Boomtown

Unflashy Pittsburgh has grown into a superpower overnight

PITTSBURGH -- As the Pittsburgh Panthers left the floor Sunday following their 71-67 victory over Connecticut, the chorus of country star Toby Keith belted through the Petersen Events Center.

His words: “How do you like me now?”

The answer among the locals is as enthusiastic as the 12,500 fans who have sold out this sparkling new arena every game this season, watching their once-dormant program follow up its 29-6, Sweet 16 breakthrough a year ago with a similar 21-4 mark through Sunday.

It seems the rest of the country isn’t quite as sold.

With the calendar turned to March and discussions of national titles, Final Fours and No. 1 seeds reaching full throttle, why does eighth-ranked Pittsburgh rarely get mentioned alongside the Arizonas, the Kentuckys, the Floridas and the Oklahomas?

Perhaps it's the fact that while this rejuvenated urban campus has constructed itself a powerhouse-type atmosphere seemingly overnight, the Panthers still are relative newcomers to the rest of the country. Perhaps it's lack of exposure -- Sunday's game was their first on network TV all season.

But most likely, it's the unflashy way in which fourth-year coach Ben Howland's team wins, one that often draws backhanded compliments such as this one from Huskies coach Jim Calhoun: "I don't think they're the most-talented team in the [Big East]. But I think they're the best team."

Howland has heard descriptions like that time and again about his upstart program, one that wins with defense, toughness, experience and almost obscene balance -- no player averages as many as 12 points per game, but a whopping six of them get at least 10.

"I don't think you can be 21-4 and 50-10 over two years unless you have talent," Howland said. "Talent is toughness. Talent is unselfishness. And we are very talented.

"I think this is a very good team, and the numbers speak for themselves."

Sunday's victory was yet another textbook study in Panther basketball. Star point guard Brandin Knight was cold offensively (3-of-12 field goals), but backcourt mate Julius Page picked up the slack with 17 points. Meanwhile, unheralded big men Ontario Lett and Chevon Troutman combined to neutralize heralded Connecticut center Emeka Okafor (12 points, seven rebounds), helping the Panthers outrebound the Huskies 15-8 on the offensive glass.

After uncharacteristically allowing Connecticut to hit 17 of its first 25 shots (68 percent) and falling behind by as much as 30-18, Pittsburgh allowed only nine field goals the entire second half while forcing 16 turnovers. The Panthers went ahead for good 48-47 with 14:34 remaining, fending off a desperate last-minute Huskies rally.

It was the type of gutty performance one might expect from a team so rare by today's standards in that it starts three seniors and two juniors.

"One thing you've got to understand is when you're playing with older guys, that experience helps us in certain situations," Knight said. "If we were a young team, we might not have been able to overcome a large deficit. Every time we come into the huddle, guys just have this confidence like, 'We've been in this situation before. We can get back in this game.'"

That experience is one reason Calhoun -- who's been around more than his share of great teams -- says the Panthers "will be a very tough out in the NCAA tournament."

That, and Howland's trademark defense, one that is allowing even fewer points per game (59.8) than last year's record-setting team, thanks in part to the emergence of the sophomore Troutman inside.

"Anybody who has to play them, you better prepare," warned Calhoun. "Physically, they and the old Bad Boy Detroit Pistons both play the same kind of defense. They're probably the most physical team going back at least to the old Georgetown teams under John Thompson."

Headed into its last two games of the regular season, against torrid Seton Hall and at Villanova, Pittsburgh is tied for first in the Big East West division with Syracuse. The Panthers will be one of the favorites at Madison Square Garden alongside the Orangemen and Notre Dame -- two teams the Panthers lost to on the road by a combined four points -- and could position themselves for a top-three NCAA seed with a strong finish.

The fact that such goals are not only being discussed but are entirely realistic is a testament to how far Pittsburgh has come in just two years. The stars couldn't have aligned any better for the program, as its best back-to-back seasons in 15 years just happened to coincide with the opening of its sparkling new Petersen Events Center this season.

Long-absent Panthers fans have wasted no time embracing the new era, selling out every game and creating as an atmosphere as raucous as many of the nation's most established programs.

Now the question is, can they make the kind of postseason run that such places regularly enjoy?

"I think we have enough talent and enough confidence to get through those six games," Knight said of March Madness. "Some teams that have one or two go-to guys, they're a lot easier to prepare for than a team that has balance. When you only have one day to prepare for a team, it's a lot harder when they've got guys from one to eight who can score 10 points. You've got to guard every single one of them."

Theoretically, because every single one of them is talented.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.

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