Pitt interim starting point guard Ronald Ramon struggled in his first start in that role against a Big East opponent, a 64-63 loss Sunday at Villanova.

Ramon played 32 minutes but had only three points and, more important, had five turnovers and only three assists.

He also turned the ball over in the final seconds when Pitt had possession and a chance to win the game.

It was not the kind of performance that inspired a lot of confidence in the point guard position while Levance Fields heals from a fractured bone in his foot.

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Scouting Report

• Matchup: No. 20 Pitt (13-2, 1-1) vs. Seton Hall (10-5, 0-2), 2 p.m. today, Petersen Events Center.
• TV/Radio: FSN Pittsburgh; WWSW-FM (94.5) and WBGG-AM (970).
• Pitt: Is 27-19 all-time vs. Seton Hall, including 16-5 at home. ... Freshman DeJuan Blair is averaging 11.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. ... Junior Sam Young has scored 20 or more points in five of the Panthers 15 games this year. ... Ronald Ramon has 20 assists and eight turnovers in three games (Lafayette, Villanova and South Florida) since taking over as starting point guard. However, in the Big East games he has 10 assists and eight turnovers. ... Keith Benjamin has averaged 18.3 ppg the past three games.
• Seton Hall: Head coach Bobby Gonzalez is in his second season (23-21). ... Is coming off a 61-56 loss at Marquette. ... Defeated Pitt, 65-61, in their last visit to the Petersen Center in 2006. ... Senior Brian Laing is one of the top players in the Big East, he averages 19.1 points and 7.7 assists per game. ... Is young and small with only one starter taller than 6 feet 5; start two sophomores and a freshman.
• Hidden stat: Pitt is 33-7 all time in Big East games at the Petersen Center.

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The two groups who never lost confidence in Ramon, however, were the coaching staff and his teammates.

That's why they weren't surprised by the way he responded with a 7-assist, 3-turnover night in Pitt's 79-66 victory Wednesday at South Florida.

"Ronald has always been a high assist-to-turnover guy and we all know what he is capable of," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "He takes care of the ball and he always has. I know he had a game where he had five turnovers, but if you really look at the ones he got, one of them wasn't his fault, and another was a questionable call.

"In the long haul, we're not going to reflect on too many turnovers. We're going to look at them individually and why. He's a good ballhandler and has been for four years."

Although Ramon played better against South Florida than he did Villanova, there is one key factor in his improved assist-to-turnover ratio between those two games -- the defense played by those two teams.

Villanova pressured the Panthers in the backcourt; South Florida didn't. Ramon's second real test won't come until today when the Panthers (13-2, 1-1) play host to the Seton Hall Pirates (10-5, 0-2) in their Big East home opener.

Seton Hall, like Villanova, is a team that will put pressure on the Panthers' guards, which means Ramon and the rest of the backcourt will have to protect the ball.

Dixon said Seton Hall has mixed up the defenses it has played in recent weeks, but he is sure the Panthers will see plenty of pressure because of the Villanova game.

"They like to press at different times," Dixon said. "They have done less of it lately but we anticipate seeing that a lot.

"It is something we're prepared for. We're a low-turnover team and we take good care of the ball, so if we can continue to do that and continue to take good shots and rebound on the defensive end, we'll be in good shape.

"On defense, we have to stop their penetration because they play small -- but we're able to do that as well. We've got to take care of the ball and get good shots, but we also have to limit their transition."

The Pirates start three guards and have only one starter -- sophomore John Garcia (6 feet 9) -- taller than 6-5. Their leading scorer is senior forward Brian Laing, who averages 19.1 points per game, and they also get 16.7 from sophomore guard Eugene Harvey.

Because the Pirates are so small, it could mean a big game for freshman center DeJuan Blair, but Dixon said he expects Blair to have a big game every night out.

"We always expect big things from DeJuan, even if he doesn't score a lot," Dixon said. "He's gotten better and better on the defensive end and he's working hard, and we've got to continue getting the ball inside to him. [Against Seton Hall] is no different."