Some might suggest that a game against Rutgers or DePaul would be just what the doctor ordered for a Pitt team that has lost three of its past four games. Facing the No. 6-ranked team in Division I on the road usually is not the tonic for coming out of a slump.

But when that team is your rival it might not be a bad thing after all. At least that's the way the Panthers are looking at their game tonight against West Virginia at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va.

"It can be something good, a team we have a lot of history with," junior center Gary McGhee said. "That's our rival. It's the Backyard Brawl. It's a big game every year. It's a game we look for as soon as the schedule comes out. It will be a game that will really help us get on track."

This is the 179th meeting between Pitt and West Virginia on the basketball court. The Mountaineers have won 94, including the most recent one. They knocked off the heavily favored Panthers in a Big East Conference quarterfinal game in March.

This is the first of two games against West Virginia in 10 days. The Mountaineers pay a visit Feb. 12 to Petersen Events Center.

Pitt has won 12 of the past 17 in the series, including two of the past three in Morgantown. The Panthers beat the Mountaineers, 79-67, at WVU Coliseum in January 2009. They also won there in 2007.

"We enjoy the experience," McGhee said. "It's a hostile environment. It's pretty difficult to play there. The fans get loud. We play harder when the fans come at you. It gets you pumped up and your adrenaline going. It's something good for us."

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon received some good news Tuesday when Jermaine Dixon practiced for the first time since his right ankle was sprained in a game last week against St. John's. Jamie Dixon said his senior starter at shooting guard likely will play against the Mountaineers after sitting out a 70-61 loss Sunday at South Florida.

"It was good to see him out there," Jamie Dixon said. "I anticipate him playing. We'll have to see how he feels. He was able to practice, so that's a good sign. He's ready to go, I would think. He seemed to have no problems getting back into it."

Dixon's presence would be welcome against an athletic West Virginia team that features high-scoring forward Da'Sean Butler, who averages 16.5 points per game. Butler is coming off his best performance of the season in a 77-74 victory Saturday against Louisville. He scored a season-high 27 points in the comeback victory.

"They're a pretty balanced attack, but he is the guy who stands out," Jamie Dixon said. "They use him as a point-forward. He's going to take shots. You have to make him take tough shots. We've seen him make tough shots, but we have to make him take difficult shots for 40 minutes."

Pitt will be attempting to beat a top-10 team on the road for the second time this season. The Panthers defeated Syracuse Jan. 2 at the Carrier Dome.

Dixon is 6-4 against top-10 teams on the road in his seven seasons as Pitt's head coach.

Dixon also has enjoyed his share of success at West Virginia. His three victories at the WVU Coliseum are more than any other Pitt coach in that building. He is 3-3 there.

"Being 3-3 ... most people would love to be 3-3, but to me, that's not good enough," Dixon said. "We know how tough it is to play down there. They've been so good for so many years. I have great respect for their program."

NOTE -- Dixon said the coaching staff has discussed starting Gilbert Brown in recent days and did not rule it out against the Mountaineers. "We've looked at it," he said. "It's a possibility. It's something to think about." Brown is coming off a career-high 25-point game against South Florida. Nasir Robinson, the starter at power forward, has scored just 14 points in the past four games.

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