AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Pitt had a short bench yesterday -- but short is clearly a relative term.

The No. 5 seed Panthers were minus two of their top reserves -- Keith Benjamin (flu) and Tyrell Biggs (calf) -- last night in their 79-64 win against No. 12 seed Kent State in a first-round game at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Many teams would be in trouble if they had to play two-men down in an NCAA tournament game because a typical rotation is only eight-men deep. The Panthers, however, have used a nine- and 10-man rotation throughout the season, so they didn't miss a beat despite being short-handed.

"That's a big part of our success," said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. "We played a lot of guys all season and got a lot of players experience in tough situations so that they are ready when we call their number. We did a good job of spreading out minutes tonight and nobody, except for Carl [Krauser], really played more than we'd like.

"You have to be able to play a lot of guys because things happen, players get hurt or sick, but you have to be able to overcome it."

Freshman Levance Fields said that the Panthers missed Benjamin and Biggs, but they weren't going to allow that to be a reason to lose a game. He said the key all season has been to have players step into the lineup so the team isn't overly dependent on any one player.

"Keith is a big part of what we do, so we knew we'd miss him, and we did," Fields said. "At the same time, we still had a game to go win and we have a lot of good players on this team. I think it has been important for us to all get our chances this year because no matter who comes in the game, they are going to perform well."

Hot shots

Pitt usually isn't a team that dazzles people with their ability to shoot the ball, but last night they made 31 of 46 shots from the field and set a school record for field-goal percentage in a game (.674). The mark eclipsed the record (.661) set Feb. 10, 1990, in a 117-102 win against Providence.

Leading the way was Aaron Gray (6 for 6), who clearly benefited from the fact that the Golden Flashes' tallest player was only 6 feet 9. Levon Kendall (5 for 6), Sam Young (5 for 7), Ronald Ramon (6 for 6) and Fields (4 for 6) also had good shooting games.

"When we shoot 67 percent from the floor, we're going to be a tough team to beat," Fields said. "With the way we play defense and rebound, when we're shooting well, we are very tough to deal with."

Kendall added: "The key was we were getting open shots. That always makes it easier. I was a little nervous during warmups because we were bricking them, but once the game started we settled down and found our stroke."

Roughed up

The Panthers are a physical team and often leave opponents smarting by the time the game is over. The Flashes were no exception, as several players commented as to how physical Pitt plays.

"We knew they'd play that way because they are a real physical team," said Kent State guard DeAndre Haynes. "It is hard to get in there and battle and box out their 7-footers, and then they have five guys crashing the boards on every shot."

Kent forward Kevin Warzynski, who is fairly physical: "It was physical, but it was fun. I'm a big guy and I enjoy that kind of stuff. Me and Aaron Gray had a good time down there."

A return

Junior Antonio Graves was a starter for most of last season, but he moved to the bench this year. Last night, he got his first start of the season. He scored three points while playing 33 minutes. Graves said he was surprised he got the start because he didn't think he'd get the opportunity earlier this week.

"I found out today at the shootaround," Graves said. "I kind of figured it was because of why I played in the Big East tournament, but I never got an explanation. This is my third NCAA tournament, so I think it probably also had something to do with experience."

Dixon said the main reason Graves started was a defensive matchup he felt would favor the Panthers with Graves in the lineup.

Short jumpers

Kent State (25-9) fell to 4-4 all-time in the NCAA tournament. ... Pitt had seven blocks, including five by Gray. ... The Panthers (25-7) improved to 15-18 in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round for the fourth time in the past years. ... The Panthers had six players reach double figures, which marked the first time they've accomplished that this season. ... Pitt improved to 7-6 against teams in the NCAA tournament this year.