Pitt was able to say 'We're No. 1' on two occasions earlier this season when the Panthers were voted to the top spot in the nation's polls in early January and mid-February. But those two ceremonial accomplishments presented no tangible advantages for the Panthers.

When asked about another potential No. 1 ranking after the Panthers beat Connecticut in the regular-season finale, coach Jamie Dixon said: "Is there a prize for that?"

There is not, but history suggests there is a prize for landing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and Pitt has that distinction this year. The Panthers earned a No. 1 seed for the first time last night. They were one of three teams from the Big East to get No. 1 seeds, joining No. 1 overall seed Louisville and Connecticut on the top line. It's the first time a conference has placed three teams as No. 1 seeds.

Pitt, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, will play its first- and second-round games in Dayton, Ohio. If the Panthers win those games, they will travel to Boston to play their third- and fourth-round games.

Pitt's first opponent is East Tennessee State out of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Buccaneers are 23-10 and played one team in the regular season that made it to the tournament. They opened the season against Temple and lost, 79-65.

A No. 1 seed has never lost an NCAA first-round game. If the Panthers are not the victim of a monumental upset, they will take on either Tennessee or Oklahoma State in the second round.

Being a top seed in the tournament has translated into higher success rates for teams since the NCAA field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

There is a significant difference when analyzing the success of No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. No. 1 seeds win 80 percent of their games compared to 71.5 percent for No. 2 seeds. No. 1 seeds have appeared in the Final Four on 42 occasions, in the national championship game 23 times and won the title 14 times.

In that same span, No. 2 seeds have appeared in the Final Four on 21 occasions, have appeared in the championship game 10 times and have won four titles. The statistics continue to decrease precipitously as you go down the seed line.

Last year, for the first time in NCAA tournament history, all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. In the past five years, nine of the 16 No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four and three have been crowned national champions.

"It feels good," junior guard Jermaine Dixon said. "We get to play close to home. This is what we wanted all year. We're not satisfied with this. We still have a lot of work to do."

Senior forward Sam Young said the Panthers are thankful for the No. 1 seed, but he said this team's past disappointments will serve as a reminder that nothing will be taken for granted.

"Being a No. 1 seed is always an advantage because you're playing a team that is considered to have lesser talent," Young said.

"But then you have to prove it. A lot of times in the past, especially last year, we kind of overlooked teams and we ended up falling short. We definitely can't let that happen this year. I don't want to say being a No. 1 seed is going to make it easier than it is because I almost don't believe it because we've been upset so many times."

Other potential opponents in Pitt's bracket are No. 4 seed Xavier, which is coached by former Pitt star Sean Miller; No. 5 seed Florida State, a team the Panthers beat on its home floor in December; and No. 3 seed Villanova, No. 6 seed UCLA and No. 2 seed Duke.

"I think we have the toughest bracket," Jermaine Dixon said. "But it's really not a problem for us. Pittsburgh is always in a tough bracket, so we kind of expected it."

Pitt has not advanced to a Final Four since 1941 and has not reached the Elite Eight since '74.

The Panthers, who are making their eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament, have experienced some bitter disappointments in the past few years, including an early exit at the hands of Michigan State in the second round last season when many predicted a deep tournament run.

The expectations are even higher this season. The Panthers are being picked as one of the favorites to win the national championship.

"We got the No. 1 seed," sophomore center DeJuan Blair said. "It's not over. We have a long way to go.

"This is a long march. We're going to have fun."