Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Pitt's Julius Page defends Wisconsin's Devin Harris. Click photo for larger image. Related Column Smizik: Pitt knows how to win

It is a Pittsburgh team through and through, from its defense-first mentality to its lunch-pail effort and toughness.

But when it comes to the manner in which these Pitt Panthers win games, they evoke memories of a Cleveland sports team -- the "Kardiac Kids" of Cleveland Browns lore from a quarter-century ago.

The Panthers (31-4) have a knack for playing in close games and giving their fans some heart-skipping moments. Their four losses have come in the final minute -- two in overtime. They have come from behind from second-half deficits 11 times this season. They have won five times when they trailed with six minutes or less remaining in the game.

Two of those victories came in Milwaukee, where the Panthers eked out first- and second-round wins in the NCAA tournament against Central Florida and Wisconsin. They trailed Central Florida by one with 5 1/2 minutes left before scoring 18 of the final 26 points of the game for a 53-44 triumph. They trailed Wisconsin by four with 5:47 to go and stormed back for a 59-55 win.

"We can't break down," senior guard Julius Page said. "We've been down 13 before [at Notre Dame in the first half] and came back and won. We know we can do anything. If there's time on the clock, we know we can come back from anything. As quick as you can get up, you can lose that lead just like that."

Where does that toughness and never-say-die attitude come from?

"We're all from the ghetto," Page said. "That's where we come from. We have guys from New York City. Guys grew up playing street basketball. That's where it comes from. We all love to win. We hate losing. It's as simple as that. We're sore losers. Everybody on this team down to the walk-ons, everybody hates to lose. ... We hold, we push, we do whatever it takes. You would think we were all enemies if you watched us practice."

It's that type of demeanor that will make the Panthers a difficult team to eliminate from the NCAA tournament. They might not be the most-talented team remaining, but there can't be many teams left with a better understanding of what it takes to win.

Pitt's three seniors -- Page, Jaron Brown and Toree Morris -- have won 107 games.

Next up for Pitt is Oklahoma State (29-3) in a third-round game 7:27 p.m. Thursday at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.

Both teams were contenders for No. 1 seeds until the final weekend before the tournament. Pitt lost out on one after it was beaten by Connecticut in the Big East Conference tournament championship game. Oklahoma State, which has won 19 of 20 games and won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships, was passed over for a top seed by Saint Joseph's, which is in the other half of the East Rutherford bracket with Wake Forest.

With the Pitt-Oklahoma State matchup, fans will be treated to a game involving two top-10 teams at a relatively early stage of the NCAA tournament. The game is the only one of the eight in the third round that will pit two top-10 teams as upsets wreaked havoc in the Atlanta, St. Louis and Phoenix Regions. The East Rutherford Region is the only one that has advanced the top four seeds.

Oklahoma State's losses this season have come against Brigham Young University, Texas Tech and Missouri. The Cowboys, as well as the Panthers, are a strong defensive team. They allow 62.8 points per game and have held their past three opponents to 56 points or fewer. Pitt allows 56.2 points per game and has held 23 of its 35 opponents to less than 60 points.

Unlike the Panthers, the Cowboys have shown a proficiency to score. They average 78.3 points per game and scored 75 and 70 in victories against Eastern Washington and Memphis in the NCAA tournament. They shot 68 percent from the field and led Memphis, 41-19, at halftime and cruised to victory Sunday.

Oklahoma State is led by Tony Allen (16.0 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game) and John Lucas (15.3 ppg, 4.6 assists per game) and Ivan McFarlin (12.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg).

The East Rutherford Region is filled with some sizzling story lines. CBS has assigned analyst Billy Packer to cover the games. Packer and Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli got into a verbal spat last week after Packer said the Hawks did not deserve a No. 1 seed.

Saint Joseph's opponent Thursday is No. 4 seed Wake Forest, which is coached by Carnegie native Skip Prosser. It was Prosser who spurned an offer from Pitt after Ben Howland left to coach UCLA a year ago. Prosser used the offer as leverage to get a better contract from Wake Forest.

After Prosser turned downed the Panthers, the Pitt brass looked to Jamie Dixon, Howland's top lieutenant, who has led the team to a school-record 31 victories and back to the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive season.