Pitt has played seven games and opposing players have blocked 13 shots against the Panthers. That's one fewer than Duquesne center Shawn James had in a game earlier this season against Oakland University.

No. 12 Pitt has not faced a dominant defensive center this season, but that will change tonight when the Panthers travel down Forbes Avenue to face James, the premier shot-blocker in Division I, and the Dukes at the Palumbo Center.

Pitt's tallest starter is 6-foot-7 freshman center DeJuan Blair, a burly and physical player who is averaging 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Blair has played against James in summer pickup games and is looking forward to the matchup.

"I can't wait," he said.

How Pitt will fare against taller centers is one of the burning questions this season. Blair has faced only one 7-footer thus far and he dominated Saint Louis freshman Bryce Husak. Blair scored 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds in that game. Blair won that matchup by being physical and overpowering the slighter Husak. Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus said Blair "emasculated" Husak.

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Today

• Game: No.12 Pitt (7-0) vs. Duquesne (6-1), 7 p.m.
• Where: Palumbo Center.
• TV/radio: ESPNU/KQV-AM (1410), WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970)

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"Regardless of what Shawn does, people are always going to give [Blair] the upper hand," Dukes guard Kojo Mensah said of James, who led Division I with an NCAA-record 6.53 blocks per game in 2005-06 during his sophomore season at Northeastern. "He hasn't seen someone like Shawn."

James is averaging 5.3 blocks per game this season. As a team, the Dukes average 9.7 blocks per game and have almost as many blocks (68) as steals (78). For comparison's sake, Pitt averages 3.5 blocks per game.

"I'll try to block every one I can get to, just like I always do," James said. "I heard [Blair] is pretty physical. That will make me play even harder. You can't be a shot-blocker and a rebounder and be soft."

The best way to attack a great shot-blocker is to go directly at him. It's an old basketball adage, but Pitt plans to take heed of the advice. The Panthers said they have no plans to alter their approach to the way they run their offense.

"I don't think you have to make any adjustments," senior guard Keith Benjamin said. "You just have to go at him. That's what he does. He blocks shots. You can't get scared now. You just have to go at him. Hopefully, if you make the right move he misses or you get a foul called."

Junior point guard Levance Fields said he will be undeterred by the presence of James under the basket.

"Nothing at all will change," he said. "He is a great shot-blocker. He's been a great shot-blocker. He led the country at [Northeastern]. We're aware of that. When we penetrate in the lane, we'll try to shoot floaters. But if he steps up, we have DeJuan Blair who is one of the best finishers, so we're not worried about him blocking shots. If he does, we'll go after it again and try to get it back."

The fact that the Panthers have had only 13 shots blocked in seven games speaks to the discipline with which they run their offense. Coach Jamie Dixon constantly is preaching about making the extra pass to find the best shot, and that philosophy extends to the low post.

"We've played shot-blockers before," Dixon said. "We've played against a lot of different guys. We played against Saint Louis this year and they had a 7-footer. Every player brings something different. Our big thing is to take good shots. If your shot is getting blocked it's probably not a good shot. That's how we play. You have to recognize that. We try to shoot shots that are uncontested. That's why we've always been good offensively and among the leaders every year in our conference in field-goal percentage. If he's coming over to block someone else's shot then that means someone else is open if he is doing that. It's about shot selection no matter who you play."