# 2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team

The 2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Jamie Dixon, who was in his ninth year as head coach at Pittsburgh and 13th 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. Pitt entered the 2011–12 season picked to finish fourth in the Big East Conference, ranked #11 in the pre-season ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, and with the Big East pre-season player of the year, Ashton Gibbs. They finished the season 22–17, 5–13 in Big East play for a disappointing 13th-place finish. They lost in the second round of the Big East Basketball tournament to Georgetown. They were invited to the 2012 College Basketball Invitational where they advanced to the best of three game finals series against Washington State. They defeated the Cougars 2 games to 1 to be the 2012 CBI Champions.

## Outlook

The Pittsburgh Panthers finished the 2010–11 season as Big East Regular Season champions with 28–6, 15–3. They received a number 1 seed in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, but were upset by eventual national runner-up Butler in the third round. Finishing at No. 12 in the final Coaches' Poll, Pitt returns two starters, including 2011–12 Big East Pre-season Player of the Year, Ashton Gibbs, as well as two of its top four scores, 41% of its scoring, and 45% of its rebounding. Four freshman joint the team, including McDonald's High School All-American Khem Birch.
At the Big East Conference media day on October 19, 2011, Pitt was selected by a vote of the league's coaches to finish fourth in the Big East Conference receiving one first place votes. Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs received preseason Player of the Year and first-team all-conference selections. The Panthers are ranked 11th in the nation in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll.

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at Pittsburgh | Alma Mater (Year) |
| Jamie Dixon | Head coach | 13th (9th as Head Coach) | TCU (1987) |
| Pat Sandle | Assistant coach | 11th | San Francisco State (1987) |
| Brandin Knight | Assistant coach | 6th | University of Pittsburgh (2005) |
| Bill Barton | Assistant coach | 1st | Salem State (1989) |
| Brian Regan | Director of Basketball Operations | 5th | Saint Vincent (1988) |
| Jordan Marks | Video Coordinator | 3rd | University of Pittsburgh (2008) |
| Jason Richards | Graduate Manager | 2nd | Davidson (2008) |
| Tony Salesi | Athletic Trainer | 26th | University of Pittsburgh (1980) |

## Recruiting

2011 Pitt Recruiting Class Signees.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Khem Birch forward | Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec | Notre Dame Prep | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 30, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Malcolm Gilbert center | Smyrna, Delaware | Academy of the New Church | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Aug 23, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Durand Johnson shooting guard/small forward | Baltimore, Maryland | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190.5 lb (86.4 kg) | Aug 16, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| John Johnson point guard/shooting guard | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Girard College | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 166.5 lb (75.5 kg) | Sep 17, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 12 Rivals: 20 ESPN: 15 ||||||
| 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: "Pittsburgh Basketball Commit List: 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "Pittsburgh College Basketball Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "College Basketball Recruiting Schools: Pittsburgh Panthers 2011". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. ||||||

## Roster

2011–12 Pitt Panthers basketball roster
* Note: Freshman Khem Birch (#24, 6 ft 9 in, 220 lb), at the time Pitt's starting center, left the team on December 16.

## Schedule

Pitt's 2011–12 schedule.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Scrimmage |||||||||
| Sat. Oct. 22* 5:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network | | Blue-Gold Scrimmage Fan Fest/Maggie Dixon Heart Health Fair | | | | | | Petersen Events Center (6,513) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Sat. Oct. 29* 4:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network | No. 10 | La Roche | W 101–33 | | 16 – Birch | 9 – Taylor | 7 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (6,525) Pittsburgh |
| Mon. Nov. 7* 7:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network | No. 10 | Kentucky Wesleyan | W 76–67 | | 22 – Patterson | 9 – Zanna | 11 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (6,536) Pittsburgh |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Fri. Nov. 11* 7:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network / SNY / ESPN3 | No. 10 | Albany | W 89–56 | 1–0 | 25 – Woodall | 8 – Taylor | 10 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (10,125) Pittsburgh |
| Sun. Nov. 13* 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 10 | Rider Philly Hoop Group Classic | W 86–78 | 2–0 | 24 – Gibbs | 8 – Patterson | 10 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (8,712) Pittsburgh |
| Wed. Nov. 16* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 9 | Long Beach State | L 76–86 | 2–1 | 20 – Gibbs | 6 – Zanna | 4 – Gibbs, Patterson, Woodall | Petersen Events Center (8,215) Pittsburgh |
| Tue. Nov. 22* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 17 | La Salle Philly Hoop Group Classic | W 73–69 | 3–1 | 17 – Robinson | 6 – Birch, Moore, Robinson, Taylor | 10 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (8,375) Pittsburgh |
| Fri. Nov. 25* 7:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network Philadelphia | No. 17 | at Penn Philly Hoop Group Classic | W 78–58 | 4–1 | 16 – Gibbs | 10 – Birch | 7 – Woodall | The Palestra (6,843) Philadelphia |
| Sun. Nov. 27* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 / Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network / SNY | No. 17 | Robert Morris Philly Hoop Group Classic | W 81–71 | 5–1 | 21 – Gibbs | 15 – Zanna | 10 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (8,758) Pittsburgh |
| Wed. Nov. 30* 7:00 pm, CBS Sports Network | No. 17 | vs. Duquesne The City Game | W 80–69 | 6–1 | 18 – Gibbs | 11 – Taylor | 7 – Woodall | CONSOL Energy Center (15,880) Pittsburgh |
| Sat. Dec. 3* 5:15 pm, ESPN | No. 17 | at Tennessee SEC–Big East Invitational | W 61–56 | 7–1 | 16 – Gibbs, Robinson | 12 – Robinson | 6 – Gibbs | Thompson–Boling Arena (17,249) Knoxville, TN |
| Tue. Dec. 6* 7:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network | No. 15 | VMI | W 97–70 | 8–1 | 20 – Gibbs | 14 – Robinson | 6 – Patterson | Petersen Events Center (8,923) Pittsburgh |
| Sat. Dec. 10* 2:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 15 | vs. Oklahoma State Carquest Auto Parts Classic | W 74–68 | 9–1 | 17 – Gibbs | 10 – Patterson | 7 – Patterson | Madison Square Garden (17,046) New York City |
| Sat. Dec. 17* 6:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network / SNY | No. 15 | South Carolina State | W 69–55 | 10–1 | 16 – Patterson | 14 – Zanna | 6 – Gibbs | Petersen Events Center (9,521) Pittsburgh |
| Tue. Dec. 20* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 15 | St. Francis (PA) | W 71–47 | 11–1 | 15 – Moore | 8 – Taylor | 4 – Patterson | Petersen Events Center (8,325) Pittsburgh |
| Fri. Dec. 23* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 15 | Wagner | L 54–59 | 11–2 | 14 – Gibbs | 9 – Robinson | 4 – Patterson | Petersen Events Center (9,315) Pittsburgh |
| Big East Regular Season |||||||||
| Tue. Dec. 27 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | at Notre Dame | L 59–72 | 11–3 (0–1) | 13 – Zanna | 12 – Zanna | 5 – Gibbs | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,231) Notre Dame, IN |
| Sun. Jan. 1 7:00 pm, ESPN Plus/Root Sports Pittsburgh | No. 22 | Cincinnati | L 63–66 | 11–4 (0–2) | 19 – Robinson | 11 – Taylor | 5 – Johnson | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh |
| Thu. Jan. 5 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at DePaul | L 81–84 | 11–5 (0–3) | 16 – Zanna | 9 – Patterson | 4 – Gibbs, Johnson | Allstate Arena (8,110) Rosemont, IL |
| Wed. Jan. 11 7:00 pm, ESPN Plus/Root Sports Pittsburgh | | Rutgers | L 39–62 | 11–6 (0–4) | 10 – Moore | 9 – Robinson | 4 – Epps | Petersen Events Center (10,812) Pittsburgh |
| Sat. Jan. 14 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 25 Marquette | L 57–62 | 11–7 (0–5) | 29 – Gibbs | 7 – Robinson, Patterson | 3 – Robinson | Bradley Center (18,404) Milwaukee, WI |
| Mon. Jan. 16 7:30 pm, ESPN Big Monday | | at No. 1 Syracuse | L 63–71 | 11–8 (0–6) | 10 – Gibbs, Patterson, Wright | 11 – Taylor | 3 – Patterson, Robinson, Wright | Carrier Dome (24,826) Syracuse, New York |
| Sat. Jan. 21 9:00 pm, ESPN College GameDay | | No. 23 Louisville | L 62–73 | 11–9 (0–7) | 14 – Gibbs, Patterson | 7 – Robinson | 7 – Patterson | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh |
| Wed. Jan. 25 7:00 pm, ESPN Plus/Root Sports Pittsburgh | | Providence | W 86–74 | 12–9 (1–7) | 22 – Gibbs | 11 – Patterson | 9 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (10,049) Pittsburgh |
| Sat. Jan. 28 4:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 10 Georgetown | W 72–60 | 13–9 (2–7) | 23 – Robinson | 10 – Zanna | 10 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh |
| Mon. Jan. 30 7:00 pm, ESPN Big Monday | | at West Virginia Backyard Brawl | W 72–66 | 14–9 (3–7) | 24 – Woodall | 7 – Taylor | 4 – Patterson | WVU Coliseum (13,032) Morgantown, WV |
| Sun. Feb. 5 2:00 pm, ESPN | | Villanova | W 79–70 | 15–9 (4–7) | 29 – Woodall | 8 – Zanna | 5 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh |
| Wed. Feb. 8 7:00 pm, ESPN Plus/Root Sports Pittsburgh | | at South Florida | L 51–63 | 15–10 (4–8) | 11 – Woodall | 5 – Robinson, Woodall, Zanna | 2 – Robinson, Woodall | Tampa Bay Times Forum (4,507) Tampa, FL |
| Sun. Feb. 12 12:00 pm, ESPN Plus/WTAE-TV, "Big East Game of the Week" | | at Seton Hall | L 66–73 | 15–11 (4–9) | 26 – Gibbs | 9 – Robinson | 6 – Woodall | Prudential Center (NA) Newark, NJ |
| Thu. Feb. 16 9:00 pm, ESPN | | West Virginia Backyard Brawl | L 48–66 | 15–12 (4–10) | 12 – Woodall | 5 – Patterson, Robinson | 8 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh |
| Sun. Feb. 19 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | South Florida | L 47–56 | 15–13 (4–11) | 21 – Moore | 11 – Robinson | 3 – Robinson, Woodall | Petersen Events Center (9,849) Pittsburgh |
| Sun. Feb. 26 2:00 pm, CBS | | at No. 17 Louisville | L 54–57 | 15–14 (4–12) | 16 – Moore | 11 – Robinson | 2 – Woodall, Robinson, Wright | KFC Yum! Center (22,746) Louisville, KY |
| Wed. Feb. 29 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | St. John's | W 89–69 | 16–14 (5–12) | 19 – Gibbs | 8 – Taylor | 7 – Patterson | Petersen Events Center (9,449) Pittsburgh |
| Sat. Mar. 3 12:00 pm, ESPN | | at Connecticut | L 65–74 | 16–15 (5–13) | 12 – Wright, Patterson | 6 – Moore | 5 – Woodall | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167) Storrs, CT |
| 2012 Big East tournament |||||||||
| Tue. Mar. 6 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. (13) | vs. No. (12) St. John's First Round | W 73–59 | 17–15 | 20 – Gibbs | 8 – Robinson | 6 – Woodall | Madison Square Garden (20,057) New York |
| Wed. Mar. 7 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. (13) | vs. No. (5) Georgetown Second Round | L 52–64 | 17–16 | 14 – Gibbs | 8 – Patterson | 6 – Patterson | Madison Square Garden (20,057) New York |
| 2012 College Basketball Invitational |||||||||
| Wed. Mar. 14* 7:00 pm | | Wofford First Round | W 81–63 | 18–16 | 16 – Moore, Woodall | 11 – Robinson | 9 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (1,449) Pittsburgh |
| Mon. Mar. 19* 7:00 pm | | Princeton Quarterfinals | W 82–61 | 19–16 | 19 – Patterson | 10 – Patterson | 11 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (2,001) Pittsburgh |
| Wed. Mar. 21* 7:00 pm, HDNet | | at Butler Semifinals | W 68–62 $^{OT}$ | 20–16 | 15 – Zanna | 10 – Patterson | 7 – Patterson | Hinkle Fieldhouse (3,754) Indianapolis |
| Mon. Mar. 26* 10:00 pm, HDNet | | at Washington State Finals–Game 1 | L 66–67 | 20–17 | 16 – Moore, Woodall | 5 – Patterson, Taylor | 7 – Woodall | Beasley Coliseum (4,226) Pullman, Washington |
| Wed. Mar. 28* 7:00 pm, HDNet | | Washington State Finals–Game 2 | W 57–53 | 21–17 | 14 – Zanna | 8 – Zanna | 5 – Patterson, Woodall | Petersen Events Center (3,349) Pittsburgh |
| Fri. Mar. 30* 7:00 pm, HDNet | | Washington State Finals–Game 3 | W 71–65 | 22–17 | 17 – Woodall | 7 – Patterson | 7 – Woodall | Petersen Events Center (3,849) Pittsburgh |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from Division I AP Poll unless otherwise noted. (#) 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 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 22 | rv | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | n/a |
| Coaches | 11 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 22 | rv | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | rv |

## Season notes and accomplishments

* Pitt won the 2011 Philly Hoops Group Classic title with a perfect 4–0 record.
* Pitt lost to 2 unranked non-conference teams (Long Beach State and Wagner) at home, for the 1st time in one season. They only had one previous home non-conference loss at the Peterson Events Center.
* Freshman Khem Birch, at the time Pitt's starting center, left the team on December 16.
* Starting point guard Tray Woodall suffered a groin/abdominal injury during the Duquesne game on November 30 and did not return until the Notre Dame game on Tuesday, December 27. During the Notre Dame game he reaggravated his injury and did not reappear until the Louisville game on January 21.
* For the first time under head coach Jamie Dixon, the Pitt basketball team lost over three games in a row, eventually losing a total of eight straight games, its longest losing streak in 18 years. Also, for first time ever, Pitt opened its Big East Conference season with seven straight loses.
* After averaging 26.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in wins over West Virginia and Villanova, point guard Tray Woodall was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on February 7, 2012, by the United States Basketball Writers Association.