2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball
College Basketball Invitational Champions
Philly Hoop Group Classic Champions
CBI Champions
ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)
Record22–17 (5–13 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Pat Sandle (11th season)
  • Brandin Knight (4th season)
  • Bill Barton (1st season)
Home arenaPetersen Events Center
(Capacity: 12,508)
2011–12 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 11 Marquette144 .778278  .771
Notre Dame135 .7222212  .647
Cincinnati126 .6672611  .703
No. 15 Georgetown126 .667249  .727
South Florida126 .6672214  .611
West Virginia99 .5001914  .576
Connecticut810 .4442014  .588
Seton Hall810 .4442113  .618
Rutgers612 .3331418  .438
St. John's612 .3331319  .406
Pittsburgh513 .2782217  .564
Villanova513 .2781319  .406
Providence414 .2221517  .469
DePaul315 .1671219  .387
*No. 2 Syracuse01 .00003  .000
**No. 17 Louisville08 .000010  .000
2012 Big East tournament winner
As of March 31, 2012[1]
*Syracuse: 30 reg. season games, 4 postseason games vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Syracuse–(34–3)(17–1) **Louisville: 25 reg. season games, 5 postseason games vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Louisville–(30-10)(10-8)
Rankings from AP Poll

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,[2] ranked #11 in the pre-season ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll,[3] and with the Big East pre-season player of the year, Ashton Gibbs.[4] 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 286, 153. 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,[4] 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.[5]

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.[2] Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs received preseason Player of the Year and first-team all-conference selections.[4] The Panthers are ranked 11th in the nation in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll.[3]

Coaching staff

Name[5]PositionYear 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.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   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[5]

2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 2 Isaiah Epps Current redshirt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrHargrave Military Academy/Plainfield HS Plainfield
G 12 Ashton Gibbs 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrSeton Hall Prep Scotch Plains, New Jersey
C 33 Malcolm Gilbert 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)235 lb (107 kg) FrAcademy of the New Church Smyrna, Delaware
G/F 5 Durand Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrBrewster Academy/Lake Clifton Baltimore
G 4 John Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrGirard College Philadelphia
F 44 J. J. Moore 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoSouth Kent School/Brentwood HS Brentwood, New York
C 15 Aron Nwankwo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoBaltimore City College Baltimore
G/F 21 Lamar Patterson Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)229 lb (104 kg) SoSt. Benedict's Prep/J.P. McCaskey H.S. Lancaster, Pennsylvania
G 14 Nick Rivers 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrBrophy College Prep Phoenix, Arizona
F 35 Nasir Robinson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)225 lb (102 kg) SrChester HS Chester, Pennsylvania
F 11 Dante Taylor 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)240 lb (109 kg) JrNational Christian Academy (MD) Greenburgh, New York
G 1 Travon Woodall Current redshirt 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrSt. Anthony HS Brooklyn, New York Paterson, New Jersey
G 3 Cameron Wright Current redshirt 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrBenedictine HS Cleveland
F 42 Talib Zanna Current redshirt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) SoBishop McNamara HS (MD) Kaduna, Nigeria
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2011-10-22

  • Note: Freshman Khem Birch (#24, 6 ft 9 in, 220 lb), at the time Pitt's starting center, left the team on December 16.[6]

Schedule

Pitt's 2011–12 schedule.[7]

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 10133 
 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 7667 
 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 8956  10
 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 8678  20
 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 7686  21
 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 7369  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 7858  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 8171  51
 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 8069  61
 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 6156  71
 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 9770  81
 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 7468  91
 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 6955  101
 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 7147  111
 15  Moore  8  Taylor  4  Patterson  Petersen Events Center (8,325)
Pittsburgh
Fri. Dec. 23*
8:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 15 Wagner L 5459  112
 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 5972  113
(01)
 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 6366  114
(02)
 19  Robinson  11  Taylor  5  Johnson  Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Pittsburgh
Thu. Jan. 5
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at DePaul L 8184  115
(03)
 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 3962  116
(04)
 10  Moore  9  Robinson  4  Epps  Petersen Events Center (10,812)
Pittsburgh
Sat. Jan. 14
2:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 25 Marquette L 5762  117
(05)
 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 6371  118
(06)
 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 6273  119
(07)
 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 8674  129
(17)
 22  Gibbs  11  Patterson  9  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (10,049)
Pittsburgh
Sat. Jan. 28
4:00 pm, ESPN
No. 10 Georgetown W 7260  139
(27)
 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 7266  149
(37)
 24  Woodall  7  Taylor  4  Patterson  WVU Coliseum (13,032)
Morgantown, WV
Sun. Feb. 5
2:00 pm, ESPN
Villanova W 7970  159
(47)
 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 5163  1510
(48)
 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  1511
(49)
 26  Gibbs  9  Robinson  6  Woodall  Prudential Center (NA)
Newark, NJ
Thu. Feb. 16
9:00 pm, ESPN
West Virginia
Backyard Brawl
L 4866  1512
(410)
 12  Woodall  5  Patterson, Robinson  8  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Pittsburgh
Sun. Feb. 19
7:00 pm, ESPN2
South Florida L 4756  1513
(411)
 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 5457  1514
(412)
 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 8969  1614
(512)
 19  Gibbs  8  Taylor  7  Patterson  Petersen Events Center (9,449)
Pittsburgh
Sat. Mar. 3
12:00 pm, ESPN
at Connecticut L 6574  1615
(513)
 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 7359  1715
 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 5264  1716
 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 8163  1816
 16  Moore, Woodall  11  Robinson  9  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (1,449)
Pittsburgh
Mon. Mar. 19*
7:00 pm
Princeton
Quarterfinals
W 82–61  1916
 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 2016
 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  2017
 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  2117
 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 7165  2217
 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.
PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16Wk 17Wk 18Final
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.[6]
  • 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,[8] eventually losing a total of eight straight games, its longest losing streak in 18 years.[9] Also, for first time ever, Pitt opened its Big East Conference season with seven straight loses.[10]
  • 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.[11]

References

  1. "Big East Conference Standings - 2011-12." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-31-12.
  2. 1 2 Fittipaldo, Ray (October 20, 2011). "Pitt's Gibbs gets top preseason honor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Grupp, John (October 20, 2011). "Pitt hoops ranked No. 11 in coaches' poll". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Bontemps, Tim (October 20, 2011). "Pitt's Gibbs named preseason Big East Player of Year". New York Post. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 Pitt Basketball 2011-12 Preseason Prospectus (PDF), University of Pittsburgh, 2011, pp. 1–2, archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014, retrieved October 22, 2011
  6. 1 2 Fittipaldo, Ray (December 17, 2011). "Khem Birch leaves Pitt basketball program". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  7. "Pitt Men's Basketball 2011-2012 Schedule". PittsburghPanthers.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  8. Fittipaldo, Ray (January 6, 2012). "Panthers blow big lead against DePaul, lose 4th in row". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  9. Grupp, John (January 26, 2012). "Pitt pummels Big East foe Providence, ends eight-game skid at Pete". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  10. Fittipaldo, Ray (January 17, 2012). "Syracuse 71, Pitt 63: Panthers' losing streak hits 7". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  11. "Pitt guard Woodall earns national honor". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. February 8, 2012. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
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