NEW YORK -- If Pitt's 2006-07 men's basketball season needed a name the working title might be "Great Expectations." For only the third time since joining the Big East Conference in 1982, Pitt has been selected to win the regular-season championship in a poll of the league's head coaches.

	The picks Predicted order of finish for the Big East in 2006-07 as voted on by league coaches: (first place votes) Team Pts. 1. Pitt (10) 219 2. Georgetown (4) 212 3. Syracuse (1) 182 4. Marquette (1) 181 5. Connecticut 173 6. Louisville 149 7. Villanova 146 8. DePaul 134 9. St. John's 105 10. Providence 102 11. Notre Dame 80 12. West Virginia 72 13. Cincinnati 52 14. Rutgers 49 15. Seton Hall 42 16. South Florida 22 Related article Big East Notebook: Centers will stand tall again in the conference

For Pitt's peers it was a relatively easy choice. The Panthers received 10 of 16 first-place votes and edged Georgetown, which had four first-place votes, for the top spot.

"What don't they have?" Georgetown coach John Thompson III wondered yesterday at Big East media day at Madison Square Garden. "They're deep at every position. They're experienced. They've been there. They are one of the few teams in this room that has experience at every position."

Pitt returns eight of its top 10 players from a team that won 25 games last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Pitt's top player is senior center Aaron Gray, who yesterday was named the Big East preseason player of the year.

Gray is the fourth Pitt player to receive the conference's preseason player of the year recognition. The others were Charles Smith, Jerome Lane and Brandin Knight.

Gray, the Big East's most improved player of the year last season, decided in June to take his name out of the NBA draft and return to Pitt for his senior season.

"Whoever has the most talent in the junior and senior classes should be No. 1," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who said Pitt and Georgetown were the teams to beat. "Gray coming back helps Pitt immensely."

West Virginia coach John Beilein agreed that Gray's presence made Pitt the favorite. But he was quick to point out that the Panthers have talent and depth at every position.

"When I voted I looked at what everyone had coming back, and Pitt was very impressive to me," he said. "Gray is such a great center. Their forwards are extremely impressive. And their backcourt is really solid. They lost a lot in Carl Krauser, but their backups are very capable.

"Pitt has been there every year. They have been absolutely terrific. What Jamie Dixon has done is incredible. In the toughest conference in the country, to play 75 or 80 percent winning basketball is incredible."

If Pitt fans are looking for good omens, the Panthers met expectations the previous two times they were selected to win the Big East in 1987-88 and 2002-03. In both seasons, the Panthers won the Big East's regular-season title.

	Preseason All-Big East Player, team P Cl. Ht. Wt. * Aaron Gray, Pitt C Sr. 7-0 270 Jeff Adrien, Connecticut F So 6-7 245 Wilson Chandler, DePaul F So 6-8 210 Sammy Mejia, DePaul G Sr 6-6 195 * Jeff Green, Georgetown F Jr 6-9 235 * Roy Hibbert, Georgetown C Jr 7-2 283 Juan Palacios, Louisville F Jr 6-8 245 * Dominic James, Marquette G So 5-11 175 Lamont Hamilton, St. John's F Sr 6-10 253 Terrence Roberts, Syracuse F Sr 6-9 235 Curtis Sumpter, Villanova F Sr 6-7 220 * unanimous picks Big East preseason player of the year: Aaron Gray, Pitt Big East preseason rookie of the year: Paul Harris, Syracuse

Senior forward Levon Kendall is the only player on the team who was a member of the 2002-03 squad. He sat out that season as a redshirt.

"I think it's going to be fun," Kendall said of meeting the expectations. "We're obviously ranked very high in the country. It serves as motivation. Our guys see it as a challenge more than anything. It's going to be a thing where we have to live up to it night in and night out. We're going to get the best from every team. We're going to have to be ready for it every time."

In the past few seasons, Pitt had been picked to finish in the middle of the pack. Last season, the Panthers were picked to finish seventh, ended in a three-way tie for fourth but was the No. 6 seed in the Big East tournament.

"It's definitely a different outlook," Kendall said. "In the past we maybe thought we were underrated and had something to prove. It's a different mind-set. We still have to prove something. We're just proving something different."

Gray said the Panthers are relishing the attention and will use it to their advantage.

"There will be a huge bull's-eye on our back," he said. "It will motivate you every day in practice."

"We have to accept the challenge and stay strong," senior guard Antonio Graves added. "We'll be faced with ups and downs. With this team, the key will be how we stay strong in the storm. With all the pressure and attention, how we handle adversity will be the key to this season."

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon took the news in stride. He recognizes that being picked No. 1 is a tribute to his and his staff's ability to coach and recruit, but he also knows the recognition means nothing if the Panthers don't play to their lofty expectations.

"I think it's a good thing for our program," Dixon said. "I think it says a lot about where we've come from. I always said when this conference was getting changed around and everyone was wondering what was going to happen, I said we want to play against the best. If we're picked at the top in the preseason in this conference, I think that says a lot."