The buzz word for Pitt the past couple of days after their loss to No. 3 Texas in the championship game of the CBE Classic was patience. When the Longhorns pulled away in the final 10 minutes, the Panthers self-destructed with some uncharacteristic poor decisions on offense.

From when the score was tied, 51-51, with 10:48 remaining, Pitt was 5 for 18 from the field. Until then, the Panthers had made 17 of 37 shots.

"We got a lot of second shots and fired them back up there," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "We got away from execution on offense."

In one five-second span when Pitt trailed by four with a little more than nine minutes remaining, the Panthers missed three shots: a free-throw by Brad Wanamaker, a layup by Dante Taylor and a jumper from Ashton Gibbs.

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Scouting report

• Matchup: Pitt (4-1) vs. Youngstown State (3-2), noon today, Petersen Events Center.
• TV, Radio; Internet: FSN Pittsburgh, WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970), www.pittsburghpanthers.com.
• Pitt: Coming off 78-62 loss against Texas in the championship game of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Kansas City, Mo. ... Junior C Gary McGhee posted his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. ... Led by sophomore G Ashton Gibbs (15.2 ppg) and junior G Brad Wanamaker (10.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg). ... Is 19-11 against Horizon League teams. ... Most recent game against an opponent from the Horizon League was against Wright State in the 2007 NCAA tournament.
• Youngstown State: Coming off an 88-47 victory against Geneva. ... Losses have come against Xavier, 83-57, and Kent State, 70-61. ... Led by DeAndre Mays (10.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Vytas Sulskis (10.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg).
• Hidden stat: Youngstown State coach Jerry Slocum is one of 16 active Division I coaches with more than 600 victories. Slocum, who has 624 careers wins, also coached at Gannon, Geneva and Nyack.

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In another sequence a few minutes later with Pitt trailing by nine, the Panthers took two 3-pointers in seven seconds.

One minute after that, with a little more than five minutes remaining and Pitt down by 10, the Panthers took three shots in 13 seconds: a missed 3-pointer by Gibbs, a missed layup by Wanamaker and another missed 3-pointer from Gibbs.

For a team that constantly hears from their coach about making the extra pass, the Panthers got away from the basics of their motion offense.

"We have to have more patience," point guard Travon Woodall said. "We know the spots where we're supposed to be on the floor. We have to screen better. We have to be patient and trust our teammates to get us an open shot, to trust our teammate to make the right pass. That game will get us ready for tough teams where we have to grind it out every possession, not just settle for fool's gold. We don't want to just jack up 3s."

Fool's gold, as Woodall explained, is not necessarily taking a bad shot. It's simply not taking the best shot. Those 3-pointers that the Panthers missed after getting offensive rebounds might have been open shots, but better shots might have come in the same possession if the Panthers had moved the ball around and executed the offense.

"I could have done a better job of getting us into a better offense, keeping it more intact," Woodall said.

The Panthers (4-1) will be looking to improve on their offensive shortcomings today when they play host to Youngstown State (3-2) in a non-conference game at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt will play its sixth consecutive game without senior shooting guard Jermaine Dixon, who remains out with a foot injury. The Panthers also have had to play without another starter, Gilbert Brown, who is serving the final three weeks of an academic suspension.

Their absences are part of the reason the Panthers have not been clicking on offense. Jamie Dixon not only is playing without two of his better players, but he has been forced into using some players out of position -- in the Texas game, 6-foot-5 freshman Lamar Patterson had to play power forward.

"We're in an obvious situation with the numbers," Dixon said. "We have so many new guys with new responsibilities. We've battled through it. Maybe we can be better for it in the long run. That is the hope. That's how I'm looking at it. That might not be realistic, but that's how we're looking at it."

NOTES -- Jermaine Dixon appears to be getting closer to making a return to the lineup. He won't play against Youngstown State, but he did do some shooting and skill work with the team in practice Thursday and yesterday. "He wants to play," coach Jamie Dixon said. "He feels he's ready to play. There is no pain. The doctors are holding him out. There is definitely progress being made." ... Dixon said Pitt is scheduled to play in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic next season and the Philly Classic at the Palestra in 2011. The Panthers also will take part in the Big East-SEC challenge next season.

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