zanna 42 Forward 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 1Freshman (RS) Kaduna, Nigeria Bishop McNamara HS (MD)

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Ireland Summer Competition Tour
Sat. Jul. 31*
2:00 pm
Ireland Select W 99–54 
Neptune Stadium (1,650)
Cork, Ireland
Sun. Aug. 1*
9:00 am
South Regional All-Stars W 92–52 
Neptune Stadium (857)
Cork, Ireland
Tue. Aug. 3*
2:30 pm
Ireland Select W 110–61 
DCU Arena (897)
Dublin, Ireland
Wed. Aug. 4*
2:30 pm
Dart Killester W 88–62 
DCU Arena (1,253)
Dublin, Ireland
Fri. Aug. 6*
3:30 pm
vs. Melbourne Tigers
Belfast International Basketball Classic
W 92–76 
Odyssey Arena (3,309)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Sat. Aug. 7*
12:00 pm
vs. England National Team
Belfast International Basketball Classic
W 82–69 
Odyssey Arena (1,830)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Exhibition
Sun. Oct. 31*
2:00 pm, Comcast Network
No. 5 Northwood (Fl.) W 104–62[9] 
Petersen Events Center (6,240)
Pittsburgh, PA
Thu. Nov. 4*
7:00 pm, Comcast Network
No. 5 No. 2 (Div. II)^ Indiana (Pa.) W 73–56 
Petersen Events Center (6,728)
Pittsburgh, PA
Regular season
Mon. Nov. 8*
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 5 Rhode Island
2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer
W 83–75  1–0
Petersen Events Center (9,256)
Pittsburgh, PA
Wed. Nov. 10*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 5 Illinois-Chicago
2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer
W 97–54  2–0
Petersen Events Center (9,148)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Nov. 13*
4:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh
No. 5 North Florida W 95–49  3–0
Petersen Events Center (10,052)
Pittsburgh, PA
Thu. Nov. 18*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 5 vs. Maryland
2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer
W 79–70  4–0
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Fri. Nov. 19*
7:35 pm, ESPN2
No. 5 vs. Texas
2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer Championship
W 68–66  5–0
Madison Square Garden (11,723)
New York, NY
Tue. Nov. 23*
7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh
No. 5 Robert Morris W 74–53  6–0
Petersen Events Center (10,121)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Nov. 27*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 5 Penn W 82–58  7–0
Petersen Events Center (10,594)
Pittsburgh, PA
Wed. Dec. 1*
9:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 3 vs. Duquesne
The City Game
W 80–66  8–0
CONSOL Energy Center (12,860)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Dec. 4*
2:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh
No. 3 Rider W 87–68  9–0
Petersen Events Center (8,719)
Pittsburgh, PA
Wed. Dec. 8*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 3 Delaware State W 70–42  10–0
Petersen Events Center (8,520)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Dec. 11*
3:25 pm, ESPN
No. 3 vs. No. 11 Tennessee
DirecTV SEC/Big East Invitational
L 76–83  10–1
CONSOL Energy Center (15,166)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Dec. 18*
7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh
No. 8 Maryland Eastern Shore W 97–64  11–1
Petersen Events Center (9,515)
Pittsburgh, PA
Wed. Dec. 22*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 6 American W 61–46  12–1
Petersen Events Center (9,489)
Pittsburgh, PA
Mon. Dec. 27
8:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 6 No. 4 Connecticut
Big Monday
W 78–63  13–1
(1–0)
Petersen Events Center (12,725)
Pittsburgh, PA
Tue. Jan. 4
7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh
No. 5 at Providence W 83–79  14–1
(2–0)
Dunkin Donuts Center (9,181)
Providence, RI
Sat. Jan. 8
2:00 pm, ESPN Regional/WTAE-TV
No. 5 Marquette W 89–81  15–1
(3–0)
Petersen Events Center (11,438)
Pittsburgh, PA
Wed. Jan. 12
7:00 pm, ESPN/ESPN2
No. 5 at No. 22 Georgetown W 72–57  16–1
(4–0)
Verizon Center (15,712)
Washington, D.C.
Sat. Jan. 15
7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh
No. 5 Seton Hall W 74–53  17–1
(5–0)
Petersen Events Center (9,236)
Pittsburgh, PA
Mon. Jan. 17
7:30 pm, ESPN
No. 5 No. 3 Syracuse
Big Monday
W 74–66  18–1
(6–0)
Petersen Events Center (12,925)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Jan. 22
4:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh
No. 5 at DePaul W 80–50  19–1
(7–0)
Allstate Arena (8,325)
Rosemont, IL
Mon. Jan. 24
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 2 No. 15 Notre Dame
Big Monday
L 51–56  19–2
(7–1)
Petersen Events Center (12,591)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Jan. 29
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 2 at Rutgers W 65–62  20–2
(8–1)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,024)
Piscataway, NJ
Sat. Feb. 5
6:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh
No. 4 Cincinnati W 71–59  21–2
(9–1)
Petersen Events Center (12,615)
Pittsburgh, PA
Mon. Feb. 7
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4 at No. 25 West Virginia
Backyard Brawl, Big Monday
W 71–66  22–2
(10–1)
WVU Coliseum (14,175)
Morgantown, WV
Sat. Feb. 12
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4 at No. 9 Villanova
ESPN College GameDay
W 57–54  23–2
(11–1)
The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
Wed. Feb. 16
7:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 4 South Florida W 67–55  24–2
(12–1)
Petersen Events Center (12,519)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sat. Feb. 19
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4 at St. John's L 59–60  24–3
(12–2)
Madison Square Garden (14,514)
New York, NY
Thu. Feb. 24
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4 West Virginia
Backyard Brawl
W 71–58  25–3
(13–2)
Petersen Events Center (12,876)
Pittsburgh, PA
Sun. Feb. 27
2:00 pm, CBS
No. 4 at No. 16 Louisville L 59–62 OT 25–4
(13–3)
KFC Yum! Center (22,758)
Louisville, KY
Wed. Mar. 2
9:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 4 at South Florida W 66–50  26–4
(14–3)
USF Sun Dome (4,640)
Tampa, FL
Sat. Mar. 5
4:00 pm, CBS
No. 4 No. 19 Villanova W 60–50  27–4
(15–3)
Petersen Events Center (12,843)
Pittsburgh, PA
Big East tournament
Thu. Mar. 10
12:00 pm, ESPN
(1) No. 3 vs. (9) No. 21 Connecticut
Big East Quarterfinal
L 74–76  27–5
Madison Square Garden (19,375)
New York, NY
NCAA tournament
Thu. Mar. 17*
3:10 pm, truTV
(1 SE) No. 4 vs. (16 SE) UNC Asheville
NCAA Second Round
W 74–51  28–5
Verizon Center (17,578)
Washington, D.C.
Sat. Mar. 19*
7:10 pm, TBS
(1 SE) No. 4 vs. (8 SE) Butler
NCAA Third Round
L 70–71  28–6
Verizon Center (18,684)
Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from Division I AP Poll unless otherwise noted.  ^Division II NABC Coaches' Poll.. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
SE=NCAA Southeast Regional.
All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

Rankings

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Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. rv=Others receiving votes.
Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Final
AP 5 5 5 3 3 8 6 6 5 5 5 2 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 n/a
Coaches 4 4 5 3 3 8 6 6 5 5 4 2 4 4 4 6 5 3 4 12

Accomplishments

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  • Pitt won the 2010 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer tournament championship in November 2010, defeating Maryland in the semifinals and Texas in the finals at Madison Square Garden.
  • Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon won his 200th game with a 61-46 win over American on December 22, 2010. With the victory, Dixon tied the all-time NCAA Division I record held by Mark Few and Roy Williams for the fastest coach to earn 200 wins by achieving the mark in only eight seasons. The achievement of winning his first 200 out of 255 games also ranked Dixon among the all-time top-15 for the quickest coaches to achieve 200 victories in regards to total number of games played.[10]
  • With a win over third ranked and undefeated Syracuse on January 17, 2011, Pitt started the Big East regular season 6–0 for the first time in school history, and ran its Petersen Events Center record against teams ranked in the top five of the AP Poll to 9–0.[11]
  • With a win at South Florida on March 2, 2011:[12]
Pitt clinched at least a share of the Big East Conference regular season championship
The senior class of Gilbert Brown, Brad Wanamaker and Gary McGhee accumulated the most wins of any class in school history with 109 total wins.
With his 214th win, head coach Jamie Dixon became the all-time NCAA leader in wins through a coach's first eight seasons.
Brad Wanamaker became only the second player in school history to score 1,000 points, grab 500 rebounds, and give 400 assists.
Pitt finished a school record 7-2 in Big East road games
  • With a win over Villanova on March 5, 2011, Pitt won the outright Big East Regular Season Championship and tied a school record for Big East wins with 15.
  • Junior guard Ashton Gibbs was named to the All-Big East first-team and senior guard Brad Wanamaker was named to the All-Big East second team.[13]
  • Senior guard Brad Wanamaker won the Big East Sportsmanship Award.[14]
  • Pitt received a number one seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history. The seed represented the third overall seed in the tournament.
  • For the sixth straight year, Pitt won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament, the longest such active streak in the nation.
  • 2010-11: Head coach Jamie Dixon won the Sporting News National Coach of the Year award.[15]
  • Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker were named Associated Press Honorable Mention All-Americans.[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Big East Conference Standings - 2010-11." ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  2. ^ Hotchkiss, Greg (ed.). "Season Preview". 2010-11 Pitt Men's Basketball Media Guide. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Athletic Media Relations Office. p. 66. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  3. ^ "Tigers tour of Ireland". Basketball Australia. August 9, 2010. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Fittipaldo, Ray (October 20, 2010). "Coaches pick Pitt to finish 1st in Big East". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  5. ^ "Preseason Top 25: Defending champion Duke opens at No. 1". USAToday.com. October 21, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  6. ^ Fittipaldo, Ray (October 28, 2010). "Pitt debuts at No. 5 in AP basketball poll". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  7. ^ Hotchkiss, pg 66–74
  8. ^ "PITTSBURGH OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE - Men's Basketball". Archived from the original on December 3, 2009. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  9. ^ "No. 5 Men's Basketball Defeats Northwood, Fla. 104-62 in First Exhibition Game - UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  10. ^ "Dixon Ties NCAA Division I Record for Fastest to 200 Career Wins". PittsburghPanthers.com. December 22, 2010. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  11. ^ Grupp, John (January 18, 2011). "No. 5 Pitt sullies Syracuse's record". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  12. ^ Fittipaldo, Ray (March 2, 2011). "Pitt overcomes slow start, dispatches South Florida, 66-50". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  13. ^ Fittipaldo, Ray (March 7, 2011). "Gibbs voted to first team All-Big East". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  14. ^ Fittipaldo, Ray (March 8, 2011). "Pitt's Wanamaker gets 'good award'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  15. ^ "Sporting News names Dixon national coach of the year". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. March 23, 2011. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  16. ^ Grupp, John (March 28, 2011). "Two Pitt guards, PSU senior earn AP All-America honors". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2011.