"Beleaguered" is a word used so often to describe Jerry Dunn it seems like it is the Penn State's basketball coach's first name.
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| | | Pitt
vs.
Penn State
 Matchup: Pitt (5-0) vs. Penn State (3-1), 7:30 tonight, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, Pa.
Radio/TV: Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh; WRRK-FM (96.9), WEAE-AM(1250).
Pitt: Coming off a 52-51 victory against Nebraska. Freshman G Julius Page had a career-high 15 points and senior F Isaac Hawkins had 12 points and 11 rebounds. ... Sophomore G Brandin Knight leads the Panthers with 31 assists, 15 turnovers. 10 steals and 9 blocks. ... Pitt has 79 assists and 87 turnovers. ... Page (11 ppg) is the team's second-leading scorer. ... Pitt shoots 54.2 percent from the foul line (58-107).
Penn State: Coming off an 84-74 victory against Pennsylvania. ... Penn State's 39.1 shooting percentage from the floor includes 30 of 97 (30.9) from 3-point territory. ... Penn State shoots 79.6 percent from the foul line, led by Joe Crispin's 87.5 percent (21 of 24). ... Penn State is 51-19 at home since Bryce Jordan Center opened midway through 1995-96 season.
Hidden stat: This is the first time the teams have met in the regular season since Penn State defeated Pitt, 52-46, in double overtime at Rec Hall in 1982. Pitt won the last meeting, 67-65, in the first round of the 1992 NIT at Rec Hall. Penn State leads the series, 74-65.
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He teased Penn State fans in his first season, when the Nittany Lions reached the 1996 NCAA tournament and were ranked as high as No. 9 in the country. Dunn has taken Penn State to the NIT twice, losing in the 1998 championship game and in the 2000 semifinals.
Penn State is 3-1 this season to boost Dunn's record to 85-68.
"Is that enough? Probably not. Do we have to do more? Yes. But you're always going to have your critics," Dunn said as he prepared the Nittany Lions for tonight's game against visiting Pitt (5-0) at the Bryce Jordan Center.
"In this business, you always work with pressure on you. It's the nature of the business. I would be very naive to think otherwise. I try to concentrate more on the process."
Penn State raised some eyebrows and the expectations of their fans with a 73-68 victory at Kentucky two weeks ago.
"Not many teams go down there and come home with a win. We played as well as we've played at Kentucky. The kids played mentally and physically tough when they had to," Dunn said. "It was significant for our program, but you have to understand that this was our ninth win over Top 20 teams in five years. Sometimes I think that gets lost in the shuffle.
"This team has got some potential, but we also have to keep things in perspective. We don't have any All-Americans on our team."
Basketball at Penn State always has been buried in the shadow of Joe Paterno's football team, but the perception of the basketball program received a huge boost when the Bryce Jordan Center became the home of the Nittany Lions midway through the 1995-96 season. It is a state-of-the-art building that seats 15,261 for basketball.
"Bryce Jordan is a very visible statement about Penn State's commitment to its basketball program," Dunn said. "It's helped by putting us on an even playing field as far as arenas are concerned across the country.
"I don't think it guarantees anything, but it helps. There's no replacement for having a great facility you can boast about."
The Nittany Lions previously played in homey Rec Hall, where 7,000 or so could cram into the building to create an intimidating atmosphere for visitors. They averaged 8,082 for home games this season against Loyola, Md. and Pennsylvania.
"Our crowds are bigger at Bryce Jordan, but you don't get the same sound as you did at Rec Hall," he said. "We're trying to get that same atmosphere we had."
Dunn was asked if playing in Rec Hall hurt his recruiting.
"I don't know if we lost any recruits," Dunn said. "Some pretty good players were here when we played at Rec Hall."
These Nittany Lions, who are expected to be in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten, feature the Crispin brothers, Joe and Jon. Joe Crispin leads the team in scoring with 19.5 points per game and is 11 of 38 from 3-point range. Jon Crispin averages 18.2 points and is 8 of 21 on 3-pointers. Titus Ivory, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, averages 18.2 points and 6-8 forward Gyasi Cline-Heard averages 11.8 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds.
"We've got a number of guys capable of shooting the 3. Why not take it?," Dunn said. "Take the one step backward and get behind the line. It's a great equalizer."
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