BIG EAST Confidence soaring for Pitt

The Panthers are riding high after a 21-point win over Syracuse.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Maybe Carl Krauser is right. Maybe No. 7 Pitt really is better than last season's team that won 28 games and reached the NCAA round of 16 for the second straight season.
Before the Panthers' 66-45 victory Saturday at No. 20 Syracuse -- Pittsburgh's second-largest margin of victory ever in a Big East road game -- Krauser confidently predicted they wouldn't repeat last year's road loss to the Orange.
Krauser's reasoning was the Panthers (19-1, 5-1 Big East) have improved so much and their confidence was so high, they wouldn't be distracted by the large crowd, the strong opponent or the difficulties of winning on the road in a competitive conference.
He also was certain they would bounce back after their first loss, 68-65 a week ago to No. 6 Connecticut.
"You play in front of all those people, it's just like a stage for you to perform on," Krauser said Monday. "I live for games like that and I'm sure my teammates do, too. To come into a great environment like that at Syracuse, like the Big East tournament in New York, that's only good for us."
Staying in front
Pitt can stay atop the Big East by beating Boston College (13-5, 2-3) Wednesday night, the first of a weeklong, two-game homestand that winds up Feb. 4 against St. John's. Pitt fell out of the conference lead by losing at Connecticut, but regained it when they beat Syracuse and UConn was upset by No. 23 Providence.
Coach Jamie Dixon won't echo his point guard's statement that these Panthers are an improved version of the 2002-03 team coached by Ben Howland and led by Brandin Knight, but he likes how his players have challenged themselves.
"Any team has to have a feeling that they can be better than last year or better than they are right now -- otherwise how else are you going to get to that point?" Dixon said Monday. "We just stress getting better and better and I think our guys know we can get better and they work that way."
Feedback
After hearing Krauser's comments, Knight told Krauser he agreed this team potentially could be better. Knight is back in Pittsburgh after failing to make an NBA team this season and he and Krauser, his successor at point guard, talk regularly.
"We're so much deeper [than last season], we're so team-oriented," Krauser said. "I like talking to Brandin before games and getting his insight on different guys. I still learn from Brandin."
Just as Dixon still learns from Howland, who left Pitt after four seasons to become UCLA's coach. Just as Knight and Krauser do, Dixon and Howland talk regularly, though they don't dwell on comparing teams.
"People try to put labels on it and call it something," Dixon said. "That's going to come when you win games -- people are going to try to put some term to what we're doing. We're just trying to win games and people can call it what it is. These people [his players] don't compare themselves; they understand what we're trying to do, and that's trying to get better."