Dayton has won 10 of its first 11 games, beat Louisville and is on the verge of being recognized as a national contender. If that sounds familiar, it should.

The Flyers were in the same exact position last season entering their December showdown against Pitt. That meeting did not go well for Dayton.

---

Scouting Report

• Matchup: No. 6 Pitt (11-0) vs. Dayton (10-1), 8 p.m. today, University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio.
• TV, Radio, Internet: ESPN2, WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970), www.pittsburghpanthers.-com.
• Pitt: Has not played since beating Duke, 65-64, Dec. 20. ... Junior G Levance Fields, who made the winning shot against the Blue Devils, was named Big East player of the week. ... Freshman DeJuan Blair, who scored 15 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in the game, was named Big East rookie of the week. ... Pitt is 10-3 in its past 13 road contests.
• Dayton: Has not played since beating Loyola (Md.) Dec. 22. ... Led by senior G Brian Roberts (18.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and freshman F Chris Wright (12.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg). ... Only loss came at George Mason. ... Won at Louisville.
• Hidden stat: Pitt has held 10 of its first 11 opponents to 70 points or fewer.

---

Pitt handed Dayton its worst loss of the season, an 84-54 thrashing during which the Flyers were outclassed in every aspect of the game.

"In many ways, we were still a relatively young team last year and learning," Dayton coach Brian Gregory said. "We got a good lesson against Pitt last year. We learned how defense was played, how you're supposed to do a job on the glass, how to use depth to your advantage. It's a process. We've taken a couple of steps since that game."

When Dayton plays host to No. 6 Pitt (11-0) tonight, the Flyers (10-1) will be looking to avenge that embarrassing loss. Last season, Pitt held Dayton to 33 percent shooting and had twice as many rebounds (45-22). The Panthers led by 15 at halftime and coasted to the 30-point victory.

The Flyers return four starters from that team that eventually won 19 games, including Brian Roberts, who scored 21 points in the Pitt game last season. He is averaging 18.2 points per game and scored 28 points when the Flyers went to Freedom Hall and upset Louisville, 70-65, Dec. 8.

"He's creating his own shot and getting easy looks," Gregory said. "And his defense is better. He's playing almost exclusively at point guard, whereas last season he was more of a combo guard. He's really taken a step forward this season, and I think he's going to continue to get better."

Roberts is one of two seniors in the starting lineup. Gregory also starts two sophomores and a freshman. The freshman, 6-foot-8 small forward Chris Wright, is second on the team in scoring behind Roberts. He is averaging 12.5 points per game but is questionable for the game tonight because of a sprained ankle.

Wright, who was first-team all-Ohio last season as a senior at Trotwood-Madison High School, has a 39¹/₂-inch vertical leap and was rated as one of the top high school prospects in the country last season by several major scouting services.

"He brings more athleticism and size than what they had there last year," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "He's athletic and goes to the boards. Those are the two things that really stick out. He can put it on the floor and get to the basket. We recruited him out of high school, so we know all about him."

Gregory said Wright has added a different dimension to his team.

"His athletic ability has helped us out a lot," Gregory said. "The thing that impresses me is that he received a lot of publicity in high school and coming here, but he has fit in perfectly. He is an extremely hard worker. He's the only freshman in our lineup and he's done a great job of impacting us without disrupting us. A lot of times, when you have someone with his ability come into a situation, it can be a disruption, but he's a nice fit for us."

Beside Wright, the other big difference between the game last year and the one tonight will be that it is at University of Dayton Arena, where the Flyers are 22-2 since the beginning of last season, including 7-0 this season.

The game is a sellout, and it is the first time Dayton is playing host to a game against an opponent ranked as high as Pitt in more than 20 years. The last time a team ranked this high visited Dayton was in 1984, when the Flyers upset No. 3 DePaul.

"That place loves basketball," Dixon said. "It's a basketball town with a lot of history. They're excited about this game and have been talking about it. It's not often they get a team that's ranked where we are in their building."

NOTES -- Injured small forward Mike Cook is scheduled to have surgery Friday on his left knee. Dixon said once doctors can assess the damage in the knee he will begin to explore the possibility of a medical redshirt for Cook. But any final decision on a medical redshirt likely would not come until after the season ends. ... A limited number of tickets remain for the Jan. 2 home game against Lafayette. Fans can purchase tickets at www.pittsburghpanthers.com.