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Stadium:
Petersen Events Center
The John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center (more commonly the Petersen Events Center or 'The Pete') is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It hosts the men's and women's Pitt Panthers basketball teams. The arena opened in 2002 on part of the former site of Pitt Stadium, which housed the university's football team from 1925 to 1999. The Pitt basketball program makes its home here, moving over from Fitzgerald Field House. The new building also meant that Pitt no longer had to play certain games at the Civic Arena, due to its capacity being big enough to house crowds for rivalry matchups. Its first event was a Counting Crows concert. For concerts the Center seats 9,000 for end-stage shows, 14,763 for center-stage shows. The arena features 16,000 square feet of lobby space, 18 luxury suites, including five courtside luxury suites (the only college arena with courtside suites) and a 193-seat SuperSuite. Two nicknames have been spawned by this new venue. It is dubbed "The Pete", and the raucous student section inside is known as the "Oakland Zoo." Oakland is the neighborhood where Pitt and "The Pete" are located.

Team History:
Pitt began playing men's basketball in 1905-06 and 20 years later had become a national power as evidenced by Pitt's two Helms Foundation National Championships in 1927-28 and 1929-30. Those teams were lead by National Player of the Year, 3-time All-American and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Hyatt. During this period, Pitt was coached by the legendary and ground-breaking Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Henry Clifford "Doc" Carlson, MD, who would end up being at the reigns of Pitt's hoops program for 30 consecutive seasons (1923-24 to 1952-53). Led by 2-time All-American Clarie Cribbs, Pitt continued success through the 30s winning four Eastern Collegate Conference Championships. Pitt appeared in the 1941 NCAA Final Four, and, led by two-time All-American and Helms Foundation Basketball Hall of Fame inducte Don Hennon, appeared in two NCAA tournaments during the 50s. Bob Timmons took over for "Doc" Carlson and led Pitt to an NCAA and NIT appearance in the 60s and was followed by head coach Chuck Ridl who, with All-American Billy Knight, led Pitt to the Elite Eight in 1974 and an NIT appearance the year after. Following a short stint at head coach by Tim Grgurich, who led Pitt to the 1980 NIT, Dr. Roy Chipman was hired to lead the Panthers into what could be considered the modern, Big East era of Pitt basketball, and the start of a rollercoaster-like trip back to national significance.

Season Preview:
Tom Herrion has been hired as the top assistant to head coach Jamie Dixon at the University of Pittsburgh. Herrion was the coach at the College of Charleston from 2002-06. He also has served as an assistant at Providence and Virginia under Pete Gillen. "He had everything we were looking for," Dixon told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He's familiar with the Big East and the region. He has recruited D.C. and Philadelphia, and he is originally from New York." Herrion replaces Mike Rice, who was at Pitt for one season before being hired last month as Robert Morris University's head coach. Rice was the third Pitt assistant to take a head coaching job in the last year. Herrion was 80-38 at the College of Charleston, which bought out of the final four years of his contract after the 2005-06 season after a change in the administration. "We're obviously not going to deviate much from the blueprint that we've had," Herrion told the Post-Gazette. "I'm excited to get there. We're going to hit the ground running."