When the starting lineup is announced before Pitt's home game this evening against Providence, it likely will be the same one coach Jamie Dixon has trotted out for the previous 24 games this season.

Dixon sees no reason to change as the Panthers are 21-3, 9-1 in the Big East Conference, and are ranked No. 7 in The Associated Press poll.

Once Dixon gets a starting five he likes, he usually sticks with it for the long haul. On only a few occasions in his four seasons as Pitt's coach did he make a change to his starting lineup, and it was never done as a knee-jerk reaction.

	Scouting Report Matchup: No. 7 Pitt (21-3, 9-1) vs. Providence (15-7, 5-4), 6 p.m. today, Petersen Events Center. TV, radio, Internet: ESPN, WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970), www.pittsburghpanthers.com. Pitt: Defeated West Virginia, 60-47, Wednesday for its fourth win in a row. ... Playing the first of three consecutive games at home. ... Sophomore F Sam Young scored a career-high 21 points against the Mountaineers. ... Has beaten Providence in six consecutive meetings, including two last season. Providence: Erased an eight-point deficit in the final 1:41 to defeat Cincinnati, 71-70, in its most recent game. ... One of the top scoring teams in the Big East, averaging 77.8 points per game. ... Led by G Sharaud Curry (17.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg), F Herbert Hill (16.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and F Weyinmi Efejuku (13.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg). ... Last victory in Pittsburgh came in December of 1998. Hidden Stat: Pitt coach Jamie Dixon owns a career record of 42-16 in Big East regular-season play. His .724 winning percentage is the highest all-time in the league.

So, even though Sam Young scored a career-high 21 points against West Virginia Wednesday, has scored in double figures in three of the past four games and has scored more points in half as many minutes as Levon Kendall, the starter in front of him, it's almost a certainty Young will not be in the starting lineup against the Friars.

"Every night we have a different guy step up," Dixon said. "The last game [the talk] was Keith Benjamin should play more and Ronald Ramon should be playing more the game before that. It is what it is. We'll have a different guy every day. It gives you guys a new story to write each day, so everyone is happy. I'm happy to have all the options. And you guys are happy to have different guys to write about each day, saying he should be

playing more and talking about it. It's not a problem. It's a good thing that we have. We have good players in this program. That's why we've been winning at the rate we have over the years."

Translation: One 21-point performance will not dictate a change to a system that has proven to be successful the past four years. For the most part, seniors start and underclassmen come off the bench if the competition is close.

Young is averaging 5.7 points in 14.7 minutes per game. Kendall is averaging 5.3 points in 26.2 minutes per game. Dixon acknowledged this week that Young and his other reserves all want more playing time. The Pitt coach does not necessarily believe that is a bad thing because it promotes competition and a hunger when the minutes do come.

Dixon receives praise around the league for his ability to manage the minutes and egos with a team he likes to say is made up of "nine" starters.

"Everyone wants more [playing time]," Dixon said. "[Young] continues to do a great job at both ends of the floor. It may never be enough for those nine guys, but they're trying hard. There are only so many shots, so many minutes. You can't force things. That's what they understand. You have to let them come. That's why we're so good on the offensive end. Those numbers indicate that those guys understand and believe in it. These guys get it."

Kendall was in Young's shoes once. He had to bide his time behind Chevon Troutman as a freshman and sophomore.

	Waiting in the wings Aaron Gray, Levon Kendall and Antonio Graves, the three starting seniors for the Pitt Panthers this season, spent time on the bench early in their careers. Aaron Gray Season GP GS Avg. Min. Pts. Avg 2003-04 15 0 5.9 26 1.7 2004-05 29 0 11.6 126 4.2 2005-06 33 33 27.8 458 13.9 2006-07 24 24 29.1 352 14.7 Levon Kendall Season GP GS Avg. Min .Pts .Avg 2003-04 14 0 5.6 15 1.1 2004-05 22 8 13.9 76 3.5 2005-06 32 30 23.8 224 7.0 2006-07 24 24 26.2 128 5.3 Antonio Graves Season GP GS Avg. Min .Pts .Avg 2003-04 33 4 10.8 68 2.1 2004-05 27 25 26.9 210 7.8 2005-06 33 2 18.5 166 5.0 2006-07 24 24 28.3 243 10.1

"It's always tough when you come from being the man in high school and get used to that," Kendall said. "Keeping the motivation and the confidence is a big thing. It helps you out in the long run. You sort of see both sides of the coin. You can really understand certain situations and you learn a lot more about the game.

"He obviously has off nights as well. [Sam] had zero points in 15 minutes against Villanova. You understand that it's an up-and-down thing. You're going to have your nights. You just have to be ready. It's a similar situation to what Ronald has. He's not starting, but he has a really important role. I think Sam realizes that and understands his position, what the coaches and the players expect from him as well."

Before he became an all-Big East player, senior center Aaron Gray had to wait his turn behind Chris Taft. He said that experience helped him grow as a player.

"You never know how many minutes you're going to play on an individual night," Gray said.

"You never know how productive you're going to be. One of the things I did early that was a mistake was I would be thinking, 'Don't mess up' when I got out there. When you get out on the court you have to make a difference. You have to make a positive impact on the game. Sam now has the mind-set that when he gets on the court he has to be aggressive. He has to rebound and play good defense and score points. As long as he keeps doing that his minutes are going to increase."

Dixon said Young and his other reserves don't care who starts, but there is one thing that is special to all of them.

"They like winning," Dixon said.

"Everybody is happy. They're excited about the roles they have. They understand it's going to be different guys. It's the way teams play. If you don't have different guys [to go to], then you lose games and you're not in first place in the Big East. That's the important thing. You have to have good players -- and lot of them -- and that's what we have."Waiting in the wings

Aaron Gray, Levon Kendall and Antonio Graves, the three starting seniors for the Pitt Panthers this season, spent time on the bench early in their careers.