Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Pitt's Antonio Graves gets fouled by Carnegie Mellon's Brad Matta last night. Pitt won, 103-45. Click photo for larger image.

Jamie Dixon unveiled a starting five for the first time last night in an exhibition game against Carnegie Mellon. And, while it is far from set in stone, the lineup he started was different from what many had expected.

Dixon started seniors Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall at center and power forward, junior Mike Cook at small forward, senior Antonio Graves at shooting guard and junior Ronald Ramon at point guard in an easy, 103-45 victory against the Tartans at the Petersen Events Center.

"I told the guys all along it will probably change," Dixon said afterward. "I feel comfortable starting any of the 10 guys right now. It's November 1. It's not etched in stone. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the so-called starting five. I would anticipate guys coming off the bench playing more minutes than starters, which we have done in the past. I think that will be the same case this year. It's all about rotations and matchups and playing together and how guys progress."

Cook, a transfer from East Carolina, got the starting nod over sophomore Sam Young, who has been trying to make the transition from power forward to small forward. Graves got the start over sophomore Levance Fields, the only true point guard on the team who came into his own at the end of last season.

Anyone who has followed Pitt basketball under Dixon knows he likes to start older players, but Young and Fields, arguably, are Pitt's two most explosive offensive players.

"Right now, that's the starting lineup," Fields said. "If it stays that way, I'll still play. I'll be disappointed, but I'll roll with it. I'll still get it done."

Players did not find out the starting five until about 10 minutes before the game.

Graves, a spot starter in his first three seasons, led Pitt in scoring with 17 points. He was 6 for 12 from the field, 3 for 8 from 3-point range and had three assists and two turnovers. Five other Panthers scored in double figures. Cook had 16, Young 14, Gray 12 and Ramon and Tyrell Biggs 11 apiece.

"I'm just trying to focus on and off the court, be a leader and do whatever it takes for this team to win," Graves said.

Fields scored five points and had five assists and two turnovers in a team-high 23 minutes. Dixon substituted junior Keith Benjamin for Graves at shooting guard, Biggs for Kendall and senior Doyle Hudson and freshman Austin Wallace for Gray.

The rotation likely will change significantly for the Nov. 12 season opener. Young, for instance, will play small forward and power forward once the games start to count. Kendall and Biggs will play some at center. Graves and Benjamin played small forward last season and are capable of doing so again.

"The versatility is a good thing we have with these guys," Dixon said. "These guys are able to handle it. They've all improved as players. All these guys have improved dramatically in a lot of areas."

NOTES -- Dixon said Wallace is still eligible for a redshirt. In previous years, freshmen who played in exhibition games lost the ability to redshirt, but Dixon said the rule was changed. Dixon noted that he has not discussed the possibility of which, if any of the freshmen, will redshirt. Gilbert Brown, the other true freshman on the squad, did not dress. Brown has not practiced yet this season due to a bout with mononucleosis. ... Ryan Einwag led CMU with 13 points. ... The Tartans were 15 for 70 from the field.