Home >  Sports >  U. of Pittsburgh

Friday, March 16, 2001

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The home court can be a very rewarding place in the National Invitation Tournament.

Home teams receive a bigger financial payoff than the visitor, and they have an 11-3 record in first-round games in this year's tournament. Big East teams are 2-3, with Pitt and Connecticut winning at home and Miami, Villanova and Seton Hall losing on the road.

	Next Up Game: Pitt (19-13) vs. Mississippi State (17-12), the fourth-place team out of the SEC West, in the second round of the NIT. When: 7:30 p.m. Monday Where: Fitzgerald Field House TV: TBA

Pitt (19-13) will play a its second consecutive NIT game at Fitzgerald Field House at 7:30 p.m. Monday against Mississippi State (17-12) in the round of 16.

The Pitt-Mississippi State winner will advance to the quarterfinals against the Minnesota-Tulsa winner March 21, 22 or 23 at a site to be determined.

The semifinals and final will be played March 27 and 29 in Madison Square Garden.

Pitt, winner of seven of nine, earned another home game with an 84-75 victory against St. Bonaventure before 5,211 at Fitzgerald Field House Wednesday night.

Mississippi State advanced with a 75-68 victory against visiting Southern Mississippi before 4,895 at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss.

"It's huge to be at home again," Pitt Coach Ben Howland said. "The St. Bonaventure crowd was the best crowd we've had since I've been here. The fans were really into it. They were loud, enthusiastic and supportive. We had a sellout against Notre Dame, but this crowd was way more involved. The crowd was a factor."

Mississippi State, coached by Rick Stansbury, was 7-9 in the Southeastern Conference and lost to South Carolina, 69-62, in the first round of the league's postseason tournament.

In the victory against Southern Mississippi, the Bulldogs were led by forward Marckell Patterson's 21 points and Mario Austin's 12. Austin, a 6-foot-9, 265-pound freshman who was a McDonald's All-America in high school, has seen his playing time increased since center Robert Jackson left the team after starting 24 of 25 games. Jackson averaged 11.3 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game.

Jackson was replaced in the lineup by 6-9 Quentin Smith (2.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg).

For the season, Mississippi State's top scorers are guard Antonio Jackson (13.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg), forward Tang Hamilton (12.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Patterson (11.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

Mississippi State's most impressive victories were against Arizona, Arkansas and Mississippi, all of whom made the NCAA tournament.

"Mississippi State is very athletic and has good size. They come from a very tough conference," Howland said. "It's important for us to go as far as possible in the tournament because it's a wonderful experience for our seniors and for our younger players who will be coming back next year."

Pitt turned its season around with three upset victories before losing to Boston College, 79-57, in the championship game of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden last week. The catalyst for the resurgence has been Jaron Brown, a 6-4 redshirt freshman.

"He's taken advantage of his opportunity and produced," Howland said. "Jaron's made our team a lot better, that's obvious."

In addition to increasing Brown's minutes, Howland has benched Zelimir Stevanovic, who didn't play against St. Bonaventure or the first three games in the Big East tournament. He was in for only a couple minutes against Boston College.

Howland has been using an eight-man rotation, with Chad Johnson, Toree Morris and Brown coming off the bench.

"All our guys are paying more attention to detail and are more focused," Howland said. "There's a really good belief and understanding of how important preparation is. They're thinking, 'This really does work.' "

NOTES -- Reserved tickets for Monday's game are $20, general admission $18 and $16, and students $5. Call 1-800-643 7488 or 412-648-7488. Pitt's ticket office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow, 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. ... It will be the first meeting between Pitt and Mississippi State.