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Pittsburgh opens play in the competitive Big East

Dec 31, 2008 - 2:05 PM No. 3 Pittsburgh (12-0) at Rutgers (9-4), 2:00 p.m. EST

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Without even playing a game, Pittsburgh may have seen how dangerous the Big East Conference is going to be this season.

The third-ranked Panthers get their chance to experience it first-hand on Wednesday when they open conference play at Rutgers.

One of the favorites to win the Big East, Pittsburgh opens the conference slate with two road games. Pittsburgh will travel on Saturday to face No. 8 Georgetown, who upset second-ranked Connecticut on Monday.

Pittsburgh is coming off a 56-48 road win over Florida State on December 21.

Sam Young scored 21 points to lead the Panthers, who shot just 33 percent (21-of-63) from the field. Young leads the team in scoring at 20.1 points per game, while DeJuan Blair is averaging 14.7 and a Big East-best 13 rebounds.

Pittsburgh likely will take nothing for grated against Rutgers, which won at the Petersen Events Center, 77-64, last season.

The Scarlet Knights had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 97-75 setback to top-ranked North Carolina on Sunday.

Freshman Mike Rosario, scoring 17.5 points per game to lead Rutgers, had 26 in the loss to North Carolina.