2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team

The Pittsburgh Panthers finished the 2010–11 season as Big East Regular Season champions with 28–6, 15–3. They received a number 1 seed in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, but were upset by eventual national runner-up Butler in the third round. Finishing at No. 12 in the final Coaches' Poll, Pitt returns two starters, including 2011–12 Big East Pre-season Player of the Year, Ashton Gibbs,[4] as well as two of its top four scores, 41% of its scoring, and 45% of its rebounding. Four freshman joint the team, including McDonald's High School All-American Khem Birch.[5]

At the Big East Conference media day on October 19, 2011, Pitt was selected by a vote of the league's coaches to finish fourth in the Big East Conference receiving one first place votes.[2] Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs received preseason Player of the Year and first-team all-conference selections.[4] The Panthers are ranked 11th in the nation in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll.[3]

2011 Pitt Recruiting Class Signees.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Khem Birch forward	Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec	Notre Dame Prep	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sep 30, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 97
Malcolm Gilbert center	Smyrna, Delaware	Academy of the New Church	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Aug 23, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Durand Johnson shooting guard/small forward	Baltimore, Maryland	Brewster Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190.5 lb (86.4 kg)	Aug 16, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 92
John Johnson point guard/shooting guard	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Girard College	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	166.5 lb (75.5 kg)	Sep 17, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 12   Rivals: 20  ESPN: 15
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Pittsburgh Basketball Commit List: 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "Pittsburgh College Basketball Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "College Basketball Recruiting Schools: Pittsburgh Panthers 2011". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011.

2011–12 Pitt Panthers basketball roster[5]

2011–12 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 2 Isaiah Epps  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Hargrave Military Academy/Plainfield HS Plainfield G 12 Ashton Gibbs 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Seton Hall Prep Scotch Plains, New Jersey C 33 Malcolm Gilbert 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Academy of the New Church Smyrna, Delaware G/F 5 Durand Johnson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Brewster Academy/Lake Clifton Baltimore G 4 John Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Girard College Philadelphia F 44 J. J. Moore 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So South Kent School/Brentwood HS Brentwood, New York C 15 Aron Nwankwo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Baltimore City College Baltimore G/F 21 Lamar Patterson  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 229 lb (104 kg) So St. Benedict's Prep/J.P. McCaskey H.S. Lancaster, Pennsylvania G 14 Nick Rivers 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Brophy College Prep Phoenix, Arizona F 35 Nasir Robinson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Chester HS Chester, Pennsylvania F 11 Dante Taylor 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr National Christian Academy (MD) Greenburgh, New York G 1 Travon Woodall  5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr St. Anthony HS Brooklyn, New York –Paterson, New Jersey G 3 Cameron Wright  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Benedictine HS Cleveland F 42 Talib Zanna  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Bishop McNamara HS (MD) Kaduna, Nigeria	Head coach Jamie Dixon (TCU ) Assistant coach(es) Pat Sandle (San Francisco State) Brandin Knight (Pittsburgh) Bill Barton (Salem State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: 2011-10-22

• Note: Freshman Khem Birch (#24, 6 ft 9 in, 220 lb), at the time Pitt's starting center, left the team on December 16.[6]

Pitt's 2011–12 schedule.[7]

• Pitt won the 2011 Philly Hoops Group Classic title with a perfect 4–0 record.
• Pitt lost to 2 unranked non-conference teams (Long Beach State and Wagner) at home, for the 1st time in one season. They only had one previous home non-conference loss at the Peterson Events Center.
• Freshman Khem Birch, at the time Pitt's starting center, left the team on December 16.[6]
• Starting point guard Tray Woodall suffered a groin/abdominal injury during the Duquesne game on November 30 and did not return until the Notre Dame game on Tuesday, December 27. During the Notre Dame game he reaggravated his injury and did not reappear until the Louisville game on January 21.
• For the first time under head coach Jamie Dixon, the Pitt basketball team lost over three games in a row,[8] eventually losing a total of eight straight games, its longest losing streak in 18 years.[9] Also, for first time ever, Pitt opened its Big East Conference season with seven straight loses.[10]
• After averaging 26.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in wins over West Virginia and Villanova, point guard Tray Woodall was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week on February 7, 2012, by the United States Basketball Writers Association.[11]