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Notebook: Panthers suffer rare rebounding deficit
The top-ranked Huskies finished with a decisive 40-29 advantage on the boards, despite Aaron Gray's 11th double-double for Pitt, but the game was not decided until the closing seconds.
"We were down 11 on the boards and were still in the game. It's the biggest emphasis for us," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said.
Maine outrebounded the Panthers, 42-40, but Pitt came away with a 62-49 decision Nov. 26; DePaul enjoyed a 35-30 edge but lost to the Panthers, 73-65, on Jan. 12; and St. John's, the only other team to beat Pitt this year, outrebounded the Panthers, 36-32, during a 55-50 victory Jan. 21.
Pitt and Wisconsin finished deadlocked in rebounding at 32 during the Panthers' 73-64 victory Dec. 31.
Even after Tuesday's game, Pitt enjoys a rebounding edge of more than seven per game against its opponents.
Unfriendly hosts
With its 80-76 loss at Connecticut on Tuesday, No. 9 Pitt fell to 1-2 at the Huskies' on-campus facility, Gampel Pavilion.
The majority of the games in the series in recent years have been played at the Hartford Civic Center, which is located 30 miles west of UConn's campus.
Looking ahead
Pitt is idle until Sunday, when the Panthers visit No. 17 Georgetown for a noon tipoff.
The game will be played some six hours before the start of Super Bowl XL, featuring the Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in Detroit.
Following the Georgetown game, Pitt will return home for back-to-back contests against No. 11 West Virginia on Feb. 9 and Cincinnati on Feb. 12.
Krauser on Cousy list
Senior Carl Krauser, whose role with Pitt as its primary point guard has changed this season, was named to a list of finalists for the annual Bob Cousy Award, honoring the nation's top point guard.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., made the announcement Thursday.
Krauser, who also is a mid-season finalist for the Wooden Award, which honors the nation's top player, leads Pitt in scoring (16.4 ppg.) and assists (4.5 apg.) this season.
Syracuse point guard Gerry McNamara also is among the nominees.
The award will be announced at the Final Four on April 3 in Indianapolis.
Cast your vote
As part of its celebration of 100 years of basketball, the Pitt athletic department is conducting on-line voting to select its all-Centennial Basketball Team.
Voting, which will conclude Feb. 19, can be done on the school's athletic Web site, www.pittsburghpanthers.collegesports.com, and clicking on "men's basketball." Fans may choose 15 names from a list of 65 players.
The team will be announced during the Pitt-Providence game Feb. 25 at Petersen Events Center.
