Published: February 24, 2006 12:13 am      

Panthers primed for stretch run

PITTSBURGH — For those who believe the Pitt men’s basketball team has already overachieved this season, the Panthers say they aren’t finished by a long shot.

Even though Pitt (20-4, 9-4 Big East) is in fourth place in the conference with three regular-season games remaining, it still can secure a first-round bye in the league tournament March 8-11 in New York City.

The Panthers face Providence at 7:30 Saturday night at the Petersen Events Center. A key matchup against third-seeded West Virginia is Monday night in Morgantown, W.Va., and the regular-season finale is a home game with Seton Hall at 7:30 p.m. March 3.

“We’ve had some good practices lately and have been playing pretty well, but we want to keep improving,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said earlier this week. “That’s been our goal since the beginning of this season. We try to get better every day, and we’re making progress. But there’s a lot of work to do.”

After losing starters Chris Taft to the NBA and Chevon Troutman and Mark McCarroll to graduation, the Panthers weren’t expected to rise much past the middle of the pack in the 16-team Big East. The expanded league has been a minefield for new conference member Louisville and charter member Syracuse. Both are fighting for their spots in the Big East Tournament, which will be comprised of 12 teams.

While the Cardinals and Orange are battling just to make the event, let alone have an outside shot at the NCAAs, Pitt can have a legitimate shot at a Big East title with a first-round bye. The Panthers weren’t even ranked in the preseason, but have risen to No. 9 in The Associated Press poll.

“We came into this year thinking we could get 20 wins, even though a lot of people really didn’t think we could,” sophomore Keith Benjamin said. “But that’s not important to us right now. We know we could be in the NCAA tournament now, but we want a lot more wins.

“We want as many wins as we can get out of this season for this team. We’re totally coming together right now to make something special for the rest of this year. We’re a very close team and very confident in our abilities. We believe there’s a lot more for us to accomplish.”

Villanova leads the Big East, and Connecticut is second. Pitt and West Virginia are tied for third, with the Panthers holding a win over the Mountaineers. The top four teams get opening byes.

“Actually, I’d like to put almost our entire league in the top 25,” Dixon said. “There’s just so much competition out there every week. I know at least 10 teams should be ranked, and that’s amazing. For sure, some good teams aren’t even going to be in the Big East tournament, and that’s a shame.”

Dixon has guided the Panthers to 20 or more wins in all three of his seasons at the helm after taking over for Ben Howland, who led two straight 20-win campaigns. Pitt had three straight Sweet 16 appearances until losing in the NCAA first round (after an opening loss at the Big East Tournament) last season. One more victory will surpass last season’s total.

“You see teams go one or two years and get into a run of winning 20 games,” Dixon said. “You start to separate yourself with three, four or five years winning that many games. It’s a sign of where you’re at right now, but you want to take that to another level.”

And the Panthers are well aware of the level they need to reach and maybe even surpass this season.

“If you can open against a low seed from a small conference, getting that first win is the most important thing in the tournament,” Benjamin said. “After we get that first win, we can get a second one. And when we get back to the Sweet 16, we get a chance to break the curse.”

If Pitt reaches the Elite Eight this season, it would be a big achievement for the program regardless of the preseason expectations.