Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Aaron Gray practices yesterday for Pitt's matchup against Wright State at HSBC Arena in Buffalo today.

By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Pitt has been a No. 3 seed or higher on five previous occasions in the NCAA tournament. On all five occasions, the Panthers found ways to avoid the first-round upsets that have become so commonplace.

	Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Pitt coach Jamie Dixon watches practice behind guard Mike Cook yesterday in Buffalo, N.Y. Click photo for larger image. Scouting Report Matchup: Pitt (27-7) vs. Wright State (23-9), 9:40 p.m. today, HSBC Arena, Buffalo, N.Y. TV, radio, Internet: KDKA, WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970), www.pittsbughpanthers.com. Pitt: Playing in sixth consecutive NCAA tournament. ... Has won seven of its past 12 NCAA tournament games. ... Seniors Aaron Gray, Levon Kendall and Antonio Graves are three of only six Panthers to play in four consecutive NCAA tournaments. ... Coach Jamie Dixon is 3-3 in his previous three NCAA tournaments. ... The Panthers were knocked out in the second round last season by Bradley. ... Gray averages 14.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. ... Junior G Mike Cook averages 10.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Wright State: Playing in its first NCAA tournament since 1993. ... Has won 11 of its past 12 games, including two against Butler, a No. 5 seed in the tournament. ... Led by senior guard DaShaun Wood, who averages 19.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. ... Freshman G Vaughn Duggins averages 8.9 points and 2.6 assists per game. ... Senior F Drew Burleson averages 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. ... Coach Brad Brownell is in his first season at Wright State. Hidden stat: Wright State allows 62.6 points per game. Pitt allows 62.4. Related articles Panthers fans shuffle off with confidence Pitt Notebook: Buffalo may be site for an upset Pitt basketball Q&A with Ray Fittipaldo Collier: Wright State leans heavily on one man

But that doesn't mean Pitt has not had its share of scares over the years. Three years ago, as a No. 3 seed, Pitt trailed No. 14 seed Central Florida by three points with 10 minutes remaining. The Panthers had to turn up the defense in the final 10 minutes to secure an ugly 53-44 victory.

Other teams haven't been so lucky. Last season, No. 14 seed Northwestern State beat No. 3 seed Iowa in a first-round game in Detroit. The Panthers were getting ready to play Kent State later that night in the same arena and watched the game on television.

"That's what this tournament is all about," Pitt senior Antonio Graves said. "Anyone can win on any given night. They call the smaller teams Cinderella, but they can be power-packed teams as well."

One of the biggest themes in every NCAA tournament is the first-round upset. In 2005, No. 14 seed Bucknell upset No. 3 seed Kansas. More and more, mid-major schools are finding themselves in situations where they can pull off uspets. That's what No. 3 seed Pitt will be trying to avoid tonight when it plays No. 14 seed Wright State in a first-round game at HSBC Arena.

"It's the NCAA tournament and everyone shows up to play," Pitt junior Keith Benjamin said. "If you don't come to play you will get knocked off and go home."

The biggest key to avoiding the upset is not giving the underdog a reason to believe it can win. The more a team from a mid-major conference stays close in a game, the more likely an upset becomes.

The first thing that happens is the underdog gains confidence. The next thing is the favorite gets tight and self-doubt starts to creep into its consciousness. To a certain extent, that's what happened to Pitt in its second-round game last year against No. 13 seed Bradley.

"We just have to go out there and dominate," Benjamin said. "We have to take it from them before they have a chance to make their move. We have to strike first. You can't let them play behind your heels. I think that happened to us in the Bradley game. We just didn't dominate like we're supposed to. We just have to take what's ours and move on to the next round."

Getting off to a good start has not been one of Pitt's best traits this season. The Panthers have trailed at halftime in seven of the past 10 games and faced double-digit deficits in the past two games against Louisville and Georgetown in the Big East tournament.

"That's going to be huge in this game," Pitt senior Levon Kendall said. "It's always our focus to come out strong. We want to do it even more in an NCAA tournament. You see a team get a little life when a team makes shots and you can see what happens."

Listen In: Coach Jamie Dixon talked with the media earlier today in Buffalo in advance of tomorrow's game against Wright State. Looking back on the Big East Tournament Getting ready to play Wright State Playing a smaller team and defending Dashuan Wood. Passing over Wright State coaching position. Keeping in touch with Ben Howland, former Pitt coach now at UCLA.

Pitt will look to senior center Aaron Gray for that quick start. Gray's counterpart from Wright State is 6-foot-8 junior Jordan Pleiman, who has not faced a player of Gray's stature all season.

Gray, an NABC third-team All-American, is coming off a shaky performance at the Big East tournament in which he was 10 for 33 from the field. In the title game against Georgetown he was 1 for 13 from the field and scored just three points.

"We're definitely going to try to get it to him in scoring position," sophomore point guard Levance Fields said. "We're very confident that he can get the job done and that he won't have a night like he had against Georgetown."

"He's our All-American," junior guard Mike Cook added. "It's real important for us to get him back on track. Maybe we can get him a dunk early or a layup. It's up to him to come out confident and to want to make those shots. Most of it is going to be up to him because we're going to run a lot of plays for him."

While Gray will be a linchpin on offense, Graves will be the most important player on Pitt's defense. He will be charged with the task of defending Wright State guard DaShaun Wood, who averages 19.8 points per game. Wood is responsible for scoring 31 percent of Wright State's points on the season.

Graves has drawn the assignment on the best offensive player in almost every game this season and is looking forward to the challenge. He has shut down the likes of Villanova's Scottie Reynolds and Syracuse's Demetris Nichols.

"From the beginning I feel like I've been groomed for this," Graves said. "I've guarded guys like Ben Gordon and Gerry McNamara, the list goes on. No offense to him, but I've guarded great guys before and this will just be another night for me. I'm definitely willing to step up."