Pitt Basketball Teams Recognized

It likely won't be as memorable as Tony Dorsett and the "Pitt Is It'' cover after the 1976 National Championship, but this tells how far the Panthers' basketball program has advanced in recent years.

Pitt basketball players DeJuan Blair and Shavonte Zellous are featured on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated College Basketball Preview issue.

This week's College Basketball Preview issue, on newsstands today, contains 42 pages with basketball coverage. With the theme "DOUBLE TEAM,'' standout men's and women's players are featured on six regional covers. Schools showcased on the covers along with Pittsburgh include North Carolina, Connecticut, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

In addition, the Pitt men's team was ranked No. 7 nationally, while the women's squad received a No. 17 ranking.

SI's regional cover featuring the Pitt players is available in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Delaware.

The Pitt men's team opens the regular season with Fairleigh Dickinson Friday at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center, while the women play Texas A&M in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic Sunday at 5 p.m. in Baton Rouge, La.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED TOP 20 MEN'S TEAMS

1. North Carolina

2. Connecticut

3. UCLA

4. Louisville

5. Purdue

6. Notre Dame

7. PITT

8. Duke

9. Texas

10. Tennessee

11. Memphis

12. Michigan State

13. Gonzaga

14. Georgetown

15. Marquette

16. Arizona State

17. Oklahoma

18. Davidson

19. Miami

20. Villanova

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED TOP 20 WOMENS TEAMS

1. Connecticut

2. Stanford

3. Oklahoma

4. North Carolina

5. Rutgers

6. Duke

7. Maryland

8. Tennessee

9. Louisville

10. Texas A&M

11. California

12. Oklahoma State

13. Notre Dame

14. Vanderbilt

15. Arizona State

16. Virginia

17. PITT

18. Ohio State

19. Old Dominion

20. Texas