Dec. 12, 2007

Game Notes: Oklahoma State Game Notes (Dec. 15)

PITTSBURGH--No. 11 ranked Pitt (9-0) concludes final exams week with its 10th contest of the 2007-08 season when it hosts Oklahoma State (5-3) at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday, December 15. Tipoff is at Noon ET.

 

The game will be televised nationally on ESPN with Dave O'Brien (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (color analyst) making the call. Mike Molinari will handle production.

 

Pitt is in the midst of a difficult December stretch which includes only one home contest (Oklahoma State). Pitt began the stretch with road wins at both Duquesne (73-68) and at Washington (75-74). Pitt is one of only two schools nationally to win two games on the road in the month of December (North Carolina is the other program). Following Saturday's game, Pitt will travel to New York and Madison Square Garden to face Duke (Dec. 20) and play at Dayton (Dec. 29) following the Christmas holiday. The stretch ranks among the nation's most difficult Decembers.

 

A win against Oklahoma State would give Pitt its fifth consecutive 10-0 start to a season dating back to 2001-02. A win over OSU would also give Pitt its seventh consecutive season with 10 or more non-conference victories. In addition, Pitt has won 26 consecutive home victories against non-conference opponents at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers are attempting to break their Petersen Events Center record for most consecutive home wins against non-conference opponents which is 28 set from Nov. 23, 2003-Jan. 2, 2005. Earlier in the year, Pitt also surpassed the one million mark for attendance in games played at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt now has had 1,011,755 fans attend games in the six-year old Petersen Events Center.

 

The contest marks the second meeting between the two schools in as many years and is Oklahoma State's return trip after it defeated the Panthers 95-89 in double overtime at the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City, Dec. 21, 2006. Pitt is 3-4 all-time vs. Oklahoma State. Prior to last year's matchup, Pitt and Oklahoma State met in the 2004 NCAA Regionals, a 63-51 OSU victory at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. OSU has claimed each of the last three games in the series.

 

Oklahoma State (5-3) enters the contest after winning each of its last three games. The two school's common opponent is Washington, which OSU defeated 96-71 in Stillwater.

 

In accumulating its 9-0 record, Pitt has outscored its opponents by a plus-24.2 margin, outrebounded its opponents by a plus-12.6 margin and has averaged 81.8 points per game. Pitt currently owns a nine-game home win streak dating back to last season.

 

Pitt defeated Washington 75-74 on Saturday, Dec. 8. Levance Fields led the Panthers with a game-high 20 points, DeJuan Blair registered a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds and Sam Young and Mike Cook contributed 14 points apiece. With his 23 points, Young led Pitt to a 73-68 win over Duquesne in the annual City Game on Wednesday, Dec. 5. The contest was Pitt's first road game of the year.

 

TODAY'S TOP STORYLINES

 

•Pitt is one of only 15 undefeated teams nationally. A win would give Pitt its fifth consecutive 10-0 start to a season.

 

•Pitt is in the midst of a difficult December that includes only one home contest. Pitt won its first two road games. Its next three games are at home vs. Oklahoma State, vs. Duke at MSG and at Dayton.

 

•Pitt owns a nine-game home win streak.

 

•Pitt is in its sixth season in the Petersen Events Center and is 87-8 all-time (.916 winning percentage) in the arena. It has won 26 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents, the second longest streak of its kind since the Petersen Events Center opened in 2003.

 

•Pitt is 54-1 vs. non-conference opponents at the Petersen Events Center. Additionally, Pitt has won 75 of its last 76 home games vs. non-conference opponents.

 

•Jamie Dixon (114-30) owns a 31-2 record in December games and is 57-3 vs. non-conference competition.

 

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