Pitt senior Keith Benjamin hears the talk surrounding the program. He knows people are down on the Panthers after losing four of their past six games. He knows the team will lose more games this season than any other Pitt team has since the 2000-01 season. He knows that expectations, once so grand after the victory against Duke, have been diminishing by the day.

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Scouting report

• Matchup: Pitt (21-9, 9-8) vs. DePaul (11-18, 6-11), noon today, Petersen Events Center.
• TV, Radio, Internet: WTAE, WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970), www.pittsburghpanthers.com.
• Pitt: Coming off 76-62 loss at West Virginia. ... Has lost four of past six. ...With a victory today Pitt will win at least 10 games in Big East play for the seventh consecutive season. ... 2-0 against DePaul since the Blue Demons entered the Big East. ... Led by Sam Young (18.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg), DeJuan Blair (12.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and Levance Fields (11.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
• DePaul: Snapped a five-game losing streak with a 60-54 victory at Cincinnati. ... Led by Draelon Burns (17.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Dar Tucker (13.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Mac Koshwal (10.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg). ... One of the worst foul shooting teams in the league (64.7 percent). ... Has not beaten any Big East team with a winning conference record.
• Hidden stat: This is tied for the latest Pitt has ever played a Big East regular-season game. The Panthers also played a game on March 9 in 2003.

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He knows all of this. But Benjamin wants to send a message that this season, which has been jeopardized by injuries and inconsistent play, could have been a lot worse if he and fellow senior Ronald Ramon had not been there to stabilize the situation.

"You can't call this season a disappointment," Benjamin said. "Nine losses is a lot to have at this point of the season. We know it. There were games we should have won -- Rutgers, at Villanova, at Cincinnati, we should have pulled through in the Connecticut game.

"But the season could have been way worse if me and Ronald weren't prepared to step up and do what we had to do. It could have been way worse. We might not be going to the Big East tournament. We could have fallen like everyone said we would. We wouldn't have a chance to even play for another NCAA tournament. I think me and Ronald have done a great job. We've sacrificed a lot."

Sacrifice, commitment and versatility are three common traits to describe the careers of Benjamin and Ramon, who will be playing their final home game at the Petersen Events Center this afternoon against DePaul.

Ramon has bounced back and forth from point guard to shooting guard during his four seasons. He took one for the team this season when he moved from shooting guard to point guard after Levance Fields was injured in the middle of the season. He took the reins and led the team to an 8-4 record in Fields' absence.

When Ramon was switched to point guard, Benjamin was inserted into the starting lineup at shooting guard. He responded with some great performances. He scored a game-high 18 points in the upset of Georgetown. He scored 20 points against Lafayette and South Florida. And who can forget how he set up Ramon for the buzzer-beater against West Virginia?

"They've taken on a lot of roles during their careers, especially this year with the injuries," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "They stepped up. Keith played three positions. Ronald played the point and off-guard. It's representative of the types of kids they are, their versatility, adaptability and persistence that they both possess."

Since Fields returned to the lineup, Ramon is again the starting shooting guard and Benjamin the starting small forward, two positions that are not natural to them.

Sacrificing taught them how to be versatile.

Ramon was recruited to Pitt as a point guard but was moved to shooting guard when Fields was recruited one year after he signed. That forced Ramon and Benjamin to compete against each other for playing time their first three seasons. .....

"There have been times when we both wanted to leave the program," Benjamin said. "As much as people see Ronald play, I genuinely don't think there were times when he wanted to play shooting guard. That wasn't what he wanted to do. But when it came down to it he had to sacrifice. That's what we always talked about, sacrificing for the betterment of the program. We've both done a good job of sacrificing parts of our careers for the program, and I think it's going to pay off in the long run.

"A lot of people from the outside looking in didn't realize what was going on. We were two guys who stuck it out, been by each other's side, been by the team's side for the better of the program for four years. We never caused a problem in the media when there could have been problems caused. We grinded it out and didn't let the city down."

Despite playing a position he did not always desire to play, Ramon ranks as one of Pitt's best 3-point shooters of all-time. Ramon has 217 3-pointers entering the DePaul game. Only Sean Miller (239) and Jason Matthews (259) have made more.

Ramon also is among the school's all-time leaders in 3-point shooting percentage. He has a career percentage of .392, which ranks fifth behind Matthews (.457), Miller (.416), Rod Brookin (.409) and Donatas Zavackas (.405).

"It's been a challenge overall," Ramon said. "I was a point guard, a shooting guard, then back to a point guard and now a shooting guard again. It's definitely a challenge, but the system definitely prepares you because in practices they make you play different positions in case something happens. You get adjusted to it."

If Pitt wins today, Benjamin and Ramon will be the only two players in the Big East who can boast of four consecutive seasons with 20 or more overall victories and 10 or more Big East victories. They would also be the seventh and eighth players in school history to compete in four consecutive NCAA tournaments if the Panthers are awarded a bid next week.

Benjamin believes he and Ramon have left the program in good hands and hopes the younger players will pick up where they left off.

"It's pretty funny," Benjamin said. "You go from year to year. You play with so many different guys. You watch those guys go through it. And now, when it's your turn, your head is spinning. You don't know if you want to go.

"Some days, you're like, 'Man, I've been wanting to get out of here.' Then sometimes you're like, 'Man, I wish I was coming back.' It's been a fun ride. I feel like I've done everything I can possibly have done for myself and for the program. I feel like I've accomplished a lot and done a lot these last four years."