Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette Pitt's Keith Benjamin lunges for a loose ball Saturday around Wisconsin's Alando Tucker at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt opens Big East play tonight against Notre Dame. Click photo for larger image.

Notre Dame has visited the Petersen Events Center three times and has yet to emerge victorious, but the team, at least in its past two visits, has made the Pitt Panthers sweat. Two seasons ago the Panthers beat the Irish by three points; last year, the Panthers scratched out a two-point win.

The Irish (9-2) will try for their first win at the Petersen Center tonight when they play the Panthers (11-0) in the Big East opener for both teams. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said the Irish had traditionally been one of the best teams the Panthers had faced each year and that this year was no exception. He believes the key for the Panthers will their ability to continue to do the things they've done to be successful thus far.

That might be easier said than done given the fact that the Panthers are relying heavily on three freshmen. But those freshmen -- Levance Fields, Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young -- have played with the poise of veterans.

"Notre Dame obviously has a great program with great tradition," Dixon said. "And they are playing very well right now. There are a number of things they do very well that we have to be aware of.

"I'm happy with the way we've played. I think we are a long way from where we want to be, but the development of our freshmen has been very exciting. I think they have enough game experience now that the atmosphere around this game, being the first Big East game, won't effect them. They've been a good group as far as just being focused.

	Scouting Report Matchup: No. 22 Pitt (11-0) vs. Notre Dame (9-2), 7 p.m. today, Petersen Events Center. TV/radio: FSN Pittsburgh; WPGB-FM (104.7) and WBGG-AM (970) Pitt: Is 25-25 all time against Notre Dame. ... Off to its fifth-best start. ... Is 56-3 in non-conference games the past five seasons. ... Has won 10 or more Big East Conference games each of the past five seasons. ... Is 20-4 in Big East games at the Petersen Center. ... Has won four games in a row over Notre Dame and five of its past six against the Irish. ... Coach Jamie Dixon, in his third season, has yet to lose a December game. ... Will honor three of its all-time greats, Charles Smith, Don Hennon and Billy Knight, at a banner-raising ceremony tonight. Notre Dame: Will open Big East play on the road for the ninth time in 11 seasons. ... Has won seven games in a row. ... Is 5-5 in Big East openers, and sixth-year coach Mike Brey is 2-3 in Big East openers. ... Has never won at the Petersen Events Center. ... Freshmen Kyle McAlarney has scored in double figures in four consecutive games. ... Senior Torin Francis has 27 career double-doubles. ... Is 84-84 all time in conference regular-season games. ... Has used four starting lineups. Hidden stat: Notre Dame is outrebounding its opponents by nearly seven per game.

"[The freshmen] don't seem any different than they were before the Wisconsin game."

Dixon has been impressed most by the fact that his team has learned how to play together in a relatively short period of time and has been committed to playing great defense. He said the freshmen, particularly Fields and Young, had improved dramatically as defenders.

He said a major reason the freshmen have thrived is because the veterans, such as Carl Krauser, have been excellent role models and leaders.

"The freshmen pick up things pretty good," Dixon said. "And I think we have very good guys [who] have been around. The most experienced guys are the ones that the younger guys look to, and they're doing a good job of pointing guys in the right direction. Our whole thinking is continuing to improve.

"We knew that if we stayed the same as we were in the first game of the year we would not be successful in the Big East and we wouldn't be 11-0 at this point either. We had to continue to improve; we have improved, and, in some areas, significantly."

Notre Dame is on a seven-game winning streak, but they've been shaky in some of their victories. Friday, in their final non-conference game, the Irish needed every ounce of energy they could muster to pull of a 74-71 win over Wofford (4-8). The game wasn't actually in the bag until a 3-pointer at the final buzzer by Wofford missed its mark.

Two games earlier, the Irish struggled before pulling out a 75-68 win against Columbia, and they barely escaped Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, 65-63, Dec. 18. Still, the Irish have one of the better point guards in the Big East in Chris Quinn and a bona fide post player in Torin Francis.

Quinn and guards Kyle McAlarney and Luke Zeller all shoot better than 40 percent from 3-point range. On the season, they've combined to make 46 of 105 attempts. In the win against Wofford, the Irish made 3-pointers on five consecutive trips down the court. And starting guard Colin Falls also is a threat from the outside, though he has struggled a bit this season. He leads the team in 3-pointers made, with 32, but he has made just 36.8 percent of his attempts.

That foursome should put a lot of pressure on the Panthers to guard the perimeter, which is something they've done well all season. The Panthers top two perimeter defenders have been Krauser and Ronald Ramon, but Fields, Antonio Graves and Keith Benjamin have proven up to the task as well.

Francis, who is 6 feet 11, averages 13.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and has been a force inside for the Irish. Against the Panthers, he will be somewhat of a man on an island because he is the only Irish starter taller than 6-5. The Panthers start 7-0 center Aaron Gray and 6-9 forward Levon Kendall.