Pitt coach Jamie Dixon cautioned not to read too much into the starting lineup he had on the court yesterday afternoon for Pitt's first exhibition game against Seton Hill College. By the time the regular season rolls around, the starting five of Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, Sam Young, Tyrell Biggs and DeJuan Blair could be ancient history.

Or, if things unfolded the way they did against the Division II Griffins, Dixon could be tempted to keep it the same. Pitt routed Seton Hill, 102-51, before 6,020 spectators who saw what Dixon described as his "tinkering" process as the preseason unfolds.

For instance, Sam Young played strictly small forward after leading the team in scoring from the power forward position last season. Gilbert Brown, a part-time starter last season at small forward, came off the bench to spell Young and also saw time at power forward.

Other small surprises: Gibbs started ahead of fellow freshman Travon Woodall as the replacement for injured starter Levance Fields at point guard, and Wanamaker started ahead of junior-college transfer Jermaine Dixon at shooting guard.

"We're 13 practices in," Dixon said. "That's not much. It is early. I know we're ranked high and all those things, but we're a relatively young group."

The Young experiment at small forward appears to be something that will last into the regular season. Young struggled at that position as a sophomore before Dixon moved him to power forward halfway through the season. Young scored 16 points in 19 minutes yesterday, but he led the team in 3-point attempts with six and took only four shots from inside the arc.

"Now he's playing more on the perimeter," Dixon said. "He'll play both [positions]. He's really shooting the ball well, but we don't want him to become strictly a 3-point shooter. We want him to do what he does best. He's very good around the basket. He's very good at driving. He has become a better 3-point shooter, but you don't want to forget what got you there."

With Young set at small forward for now, Brown returns to a reserve role. He played well at the end of last season when he was thrust into the starting lineup.

"I'm OK with it," Brown said. "I know coach always has a plan for something. Things can change. I'm comfortable coming off the bench. I know I'll play to my ability and get the minutes I need to get."

Dixon, for the record, has not ruled out Brown being a starter.

"We're wide open right now," Dixon said. "We're figuring it out. I don't think it would be fair to have a lineup set now. But he deserves minutes. He's playing well. I've told him that. I think we're going to be in a situation where we're going to find ways to get him on the floor.

"He could be starting. He could not be starting. I don't know at this point."