# 2008–09 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Jamie Dixon, who was serving for his 6th year as head coach at Pittsburgh and 10th overall at the university. The team played its home games in the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

## Outlook

The Pittsburgh Panthers, defending Big East Conference tournament champions, came off a 27–10 (10–8) record in the 2007–08 season which included their seventh straight 20-win season, seventh straight season with 10 league wins in the Big East Conference, and a seventh straight NCAA tournament appearance. Pitt advanced to the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Michigan State. That season also marked the seventh time in the last eight seasons that Pitt advanced to the Big East tournament Championship title game, which tied for the most appearances in league history. Pitt began the season returning three starters, each of its top three scorers, and seven of its top 10 players from the previous year. Pitt found itself ranked among the top 10 teams nationally in most preseason polls and publications. Five newcomers, including one junior college transfer and four freshman, joined Pitt for the 2008–09 season.

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at Pittsburgh | Alma Mater (Year) |
| Jamie Dixon | Head coach | 10th (6th as head coach) | TCU (1987) |
| Tom Herrion | Associate head coach | 2nd | Merrimack (1989) |
| Pat Sandle | Assistant coach | 8th | San Francisco State (1987) |
| Brandin Knight | Assistant coach | 3rd | University of Pittsburgh (2005) |
| Brian Regan | Director of operations | 2nd | Saint Vincent (1988) |

## Roster

| Name | # | Position | Height | Weight (lb.) | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Tyrell Biggs | 5 | Forward | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 250 | 4Senior | Nanuet, NY | Don Bosco Prep HS |
| DeJuan Blair | 45 | Forward | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 265 | 2Sophomore | Pittsburgh, PA | Schenley HS |
| Gilbert Brown | 11 | Guard/Forward | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 | 2Sophomore (RS) | Harrisburg, PA | South Kent School |
| Sean Brown | 14 | Forward | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 215 | 4Senior | Pittsburgh, PA | Canon McMillan HS |
| Jermaine Dixon | 3 | Guard | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 195 | 3Junior, Transfer | Baltimore, MD | Tallahassee CC |
| Levance Fields | 2 | Guard | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 190 | 4Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Xaverian HS |
| Tim Frye | 24 | Guard | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 | 2Sophomore | Mars, PA | Mars Area HS |
| Ashton Gibbs | 12 | Guard | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 | 1Freshman | Scotch Plains, NJ | Seton Hall Prep |
| Gary McGhee | 52 | Center | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 250 | 2Sophomore | Anderson, IN | Highland H.S. |
| Dwight Miller | 25 | Forward | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 230 | 1Freshman | Nassau, Bahamas | St. Pius X HS |
| Nasir Robinson | 35 | Forward | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 220 | 1Freshman | Chester, PA | Chester HS |
| Ryan Tiesi | 21 | Guard | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 185 | 2Sophomore | Pittsburgh, PA | North Allegheny HS |
| Brad Wanamaker | 22 | Guard | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 | 2Sophomore | Philadelphia, PA | Roman Catholic HS |
| Travon Woodall | 1 | Guard | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 190 | 1Freshman | Brooklyn, NY | St. Anthony HS |
| Sam Young | 23 | Forward | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 220 | 4Senior | Clinton, MD | Hargrave Military Academy |

## Schedule

Pitt's 2008–09 schedule included, in addition to their Big East slate, nine non-conference opponents that were ranked the previous season in the nation's top-100 Ratings Percentage Index, nine opponents that advanced to post-season play, and five that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Scrimmage ||||||
| Sun. Oct. 26* 2:30 pm | | Blue/Gold (Scrimmage) | | | Petersen Events Center (N/A) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Exhibition ||||||
| Sun. Nov. 2* 4:00 pm | | Seton Hill | W 102–51 | | Petersen Events Center (6,020) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sun. Nov. 9* 1:00 pm | | La Roche | W 82–30 | | Petersen Events Center (6,008) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Regular season ||||||
| Fri. Nov. 14* 7:00 pm | No. 5 | Fairleigh Dickinson | W 86–63 | 1–0 | Petersen Events Center (10,043) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Mon. Nov. 17* 7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 6 | Miami (OH) | W 82–53 | 2–0 | Petersen Events Center (10,072) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Fri. Nov. 21* 7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 6 | Akron Legends Classic Regional | W 86–67 | 3–0 | Petersen Events Center (10,133) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sat. Nov. 22* 4:00 pm | No. 6 | Indiana (PA) Legends Classic Regional | W 86–60 | 4–0 | Petersen Events Center (9,003) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Tue. Nov. 25* 7:00 pm, PantherVision | No. 4 | Belmont | W 74–60 | 5–0 | Petersen Events Center (9,595) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Fri. Nov. 28* 7:30 pm, HDNet | No. 4 | vs. Texas Tech Legends Classic Championship Round | W 80–67 | 6–0 | Prudential Center (3,510) Newark, NJ |
| Sat. Nov. 29* 7:30 pm, HDNet | No. 4 | vs. Washington State Legends Classic Championship Game | W 57–43 | 7–0 | Prudential Center (2,991) Newark, NJ |
| Wed. Dec. 3* 7:00 pm, PantherVision | No. 3 | Duquesne The City Game | W 78–51 | 8–0 | Petersen Events Center (10,387) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sat. Dec. 6* 7:00 pm, PantherVision | No. 3 | Vermont | W 80–51 | 9–0 | Petersen Events Center (10,122) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sat. Dec. 13* 7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 3 | UMBC | W 91–56 | 10–0 | Petersen Events Center (10,188) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Wed. Dec. 17* 9:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | Siena | W 79–66 | 11–0 | Petersen Events Center (10,045) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sun. Dec. 21* 5:30 pm, FSN National | No. 3 | at Florida State | W 56–48 | 12–0 | Donald L. Tucker Center (6,522) Tallahassee, FL |
| Wed. Dec. 31 2:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 3 | at Rutgers | W 78–72 | 13–0 (1–0) | Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,308) Piscataway, NJ |
| Sat. Jan. 3 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | at No. 11 Georgetown | W 70–54 | 14–0 (2–0) | Verizon Center (19,397) Washington, D.C. |
| Sun. Jan. 11 12:00 pm, ESPN Regional/WTAE-TV | No. 1 | St. John's | W 90–67 | 15–0 (3–0) | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Wed. Jan. 14 7:00 pm, ESPN-U | No. 1 | South Florida | W 75–62 | 16–0 (4–0) | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sat. Jan. 17 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 20 Louisville | L 63–69 | 16–1 (4–1) | Freedom Hall (20,082) Louisville, KY |
| Mon. Jan. 19 7:00 pm, ESPN Big Monday | No. 4 | No. 8 Syracuse | W 78–60 | 17–1 (5–1) | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sun. Jan. 25 4:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 4 | at West Virginia Backyard Brawl | W 79–67 | 18–1 (6–1) | WVU Coliseum (14,329) Morgantown, WV |
| Wed. Jan. 28 7:00 pm, ESPN-U | No. 3 | at No. 21 Villanova | L 57–67 | 18–2 (6–2) | Wachovia Spectrum (17,491) Philadelphia, PA |
| Sat. Jan. 31 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | Notre Dame | W 93–80 | 19–2 (7–2) | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Mon. Feb. 2* 7:00 pm, PantherVision | No. 6 | Robert Morris | W 92–72 | 20–2 | Petersen Events Center (10,122) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sat. Feb. 7 2:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 6 | at DePaul | W 92–69 | 21–2 (8–2) | Allstate Arena (9,814) Rosemont, IL |
| Mon. Feb. 9 7:00 pm, ESPN Big Monday | No. 4 | West Virginia Backyard Brawl | W 70–59 | 22–2 (9–2) | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sat. Feb. 14 4:00 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | Cincinnati | W 85–69 | 23–2 (10–2) | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Mon. Feb. 16 7:00 pm, ESPN Big Monday | No. 4 | at No. 1 Connecticut | W 76–68 | 24–2 (11–2) | XL Center (16,294) Hartford, CT |
| Sat. Feb. 21 7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 4 | DePaul | W 80–61 | 25–2 (12–2) | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Tue. Feb. 24 7:00 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 1 | at Providence | L 73–81 | 25–3 (12–3) | Dunkin Donuts Center (11,887) Providence, RI |
| Sat. Feb. 28 8:30 pm, ESPN Regional/FSN Pittsburgh | No. 1 | at Seton Hall | W 89–78 | 26–3 (13–3) | Prudential Center (9,800) Newark, NJ |
| Wed. Mar. 4 7:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | No. 13 Marquette | W 90–75 | 27–3 (14–3) | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Sat. Mar. 7 12:00 pm, CBS | No. 3 | No. 1 Connecticut | W 70–60 | 28–3 (15–3) | Petersen Events Center (12,908) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Postseason$^†$ Big East Men's Basketball Championship ||||||
| Thu. Mar. 12 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 (2) | vs. No. (7) West Virginia Big East Championship Quarterfinals, Backyard Brawl | L 60–74 | 28–4 | Madison Square Garden (19,375) New York City, New York |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Fri. Mar. 20 2:55 pm, CBS | No. 4 (1) | vs. No. (16) East Tennessee State First Round | W 72–62 | 29–4 | University of Dayton Arena (12,499) Dayton, Ohio |
| Sun. Mar. 22 2:50 pm, CBS | No. 4 (1) | vs. No. (8) Oklahoma State Second Round | W 84–76 | 30–4 | University of Dayton Arena (12,596) Dayton, Ohio |
| Thu. Mar. 26 7:27 pm, CBS | No. 4 (1) | vs. No. 20 (4) Xavier Sweet Sixteen | W 60–55 | 31–4 | TD Banknorth Garden (N/A) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Sat. Mar. 28 7:05 pm, CBS | No. 4 (1) | vs. No. 11 (3) Villanova Elite Eight | L 76–78 | 31–5 | TD Banknorth Garden (18,871) Boston, Massachusetts |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP 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. :
| 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 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | n/a |
| Coaches | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 |

## Accomplishments

* During the 8th week of the season, the Panthers were ranked No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches poll. This was the first time in program history that the basketball team held the top ranking in either poll.
* The Panthers were named the champion of the 2nd Annual Legends Classic Tournament. Sam Young was named the tournament MVP.
* Pitt won their first and second game in their history over a team ranked No. 1 in the AP or Coaches poll when they defeated number one ranked Connecticut 76–68 in Hartford on February 16, 2009, and again defeated the top-ranked Huskies 70–60 at home on March 7, 2009.
* Pitt won the most regular-season conference games in school history (15) and achieved their best-ever regular-season record in Big East Conference play (15–3, 0.833).
* Panther center DeJuan Blair was named Big East Player of the Year, an award he shared with UConn center Hasheem Thabeet.
* Pitt received its record eighth straight bid to the NCAA tournament and its record ninth straight post-season national tournament bid.
* Pitt received its first-ever number-one seed in the NCAA tournament.
* Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, with his 162nd win coming in the NCAA Tournament over Oklahoma State, broke the NCAA Division I record for most victories in the first six seasons as a head coach formerly held by North Carolina State coach Everett Case.
* Pitt reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the second time in three years and the fifth time in the last eight seasons.
* Pitt tied a school record set in 2003–04 for the most wins in a season, with 31 victories, and won 30 games for only the second time in school history.
* Pitt's senior class of Sam Young, Levance Fields, and Tyrell Biggs won 112 games during their four-year Pitt careers, giving them the most wins of any senior class in school history.
* Pitt reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1974. In doing so, it defeated the highest-seeded NCAA Tournament in school history (seeding began in 1979) and won three NCAA Tournament games for the first time.
* Jamie Dixon won the Naismith Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year as well as the Jim Phelan Mid-season Coach of the Year award.