2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team

This article is about 2010–11 Pitt men's basketball. For 2010–11 Pitt women's basketball, see 2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team.
2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball
Big East Regular Season Champions
Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic Champions
Belfast Int'l Basketball Classic Champions
NCAA, #1, Southeast Region, Third Round
Conference Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Ranking
Coaches #12
AP #4
2010–11 record 28–6 (15–3 Big East)
Head coach Jamie Dixon
Assistant coach Pat Sandle
Assistant coach Brandin Knight
Assistant coach Pat Skerry
Home arena Petersen Events Center
(Capacity: 12,508)
2010–11 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
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
#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]; 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.

Outlook

The Pittsburgh Panthers finished the 2009 season 259, 135 in Big East play and lost in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament. They received an atlarge 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 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

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 (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jan 11, 2009 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/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 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/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 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/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:

Roster

[8]

Name # Position Height Weight (lb.) Year Hometown Previous School
Brown, GilbertGilbert Brown 5 Forward 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 Senior (RS) Harrisburg, PA South Kent School
Epps, IsaiahIsaiah Epps 2 Guard 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 Freshman Plainfield, NJ Hargrave Military Academy/Plainfield HS
Gibbs, AshtonAshton Gibbs 12 Guard 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 Junior Scotch Plains, NJ Seton Hall Prep
McGhee, GaryGary McGhee 52 Center 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 Senior Anderson, IN Highland HS
Moore, J. J.J. J. Moore 44 Forward 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 Freshman Brentwood, NY South Kent School/Brentwood HS
Nwankwo, AronAron Nwankwo 15 Forward 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 Freshman Baltimore, MD Baltimore City College
Patterson, LamarLamar Patterson 21 Guard/Forward 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 Freshman (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 Sophomore Missouri City, TX Fort Bend Hightower HS
Rivers, NickNick Rivers 14 Guard 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 Senior Phoenix, AZ Brophy College Prep
Robinson, NasirNasir Robinson 35 Forward 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 Junior Chester, PA Chester HS
Taylor, DanteDante Taylor 11 Forward 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 Sophomore Greenburgh, NY National Christian Academy (MD)
Wanamaker, BradBrad Wanamaker 22 Guard 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 Senior Philadelphia, PA Roman Catholic HS
Woodall, TravonTravon Woodall 1 Guard 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 190 Sophomore (RS) Brooklyn, NY-Paterson, NJ St. Anthony HS
Wright, CameronCameron Wright 3 Guard 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 Freshman Cleveland, OH Benedictine HS
Zanna, TalibTalib Zanna 42 Forward 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 Freshman (RS) Kaduna, Nigeria Bishop McNamara HS (MD)

Schedule

Pitt's 2010–11 schedule.

Date Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (Attendance)
Ireland Summer Competition Tour
Sat. Jul. 31* Ireland Select W 9954  Neptune Stadium (1,650)
Sun. Aug. 1* South Regional All-Stars W 9252  Neptune Stadium (857)
Tue. Aug. 3* Ireland Select W 11061  DCU Arena (897)
Wed. Aug. 4* Dart Killester W 8862  DCU Arena (1,253)
Fri. Aug. 6* vs. Melbourne Tigers
(Belfast International Basketball Classic)
W 9276  Odyssey Arena (3,309)
Sat. Aug. 7* vs. England National Team
(Belfast International Basketball Classic)
W 8269  Odyssey Arena (1,830)
Scrimmage
Fri. Oct. 22* Blue-Gold Scrimmage  Blue
6652 
Petersen Events Center (4,295)
Exhibition
Sun. Oct. 31* #5 Northwood (Fl.) W 10462  Petersen Events Center (6,240)
Thu. Nov. 4* #5 #2 (Div. II)^ Indiana (Pa.) W 7356  Petersen Events Center (6,728)
Regular season
Mon. Nov. 8* #5 Rhode Island
(2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer)
W 8375  10 Petersen Events Center (9,256)
Wed. Nov. 10* #5 Illinois-Chicago
(2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer)
W 9754  20 Petersen Events Center (9,148)
Sat. Nov. 13* #5 North Florida W 9549  30 Petersen Events Center (10,052)
Thu. Nov. 18* #5 vs. Maryland
(2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer)
W 7970  40 Madison Square Garden (n/a)
Fri. Nov. 19* #5 vs. Texas
(2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs. Cancer Championship)
W 6866  50 Madison Square Garden (11,723)
Tue. Nov. 23* #5 Robert Morris W 7453  60 Petersen Events Center (10,121)
Sat. Nov. 27* #5 Penn W 8258  70 Petersen Events Center (10,594)
Wed. Dec. 1* #3 vs. Duquesne
(City Game)
W 8066  80 CONSOL Energy Center (12,860)
Sat. Dec. 4* #3 Rider W 8768  90 Petersen Events Center (8,719)
Wed. Dec. 8* #3 Delaware State W 7042  100 Petersen Events Center (8,520)
Sat. Dec. 11* #3 vs. #11 Tennessee
(DirecTV SEC/Big East Invitational)
L 7683  101 CONSOL Energy Center (15,166)
Sat. Dec. 18* #8 Maryland Eastern Shore W 9764  111 Petersen Events Center (9,515)
Wed. Dec. 22* #6 American W 6146  121 Petersen Events Center (9,489)
Mon. Dec. 27 #6 #4 Connecticut W 7863  131 (10) Petersen Events Center (12,725)
Tue. Jan. 4 #5 at Providence W 8379  141 (20) Dunkin Donuts Center (9,181)
Sat. Jan. 8 #5 Marquette W 8981  151 (30) Petersen Events Center (11,438)
Wed. Jan. 12 #5 at #22 Georgetown W 7257  161 (40) Verizon Center (15,712)
Sat. Jan. 15 #5 Seton Hall W 7453  171 (50) Petersen Events Center (9,236)
Mon. Jan. 17 #5 #3 Syracuse W 7466  181 (60) Petersen Events Center (12,925)
Sat. Jan. 22 #5 at DePaul W 8050  191 (70) Allstate Arena (8,325)
Mon. Jan. 24 #2 #15 Notre Dame L 5156  192 (71) Petersen Events Center (12,591)
Sat. Jan. 29 #2 at Rutgers W 6562  202 (81) Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,024)
Sat. Feb. 5 #4 Cincinnati W 7159  212 (91) Petersen Events Center (12,615)
Mon. Feb. 7 #4 at #25 West Virginia
(Backyard Brawl)
W 7166  222 (101) WVU Coliseum (14,175)
Sat. Feb. 12 #4 at #9 Villanova W 5754  232 (111) The Pavilion (6,500)
Wed. Feb. 16 #4 South Florida W 6755  242 (121) Petersen Events Center (12,519)
Sat. Feb. 19 #4 at St. John's L 5960  243 (122) Madison Square Garden (14,514)
Thu. Feb. 24 #4 West Virginia
(Backyard Brawl)
W 7158  253 (132) Petersen Events Center (12,876)
Sun. Feb. 27 #4 at #16 Louisville L 5962 OT 254 (133) KFC Yum! Center (22,758)
Wed. Mar. 2 #4 at South Florida W 6650  264 (143) USF Sun Dome (4,640)
Sat. Mar. 5 #4 #19 Villanova W 6050  274 (153) Petersen Events Center (12,843)
Postseason
Big East Men's Basketball Championship
Thu. Mar. 10 #1 vs. #9 Connecticut
(Quarterfinal)
L 74–76  275 Madison Square Garden (19,375)
NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship
Thu. Mar. 17* #1 vs. #16 UNC-Asheville
(Second Round)
W 74–51  28–5 Verizon Center (17,578)
Sat. Mar. 19* #1 vs. #8 Butler
(Third Round)
L 70–71  286 Verizon Center (18,684)
*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. ( ) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

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 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

References

  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 2010-10-20.
  3. "Tigers tour of Ireland". Basketball Australia. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
  4. Fittipaldo, Ray (2010-10-20). "Coaches pick Pitt to finish 1st in Big East". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  5. "Preseason Top 25: Defending champion Duke opens at No. 1". USAToday.com. 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
  6. Fittipaldo, Ray (2010-10-28). "Pitt debuts at No. 5 in AP basketball poll". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  7. Hotchkiss, pg 66–74
  8. http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/pitt-m-baskbl-mtt.html#Alphabetical
  9. "Dixon Ties NCAA Division I Record for Fastest to 200 Career Wins". PittsburghPanthers.com. 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  10. Grupp, John (2011-01-18). "No. 5 Pitt sullies Syracuse's record". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  11. Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-03-02). "Pitt overcomes slow start, dispatches South Florida, 66-50". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  12. Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-03-07). "Gibbs voted to first team All-Big East". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved 2011-03-07.
  13. Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-03-08). "Pitt's Wanamaker gets 'good award'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  14. "Sporting News names Dixon national coach of the year". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  15. Grupp, John (2011-03-28). "Two Pitt guards, PSU senior earn AP All-America honors". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2011-03-30.