2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team

This article is about 2011–12 Pitt men's basketball. For 2011–12 Pitt women's basketball, see 2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team.
2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball
College Basketball Invitational Champions
Philly Hoop Group Classic Champions
CBI Finals vs Washington State, W 2–1
Conference Big East Conference (1979–2013)
2011–12 record 22–17 (5–13 Big East)
Head coach Jamie Dixon (9th year)
Assistant coach Pat Sandle (11th year)
Assistant coach Brandin Knight (4th year)
Assistant coach Bill Barton (1st year)
Home arena Petersen Events Center
(Capacity: 12,508)
2011–12 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#2 Syracuse 17 1   .944     34 3   .919
#11 Marquette 14 4   .778     27 8   .771
Notre Dame 13 5   .722     22 12   .647
Cincinnati 12 6   .667     26 11   .703
#15 Georgetown 12 6   .667     24 9   .727
South Florida 12 6   .667     22 14   .611
#17 Louisville 10 8   .556     30 10   .750
West Virginia 9 9   .500     19 14   .576
Connecticut 8 10   .444     20 14   .588
Seton Hall 8 10   .444     21 13   .618
Rutgers 6 12   .333     14 18   .438
St. John's 6 12   .333     13 19   .406
Pittsburgh 5 13   .278     22 17   .564
Villanova 5 13   .278     13 19   .406
Providence 4 14   .222     15 17   .469
DePaul 3 15   .167     12 19   .387
2012 Big East Tournament winner
As of March 31, 2012[1]; 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 Men's Division I 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] Position Year at
Pittsburgh
Alma Mater (Year)
Jamie Dixon Head coach 13th (9th as Head Coach) TCU (1987)
Pat Sandle Assistant coach 9th 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.

Name Home town 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 
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 
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 
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 
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:

Roster

2011-12 Pitt Panthers basketball roster[5]

2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 2 Epps, IsaiahIsaiah Epps 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr Hargrave Military Academy/Plainfield HS Plainfield, NJ
G 12 Gibbs, AshtonAshton Gibbs 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Seton Hall Prep Scotch Plains, NJ
C 33 Gilbert, MalcolmMalcolm Gilbert 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Academy of the New Church Smyrna, DE
G/F 5 Johnson, DurandDurand Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Brewster Academy/Lake Clifton Baltimore, MD
G 4 Johnson, JohnJohn Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Girard College Philadelphia, PA
F 44 Moore, J. J.J. J. Moore 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So South Kent School/Brentwood HS Brentwood, NY
C 15 Nwankwo, AronAron Nwankwo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Baltimore City College Baltimore, MD
G/F 21 Patterson, LamarLamar Patterson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 229 lb (104 kg) RS So St. Benedict's Prep/J.P. McCaskey H.S. Lancaster, PA
G 14 Rivers, NickNick Rivers 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Brophy College Prep Phoenix, AZ
F 35 Robinson, NasirNasir Robinson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Chester HS Chester, PA
F 11 Taylor, DanteDante Taylor 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr National Christian Academy (MD) Greenburgh, NY
G 1 Woodall, TravonTravon Woodall 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr St. Anthony HS Brooklyn, NY-Paterson, NJ
G 3 Wright, CameronCameron Wright 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Benedictine HS Cleveland, OH
F 42 Zanna, TalibTalib Zanna 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS So Bishop 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

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
 Blue
5749
 
 
 26  Gibbs  14  Taylor  5  Wright  Petersen Events Center (6,513)
Pittsburgh, PA
Exhibition

Sat. Oct. 29*
4:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network
 #10 La Roche W 10133 
 16  Birch  9  Taylor  7  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (6,525)
Pittsburgh, PA

Mon. Nov. 7*
7:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network
 #10 Kentucky Wesleyan W 7667 
 22  Patterson  9  Zanna  11  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (6,536)
Pittsburgh, PA
Regular season

Fri. Nov. 11*
7:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network / SNY / ESPN3
 #10 Albany W 8956  10
 25  Woodall  8  Taylor  10  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (10,125)
Pittsburgh, PA

Sun. Nov. 13*
6:00 pm, ESPN3
 #10 Rider
Philly Hoop Group Classic
W 8678  20
 24  Gibbs  8  Patterson  10  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (8,712)
Pittsburgh, PA

Wed. Nov. 16*
9:00 pm, ESPNU
 #9 Long Beach State L 7686  21
 20  Gibbs  6  Zanna  4  Gibbs, Patterson, Woodall  Petersen Events Center (8,215)
Pittsburgh, PA

Tue. Nov. 22*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
 #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, PA

Fri. Nov. 25*
7:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network-Philadelphia
 #17 at Penn
Philly Hoop Group Classic
W 7858  4–1
 16  Gibbs  10  Birch  7  Woodall  The Palestra (6,843)
Philadelphia, PA

Sun. Nov. 27*
5:00 pm, ESPN3 / Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network / SNY
 #17 Robert Morris
Philly Hoop Group Classic
W 8171  51
 21  Gibbs  15  Zanna  10  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (8,758)
Pittsburgh, PA

Wed. Nov. 30*
7:00 pm, CBS Sports Network
 #17 vs. Duquesne
The City Game
W 8069  61
 18  Gibbs  11  Taylor  7  Woodall  CONSOL Energy Center (15,880)
Pittsburgh, PA

Sat. Dec. 3*
5:15 pm, ESPN
 #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
 #15 VMI W 9770  81
 20  Gibbs  14  Robinson  6  Patterson  Petersen Events Center (8,923)
Pittsburgh, PA

Sat. Dec. 10*
2:30 pm, ESPN2
 #15 vs. Oklahoma State
Carquest Auto Parts Classic
W 7468  91
 17  Gibbs  10  Patterson  7  Patterson  Madison Square Garden (17,046)
New York, NY

Sat. Dec. 17*
6:00 pm, Pitt Panthers TV / Comcast Network / SNY
 #15 South Carolina State W 6955  101
 16  Patterson  14  Zanna  6  Gibbs  Petersen Events Center (9,521)
Pittsburgh, PA

Tue. Dec. 20*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
 #15 St. Francis (PA) W 7147  111
 15  Moore  8  Taylor  4  Patterson  Petersen Events Center (8,325)
Pittsburgh, PA

Fri. Dec. 23*
8:00 pm, ESPNU
 #15 Wagner L 5459  112
 14  Gibbs  9  Robinson  4  Patterson  Petersen Events Center (9,315)
Pittsburgh, PA
Big East Regular Season

Tue. Dec. 27
7:00 pm, ESPN2
 #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
 #22 Cincinnati L 6366  114
(02)
 19  Robinson  11  Taylor  5  Johnson  Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Pittsburgh, PA

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, PA

Sat. Jan. 14
2:00 pm, ESPNU
  at #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 #1 Syracuse L 6371  118
(06)
 10  Gibbs, Patterson, Wright  11  Taylor  3  Patterson, Robinson, Wright  Carrier Dome (24,826)
Syracuse, NY

Sat. Jan. 21
9:00 pm, ESPN College GameDay
  #23 Louisville L 6273  119
(07)
 14  Gibbs, Patterson  7  Robinson  7  Patterson  Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Pittsburgh, PA

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, PA

Sat. Jan. 28
4:00 pm, ESPN
  #10 Georgetown W 7260  139
(27)
 23  Robinson  10  Zanna  10  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (12,508)
Pittsburgh, PA

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, PA

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, PA

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, PA

Sun. Feb. 26
2:00 pm, CBS
  at #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, PA

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
 #(13) vs. #(12) St. John's
First Round
W 7359  1715
 20  Gibbs  8  Robinson  6  Woodall  Madison Square Garden (20,057)
New York, NY
Wed. Mar. 7
2:00 pm, ESPN
 #(13) vs. #(5) Georgetown
Second Round
L 5264  1716
 14  Gibbs  8  Patterson  6  Patterson  Madison Square Garden (20,057)
New York, NY
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, PA
Mon. Mar. 19*
7:00 pm
  Princeton
Quarterfinals
W 82–61  1916
 19  Patterson  10  Patterson  11  Woodall  Petersen Events Center (2,001)
Pittsburgh, PA
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, IN

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, WA

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, PA
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, PA
*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

References

  1. "Big East Conference Standings - 2011-12." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-31-12.
  2. 1 2 Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-10-20). "Pitt's Gibbs gets top preseason honor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  3. 1 2 Grupp, John (2011-10-20). "Pitt hoops ranked No. 11 in coaches’ poll". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  4. 1 2 3 Bontemps, Tim (2011-10-20). "Pitt's Gibbs named preseason Big East Player of Year". New York Post (New York, NY). Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  5. 1 2 3 Pitt Basketball 2011-12 Preseason Prospectus (PDF), University of Pittsburgh, 2011, pp. 1–2, retrieved 2011-10-22
  6. 1 2 Fittipaldo, Ray (2011-12-17). "Khem Birch leaves Pitt basketball program". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh). Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  7. "Pitt Men's Basketball 2011-2012 Schedule". PittsburghPanthers.com. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
  8. Fittipaldo, Ray (2012-01-06). "Panthers blow big lead against DePaul, lose 4th in row". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved 2012-01-07.
  9. Grupp, John (2012-01-26). "Pitt pummels Big East foe Providence, ends eight-game skid at Pete". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  10. Fittipaldo, Ray (2012-01-17). "Syracuse 71, Pitt 63: Panthers' losing streak hits 7". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  11. "Pitt guard Woodall earns national honor". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
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