WASHINGTON -- Georgetown has been home to some of the best centers in college basketball over the past 25 years. From the Patrick Ewing to Alonzo Mourning to Dikembe Mutombo, the Hoyas manufacture NBA lottery centers the way Penn State churns out linebackers to the NFL.

The new Georgetown center, taking the place of four-year starter and first-round NBA pick Roy Hibbert, is doing his best to follow in the giant footsteps of his predecessors. Greg Monroe, a 6-foot-11, 250-pound true freshman from New Orleans, has been one of the top first-year players in the NCAA over the first two months of the season.

"He is a first-round lottery pick, for sure," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said yesterday.

No. 3 Pitt will get an up-close look at Monroe and the No. 11 Hoyas today when they meet at the Verizon Center in an early Big East Conference showdown.

Monroe looked like a lottery pick in Georgetown's Big East opener Monday at No. 2 Connecticut. Matched up against Connecticut senior Hasheem Thabeet, one of the top centers in the country, Monroe scored 16 points and dominated the more experienced Thabeet.

But Monroe is not your typical Georgetown center. Whereas Ewing, Mourning, Mutombo and Hibbert were scoring threats in the low post, Monroe is a face-to-the-basket player who likes to take his opponents off the dribble rather than bang inside.

Against Connecticut, Monroe was 2 for 2 from 3-point range and consistently beat Thabeet down the floor in transition.

"He's completely different from Hibbert," Dixon said. "They're completely different players. He's not as tall or as much of a low-post threat. But he's much better in transition. From what we've seen, he's a face-up guy. He hit two 3-pointers in the last game, but mostly he faces up so he can drive, not shoot."

Pitt's best hope in limiting the effectiveness of Monroe is for its highly touted center to play well and stay out of foul trouble. Sophomore DeJuan Blair did neither in Pitt's Big East opening-victory at Rutgers Wednesday.

Blair set career lows for rebounds (two) and minutes played (eight) and matched his career low in points (two).

Blair, 6 feet 7 and 265 pounds, picked up two fouls in the first half and had to sit for 15 of the first 20 minutes. In the second half, he picked up two more and spent the final 11:45 on the bench watching the Panthers engineer a comeback victory.

"He's well-rested," Dixon said. "We've been joking with him. Anyone who saw the game knows those fouls could have gone either way. But he has to realize he can't put himself in that position."

While the fouls could have gone either way in a game that was more loosely officiated, Blair failed to adapt to referees who were calling a tight game. Blair picked up two fouls going for offensive rebounds, one of them when he went over the back of a defender on a missed Pitt free throw.

It was somewhat surprising that Dixon chose not to insert his top rebounder and second-leading scorer back into the game, especially since it was tight until the final few minutes.

Dixon said Blair's benching was not so much to send a message as it was game circumstances. The Panthers were playing well without Blair. Dixon received positive performances from guards Brad Wanamaker and Gilbert Brown in a small lineup that changed the course of the game.

"Everything worked out as well as we could have expected," Dixon said.

Still, the Panthers realize that playing without Blair for one game against an inferior opponent is one thing. Playing without him against ranked team with a quality center could be a different story.

"We have to find a way to keep DeJuan out of foul trouble," senior point guard Levance Fields said.

If Blair is able to stay on the floor, it could set the stage for a memorable duel with Monroe.

"I've seen him play a couple of times," Pitt senior Sam Young said of Monroe. "He's strong and is a good rebounder. I can't wait to see DeJuan and Monroe go at it. That's going to be a great matchup. But I think DeJuan will get the best of him."

Perhaps, but Blair has to be in the game, not on the bench, for that to happen. <//p>

Matchup: No. 3 Pitt (13-0) vs. No. 11 Georgetown (10-1), noon today, Verizon Center, Washington.

TV, radio, Internet: ESPN, WWSW-FM (94.5), WBGG-AM (970), www.pittsburghpanthers.com.

Pitt: Beat Rutgers, 78-72, in Big East opener Wednesday. ... Sophomore G Brad Wanamaker scored a career-high 15 points against the Scarlet Knights. ... Led by senior F Sam Young (19.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg), sophomore C DeJuan Blair (13.7 ppg, 12.1 rpg) and senior G Levance Fields (10.4 ppg, 6.4 apg)... Has not won a game at Georgetown since 2004.

Georgetown: Beat Connecticut, 74-63, in Big East opener Monday. ... Led by F DaJuan Summers (14.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg), G Austin Freeman (13.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg), G Chris Wright (13.5 ppg, 3.8 apg) and freshman C Greg Monroe (12.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg).

Hidden stat: The Hoyas are first in the Big East in field-goal percentage defense (.343) and second in scoring defense (56.3 ppg).