Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Pitt's Aaron Gray autographs basketballs for New Castle residents Bob Thomas, left, and Denny Golixer at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo last night.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- There were so many things to do before the start of Pitt's NCAA tournament game tonight that Bob Thomas and his fellow Panthers fans couldn't say what they enjoyed most.

Sitting in courtside seats for yesterday's workout at HSBC Arena, they split their time between talking basketball, watching the players, getting autographs and making plans for today's pep rally.

Oh, and booing the Duke basketball players. They had to boo Duke.

It all adds up to a rip-roaring road trip to see the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team take the court tonight in a nationally televised game against the Wright State University Raiders from Dayton, Ohio.

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The victor will face the winner of the Duke-Virginia Commonwealth game for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 in San Jose, Calif.

Mr. Thomas, 46, of New Castle, is a diehard Pitt fan. He and his brother, Denny Golixer, 37, have traveled to Pitt's tournament games in five of the past six years, including Mellon Arena in 2002.

"It's a blast," Mr. Thomas said. "You get to meet most of the players while you're here. Get away from home. Relax and watch basketball."

Meeting the players was one of the biggest kicks, especially for his son, James, 14. The workout yesterday was laid-back and fan-friendly. The players were all smiles and signatures were obligingly scrawled across souvenir basketballs. Sometimes, they'd even stop for a photograph.

The Thomases, Mr. Golixer and their friend, James Panella, 37, were among the few Pitt fans at yesterday's shoot-around, but they wouldn't think of missing it. The pregame workouts are an essential element in this tradition of theirs.

Even though none of the men attended Pitt, they've always cheered for the Panthers basketball team.

The four of them left New Castle late Tuesday, after work in the brothers' pizza shop was finished. They always drive because plane tickets, hurriedly checked into once Pitt's seeding and bracket were established Sunday, can run hundreds of dollars apiece.

Besides, they said, the drive is part of the buildup to the excitement of seeing the game.

They purchased their tickets from brokers, paying $300 apiece.

"But it's for six games," Mr. Thomas said. "Face value is like $109, so it's not really that bad. And we're in the third row from the court, over there in the corner."

"It's not as bad as what we paid for Super Bowl tickets," Mr. Golixer said. And they've never regretted the investment.

They're booked into their hotel for four nights. When it was suggested that their reservations sounded optimistic, they were quick to correct.

"It's not optimism," Mr. Golixer said. "It's confidence."

Not every tournament trip has ended sweetly, they said, recalling some early-round losses.

But they don't focus on the heartbreak of the stumbling block that always pops up to end their team's Final Four fantasy.

"Not every year is disappointing," Mr. Thomas said. "We've seen them go to the Sweet 16. The year they played in Pittsburgh was a lot of fun.

"When we were in Wisconsin, it was incredible. There were 20,000 red shirts and only about 200 blue-and-gold. We were brutally harassed for four days."

By mid-afternoon yesterday, Mr. Thomas and his clan already were in game time form with their jeering of Duke. So much so, that some of the young women rooting for Duke asked if they could have their pictures taken with them -- just so they could stick their tongues out at them.

Other than Pitt, these guys are rooting for all the underdogs. They want Duke to lose, naturally, and they're hoping Old Dominion beats Butler and Davidson defeats Maryland. Not only because such outcomes might be better for Pitt's chances, but because NCAA tournament upsets can be so stirring.

Last year, for example, they were there when Northwestern State upset Iowa with a prayer of a three-point shot at the buzzer.

"And we were staying in the Iowa hotel," Mr. Thomas said. "It was like a funeral home after they lost."

The men don't do much sightseeing during their visits to the venues and aren't much for the nightlife.

"It's more about hanging out and watching basketball with friends," Mr. Golixer said. "But we might have to have some Buffalo wings while we're here."