2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team

	Conf			Overall
2010–11 Big East men's basketball standings
Team	W	L	PCT	W	L	PCT
#4 Pittsburgh	15	3	.833	28	6	.824
#5 Notre Dame	14	4	.778	27	7	.794
#12 Syracuse	12	6	.667	27	8	.771
#14 Louisville	12	6	.667	25	10	.714
#18 St. John's	12	6	.667	21	12	.636
Cincinnati	11	7	.611	26	9	.743
#22 West Virginia	11	7	.611	21	12	.636
Georgetown	10	8	.556	21	11	.656
#9 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] • 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. Their Head Coach was Jamie Dixon, who was in his 8th year as head coach at Pittsburgh and 12th overall 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 Men's Division I Basketball Tournament as the 1 seed in the southeast region. They defeated 16 seed UNC Asheville in the second round before being upset by 8 seed Butler in the third round.

1 Outlook
2 Season
3 Coaching staff
4 Recruiting
5 Roster
6 Schedule
7 Rankings
8 Accomplishments
9 See also
10 References

Outlook

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 Men's Division I 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

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 are 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 Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the third overall seed in the tournament.

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

Coaching staff

Name^[7]	Position	Year at Pittsburgh	Alma Mater (Year)
Jamie Dixon	Head coach	12th (8th as Head Coach)	TCU (1987)
Pat Sandle	Assistant coach	8th	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

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Isaiah Epps point guard	Chatham, Virginia	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jan 11, 2009
Isaiah Epps point guard	Scout: Rivals: ESPN grade: 93
J.J. Moore small forward	South Kent, Connecticut	South Kent School	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)	195 lb (88 kg)	Nov 11, 2009
J.J. Moore small forward	Scout: Rivals: ESPN grade: 94
Cameron Wright shooting guard	Cleveland, Ohio	Benedictine High School	6 ft 4.5 in (194.3 cm)	195 lb (88 kg)	Aug 9, 2009
Cameron Wright shooting guard	Scout: Rivals: ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: not ranked Rivals: not ranked
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Pittsburgh Commit List for 2010". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/basketballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/commitments/2010/alabama-12. Retrieved 2010-10-03. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=141&p=9&cfg=bb&c=8&yr=2010. Retrieved 2010-10-03. "Pittsburgh Basketball Recruiting 2010". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/221/class/2010. Retrieved 2010-10-03. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=141&p=9&cfg=bb&c=14&yr=2010. Retrieved 2010-10-03. "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1088659. Retrieved 2010-10-03.

Roster

^[8]

Name	#	Position	Height	Weight (lb.)	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Brown, GilbertGilbert Brown	5	Forward	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215	2Senior (RS)	Harrisburg, PA	South Kent School
Epps, IsaiahIsaiah Epps	2	Guard	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175	2Freshman	Plainfield, NJ	Hargrave Military Academy/Plainfield HS
Gibbs, AshtonAshton Gibbs	12	Guard	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190	1Junior	Scotch Plains, NJ	Seton Hall Prep
McGhee, GaryGary McGhee	52	Center	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	250	2Senior	Anderson, IN	Highland HS
Moore, J.J.J.J. Moore	44	Forward	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200	2Freshman	Brentwood, NY	South Kent School/Brentwood HS
Nwankwo, AronAron Nwankwo	15	Forward	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200	2Freshman	Baltimore, MD	Baltimore City College
Patterson, LamarLamar 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.
Richardson, J.J.J.J. Richardson	55	Forward/Center	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235	1Sophomore	Missouri City, TX	Fort Bend Hightower HS
Rivers, NickNick Rivers	14	Guard	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180	1Senior	Phoenix, AZ	Brophy College Prep
Robinson, NasirNasir Robinson	35	Forward	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220	1Junior	Chester, PA	Chester HS
Taylor, DanteDante Taylor	11	Forward	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	240	1Sophomore	Greenburgh, NY	National Christian Academy (MD)
Wanamaker, BradBrad Wanamaker	22	Guard	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210	2Senior	Philadelphia, PA	Roman Catholic HS
Woodall, TravonTravon Woodall	1	Guard	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	190	1Sophomore (RS)	Brooklyn, NY-Paterson, NJ	St. Anthony HS
Wright, CameronCameron Wright	3	Guard	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200	1Freshman	Cleveland, OH	Benedictine HS
Zanna, TalibTalib Zanna	42	Forward	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	225	1Freshman (RS)	Kaduna, Nigeria	Bishop McNamara HS (MD)

Schedule

Pitt's 2010–11 schedule.

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Record
Ireland Summer Competition Tour
Sat, July 31*	2:00 pm	Ireland Select		Neptune Stadium • Cork, Ireland		W 99–54	1,650
Sun, Aug 1*	9:00 am	South Regional All-Stars		Neptune Stadium • Cork, Ireland		W 92–52	857
Tue, Aug 3*	2:30 pm	Ireland Select		DCU Arena • Dublin, Ireland		W 110–61	897
Wed, Aug 4*	2:30 pm	Dart Killester		DCU Arena • Dublin, Ireland		W 88–62	1,253
Fri, Aug 6*	3:30 pm	vs. Melbourne Tigers		Odyssey Arena • Belfast, Northern Ireland (Belfast International Basketball Classic)		W 92–76	3,309
Sat, Aug 7*	12:00 pm	vs. England National Team		Odyssey Arena • Belfast, Northern Ireland (Belfast International Basketball Classic)		W 82–69	1,830
Scrimmage
Fri, Oct. 22*	7:00 pm	Blue-Gold Scrimmage		Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	Comcast Network	Blue 66–52	4,295
Exhibition
Sun, Oct. 31*	2:00 pm	Northwood (Fl.)	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	Comcast Network	W 104–62	6,240
Thu, Nov. 4*	7:00 pm	#2 (Div. II)^{^} Indiana (Pa.)	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	Comcast Network	W 73–56	6,728
Regular season
Mon, Nov. 8*	7:00 pm	Rhode Island	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA (2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer)	ESPNU	W 83–75	9,256	1–0
Wed, Nov. 10*	7:00 pm	Illinois-Chicago	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA (2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer)	ESPN3	W 97–54	9,148	2–0
Sat, Nov. 13*	4:00 pm	North Florida	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh	W 95–49	10,052	3–0
Thu, Nov. 18*	7:00 pm	vs. Maryland	#5	Madison Square Garden • New York, NY (2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer)	ESPN2	W 79–70	n/a	4–0
Fri, Nov. 19*	7:35 pm	vs. Texas	#5	Madison Square Garden • New York City (2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer Championship)	ESPN2	W 68–66	11,723	5–0
Tue, Nov. 23*	7:00 pm	Robert Morris	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh	W 74–53	10,121	6–0
Sat, Nov. 27*	7:00 pm	Penn	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN3	W 82–58	10,594	7–0
Wed, Dec. 1*	9:00 pm	vs. Duquesne	#3	CONSOL Energy Center • Pittsburgh, PA (City Game)	ESPNU	W 80–66	12,860	8–0
Sat, Dec. 4*	2:00 pm	Rider	#3	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh	W 87–68	8,719	9–0
Wed, Dec. 8*	7:00 pm	Delaware State	#3	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN3	W 70–42	8,520	10–0
Sat, Dec. 11*	3:25 pm	vs. #11 Tennessee	#3	CONSOL Energy Center • Pittsburgh, PA (DirecTV SEC/Big East Invitational)	ESPN	L 76–83	15,166	10–1
Sat, Dec. 18*	7:00 pm	Maryland Eastern Shore	#8	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh	W 97–64	9,515	11–1
Wed, Dec. 22*	7:00 pm	American	#6	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN3	W 61–46	9,489	12–1
Mon, Dec. 27	8:30 pm	#4 Connecticut	#6	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN2 Big Monday	W 78–63	12,725	13–1 (1–0)
Tue, Jan. 4	7:00 pm	at Providence	#5	Dunkin Donuts Center • Providence, RI	ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh	W 83–79	9,181	14–1 (2–0)
Sat, Jan. 8	2:00 pm	Marquette	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Regional/WTAE-TV, "Big East Game of the Week"	W 89–81	11,438	15–1 (3–0)
Wed, Jan. 12	7:00 pm	at #22 Georgetown	#5	Verizon Center • Washington, D.C.	ESPN/ESPN2	W 72–57	15,712	16–1 (4–0)
Sat, Jan. 15	7:00 pm	Seton Hall	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh	W 74–53	9,236	17–1 (5–0)
Mon, Jan. 17	7:30 pm	#3 Syracuse	#5	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Big Monday	W 74–66	12,925	18–1 (6–0)
Sat, Jan. 22	4:00 pm	at DePaul	#5	Allstate Arena • Rosemont, IL	ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh	W 80–50	8,325	19–1 (7–0)
Mon, Jan. 24	7:00 pm	#15 Notre Dame	#2	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Big Monday	L 51–56	12,591	19–2 (7–1)
Sat, Jan. 29	8:00 pm	at Rutgers	#2	Louis Brown Athletic Center • Piscataway, NJ	ESPN2	W 65–62	8,024	20–2 (8–1)
Sat, Feb. 5	6:00 pm	Cincinnati	#4	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh	W 71–59	12,615	21–2 (9–1)
Mon, Feb. 7	7:00 pm	at #25 West Virginia	#4	WVU Coliseum • Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)	ESPN Big Monday	W 71–66	14,175	22–2 (10–1)
Sat, Feb. 12	9:00 pm	at #9 Villanova	#4	The Pavilion • Villanova, PA	ESPN College GameDay	W 57–54	6,500	23–2 (11–1)
Wed, Feb. 16	7:00 pm	South Florida	#4	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN3	W 67–55	12,519	24–2 (12–1)
Sat, Feb. 19	12:00 pm	at St. John's	#4	Madison Square Garden • New York City	ESPN	L 59–60	14,514	24–3 (12–2)
Thu, Feb. 24	9:00 pm	West Virginia	#4	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA (Backyard Brawl)	ESPN	W 71–58	12,876	25–3 (13–2)
Sun, Feb. 27	2:00 pm	at #16 Louisville	#4	KFC Yum! Center • Louisville, KY	CBS Sports	L 59–62 ^OT	22,758	25–4 (13–3)
Wed, Mar. 2	9:00 pm	at South Florida	#4	USF Sun Dome • Tampa, FL	ESPNU	W 66–50	4,640	26–4 (14–3)
Sat, Mar. 5	4:00 pm	#19 Villanova	#4	Petersen Events Center • Pittsburgh, PA	CBS Sports	W 60–50	12,843	27–4 (15–3)
Postseason^† Big East Men's Basketball Championship
Thu, Mar. 10	12:00 pm	vs. #9 Connecticut	#1	Madison Square Garden • New York, NY (Quarterfinal)	ESPN	L 74–76	19,375	27–5
NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship
Thu, Mar. 17*	3:10 pm	vs. #16 UNC-Asheville	#1	Verizon Center • Washington, D.C. (Second Round)	truTV	W 74–51	17,578	28–5
Sat, Mar. 19*	7:10 pm	vs. #8 Butler	#1	Verizon Center • Washington, D.C. (Third Round)	TBS	L 70–71	18,684	28–6
*Non-Conference Game. ^#Rankings from Division I AP Poll unless otherwise noted. ^{^}Division II NABC Coaches' Poll. ^†Postseason ranks represent seeds in the applicable tournament. All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

Rankings

Main article: 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

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

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 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.^[9]
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.^[10]
With a win at South Florida on March 2, 2011:^[11]

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.^[12]
Senior guard Brad Wanamaker won the Big East Sportsmanship Award.^[13]
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.^[14]
Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker were named Associated Press Honorable Mention All-Americans.^[15]

References

^ "Big East Conference Standings - 2010-11." ESPN.com. Retrieved 3-9-11.
^ Hotchkiss, Greg, ed. "Season Preview". 2010-11 Pitt Men's Basketball Media Guide. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Athletic Media Relations Office. p. 66. http://issuu.com/greghotchkiss/docs/pitt_bball_media_guide_pdf/68?viewMode=presentation. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
^ "Tigers tour of Ireland". Basketball Australia. 2010-08-09. http://www.nbl.com.au/tigers/news/article/2010/august/tigers-tour-of-ireland/. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
^ Fittipaldo, Ray (2010-10-20). "Coaches pick Pitt to finish 1st in Big East". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10293/1096612-100.stm. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
^ "Preseason Top 25: Defending champion Duke opens at No. 1". USAToday.com. 2010-10-21. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/usatpoll.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
^ Fittipaldo, Ray (2010-10-28). "Pitt debuts at No. 5 in AP basketball poll". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). http://post-gazette.com/pg/10301/1098830-100.stm. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
^ Hotchkiss, pg 66–74
^ http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/pitt-m-baskbl-mtt.html#Alphabetical
^ "Dixon Ties NCAA Division I Record for Fastest to 200 Career Wins". PittsburghPanthers.com. 2010-12-22. http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/122210aab.html. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
^ Grupp, John (2011-01-18). "No. 5 Pitt sullies Syracuse's record". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/college/s_718653.html. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
^ Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-03-02). "Pitt overcomes slow start, dispatches South Florida, 66-50". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). http://post-gazette.com/pg/11061/1129326-142.stm. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
^ Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-03-07). "Gibbs voted to first team All-Big East". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11066/1130259-175.stm. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
^ Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-03-08). "Pitt's Wanamaker gets 'good award'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11067/1130443-175.stm. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
^ "Sporting News names Dixon national coach of the year". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2011-03-23. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/college/s_728692.html. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
^ Grupp, John (2011-03-28). "Two Pitt guards, PSU senior earn AP All-America honors". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_729582.html. Retrieved 2011-03-30.