GAME NOTES: The 20th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers put their 11-game homecourt winning streak on the line this afternoon, as they welcome the Seton Hall Pirates to the Petersen Events Center for a Big East battle. After opening the season with 11 straight victories, Jamie Dixon's squad has split its last four. The Panthers opened up Big East play with a 64-63 setback at Villanova last weekend, but found the conference win column with Wednesday's 79-66 victory at South Florida. The Pirates are still in search of their first league win, having dropped games to both Connecticut (98-86) and Marquette (61-56) thus far, with the setback to the Golden Eagles being the most recent. Pittsburgh is an outstanding 89-8 all-time in the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers hold a 27-19 edge in the all-time series with the Pirates and have won seven of the last 10 meetings overall, including last year's 71-68 decision at Continental Airlines Arena.

Seton Hall was held to a season-low 56 points on Tuesday, falling to nationally-ranked Marquette on the road by five points. Eugene Harvey notched 18 points to pace the team in defeat. Brian Laing added 13 points and in the process, became the 34th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau. Seton Hall led by seven points at the half, but went cold in the second stanza, converting just 29 percent from the floor (9-of-31), allowing Marquette to take the win. Struggling at the offensive end is not something the Pirates have had to deal with much this season. The team is averaging a solid 83.1 ppg, despite shooting a rather bland .433 from the floor. Where the team has made up for it, is at the free-throw line, converting 72.5 percent of the time. Laing is one of the Big East's top scorers, pouring in 19.1 ppg on the year. He is a capable rebounder as well, grabbing 7.7 caroms per game. Harvey is also getting it done offensively, averaging 16.7 ppg, while doling out a team-high 4.4 apg. Jeremy Hazell is a viable third option with 11.3 ppg, although he was held to a mere two points in the loss to Marquette.

The Panthers have certainly had their share of tough breaks this season, as this game will be the fourth without a pair of starters. Both Mike Cook (knee) and Levance Fields (foot) play important roles on this team and neither hole will be easy to fill. Still, the team must move on, leaving the scoring burden to junior forward Sam Young and freshman center DeJuan Blair. Young has a strong all-around game, leading the team in scoring (17.8 ppg) and ranking second in rebounding (6.9 rpg). Blair stands just 6-7, but at 265 pounds, he has been a force in the middle, averaging a near double-double with 11.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. With Fields' fractured foot, senior Keith Benjamin has taken a more active role. He is averaging 8.5 ppg on the year, but has been superb in the last three games, netting 18.3 ppg on a 70 percent clip from the floor. In the 13-point win over South Florida, Young led four players in double digits with 22 points. Benjamin was right behind with 20, hitting 8-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Blair just missed a double- double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Gilbert Brown tallied 10 points, as Pittsburgh shot .534 from the floor, including .500 from three-point range (8- of-16).

Seton Hall will present some problems for the Panthers, with their balanced scoring. However, Pittsburgh is tough to beat at home and with Young, Blair and now Benjamin heating up, another victory at the Petersen Events Center is likely.