The stretch of five games that Pitt just completed might have been enough to cripple some teams and end any realistic hopes of qualifying for the NCAA tournament. For the Panthers, it did just the opposite.

The gantlet against Syracuse, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville and Georgetown gave the ninth-ranked Panthers confidence that they can compete for a conference championship and a ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Pitt played five games in 18 days against teams in the upper half of the Big East standings and completed the first third of the league schedule with a 5-1 record. The stretch for the 15-3 Panthers included three games against ranked teams, with the only loss coming Wednesday against No. 12 Georgetown at the Petersen Events Center.

Now, the schedule lightens considerably. Of Pitt's 12 remaining conference games, only three opponents are currently ranked in The Associated Press poll. Pitt has to play No. 11 West Virginia twice and No.4 Villanova. Two of those games are at home.

Other than the Mountaineers and Wildcats, none of the remaining opponents currently have a winning record in conference play. Seton Hall, St. John's, South Florida, Marquette and Rutgers have losing records; Notre Dame and Providence are .500.

The next three games are against Seton Hall (2-4 after last night's win against Louisville), St. John's (2-4) and South Florida (1-5).

"We've still got a long way to go, and we've still got a lot of games left," senior guard Jermaine Dixon said. "This is a tough conference. We were looking forward to going undefeated, but everybody is good in this conference. You never get a night off. So, one loss really doesn't mean anything, and we're going to take it out on Seton Hall."

Seton Hall plays host to Pitt Sunday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The enthusiasm for Pitt's 5-1 start was tempered a bit by the loss to Georgetown, which snapped the Panthers' 31-game home winning streak and exposed some flaws. The Hoyas shot 46 percent from the field and 70 percent from 3-point range.

It was the fourth consecutive game that a Pitt opponent shot 46 percent or more from the field. The Panthers were able to beat Connecticut and Cincinnati because they shot well against both and decisively outrebounded the Huskies. Pitt was able to beat Louisville, in part, because the Cardinals collapsed late by missing free throws.

Coach Jamie Dixon's goal is to hold every opponent to 40 percent or less from the field. The Panthers have not done that since the conference opener against DePaul.

"I think we feel good about the wins, but [the Georgetown game] really took a toll," junior forward Gilbert Brown said. "And it can take a toll on us. But I think we'll bounce back well in practice. The biggest thing about this stretch, the good things, was that our team has been able to come together with me and Jermaine being back on the court and being able to play as a unit.

"But [the Georgetown game] still shows that we need to improve in other areas. We had a lot of letdowns the past couple games on defense in just getting the hustle plays, the loose balls and boxing out. So, we really have to get back to what we do. Right now, we're struggling in those things, but I feel as though we're going to be picking it up later on this season."

Jamie Dixon believes the problems with defense can be corrected.

"We're already working on our next game," Dixon said. "This is a disappointing loss. We know what we did wrong and know we got what we deserved. We know this was a result of our not doing what we needed to do against a very good team."

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