Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. | Founded: 1787 | Enrollment: 33,500 | Colors: Blue and Gold
Coach: Jamie Dixon | Home Court: John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center | Capacity: 12,508 Record:
(27-10, 10-8
Big East)
FINAL RECORD 27-10, 10-8 in Big East, seventh place.
WHAT WENT RIGHT Pitt struggled through injuries and inconsistency for much of the season, mixing strong performances with inexplicable losses. But it peaked at exactly the right time to win the Big East Tournament, with four wins in four days. Sam Young emerged as a superstar, and Levance Fields also emerged as a top point guard in the Big East. Freshman DeJuan Blair won the starting job in the paint at the beginning of the season and never gave the coaching staff cause to reconsider.
WHAT WENT WRONG It was a brutal year for injuries in Pittsburgh. Mike Cook was lost for the season after tearing his ACL in a non-conference win over Duke, a brutal way for the senior to end his college career. A pair of big men was essentially sidelined for the season, with Austin Wallace suffering a knee injury and Cassin Diggs hobbled by a groin injury and a hip strain. Levance Fields missed seven weeks with a broken bone in his left foot, and though he came back in time to be at full strength for the NCAA Tournament, the team struggled in his absence and as he worked his way back into game shape.
QUOTE TO NOTE "Yeah, it is kind of tough right now. But at the same time, when you look back on the season, we'll be able to come to things that we were able to accomplish, I'm very proud of the team and I'm very proud of myself as an individual. I mean, the coaching staff and everybody. I feel like after a certain point in the season, a lot of people counted us out. For us to continue on strong, win the Big East championship, get to this point in the tournament, I think we showed a lot for ourselves." -- Pitt forward Sam Young, looking back on the season after the loss to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.
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