Whenever Sam Young needed some inspiration during the season, whenever he'd hit a rough patch in his game and wanted some reassurance, he'd pop in a DVD of last year's Big East tournament games.

Young wasn't going down memory lane when he watched the games. He was looking for ways to improve his game.

There was no better film study for Young than his four sparkling games at Madison Square Garden last March. Young scored 80 points and grabbed 28 rebounds to claim the most outstanding player award for the tournament.

Young was 31 for 63 from the field and was Pitt's leading scorer in every game as the Panthers captured their second conference tournament championship.

"I think about it all the time," Young said. "I'd watch the film, see exactly how I played, see how I was successful in those games."

Young's Garden Party was one of the great performances for any Pitt player at the Big East tournament. He scored 21 points in the first-round victory against Cincinnati, 21 in the overtime quarterfinal win against Louisville, 22 in the semifinal victory against Marquette and 16 in the championship win against Georgetown.

"He led and everyone followed," sophomore guard Brad Wanamaker said.

Young joined Julius Page as the only other Pitt player to win the Big East tournament's most outstanding player award. Page won the award after the Panthers claimed their first tournament championship in 2003.This week, Young is hoping to do something that only one other player in the history of the Big East has done -- win the most outstanding player honor twice.

Patrick Ewing of Georgetown achieved that feat in 1984 and '85. Of course, that would mean Pitt would have to repeat and win a third tournament championship.

Young is up to the challenge.

"If the opportunity presents itself, I'll try to do that to the best of my ability," Young said. "I can't let something like that slip away."

Young, who leads Pitt in scoring with 18.8 points per game, is playing some of the best basketball of his career entering this year's tournament. He finished the regular season with a flourish, scoring 31 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in Pitt's 70-60 victory Saturday against No. 1 Connecticut.

One week earlier, he scored 29 points to lead the Panthers past Seton Hall when DeJuan Blair was hobbled by a knee injury. Over the past six games he is averaging 22.8 points and is shooting 54.8 percent from the field.

Wanamaker believes Young is motivated by Pitt's early exit from last year's NCAA tournament.

"It seems like he has some unfinished business," Wanamaker said. "He feels like he can lead us to a championship."

Young had a mini-slump in late January and early February. During a three-game stretch, he averaged fewer than 10 points per game. He led Pitt with 14 points but didn't play particularly well in Pitt's 67-57 loss at Villanova. He scored only five points in Pitt's 93-80 victory against Notre Dame and 10 a few days later in a 92-69 victory against De-Paul.

But he quickly put those disappointments behind him and has elevated his game to another level as the Panthers await their first opponent in the Big East tournament Thursday night.

"I think he's been pretty good all year long," Dixon said. "We had some other stories throughout the year where some of the younger guys were stepping up and playing well. We tend to forget. It's like [Luke] Harangody. Everyone gets tired of his numbers. I think Sam was in that kind of thing. You're so consistent that it's almost taken for granted. It happens with teams and it happens with players. He's been playing very well."