Two seasons ago, they won 31 games with an experienced cast that was within minutes of becoming the first Pitt team since 1941 to reach the Final Four. The Panthers called it a disappointment.
Last season, the inexperienced and undersized Panthers won 25 games during a season in which they were picked to finish ninth in the Big East Conference. Again, they called it a disappointment.
What many schools would consider to be memorable seasons are viewed by the Panthers as routine. Maybe that's understandable given they've averaged nearly 27 victories during coach Jamie Dixon's seven seasons, winning at least 25 each of the last five seasons. During that time, only Duke, Memphis, Kansas and North Carolina have won more games.
They've accomplished it by recruiting largely within an area confined to a few states close to Pennsylvania, and with players that routinely aren't ranked in the top 300 by recruiting services, much less the top 30. They haven't had a single player average 20 points per season, make the AP All-America first team or get selected in the first round of the NBA draft under Dixon.
Still, not a single season ended with the Panthers believing they achieved all they could. That's because not a single season ended beyond the NCAA round of eight.
This season, the Panthers say, it's all possible.
''We always have high expectations, so that hasn't changed,'' forward Gilbert Brown said. ''But our goal is to exceed expectations. We've come close, but we want to do something very special this year.''
For Pitt, that means extending a season not just deep into March, but into April. For Pitt, the Final Four is the final step.
A year after being the most anonymous of Dixon's teams when the season started, these confident, experienced Panthers begin this season Nov. 8 against Rhode Island ranked No. 5. They're coming off a 25-9 season in which they tied for second in the Big East despite being picked to finish in the bottom half, and they return all but 14 percent of the scoring and 9 percent of the rebounding from that overachieving team.
This might be the deepest of Dixon's teams, one that could easily rotate 10 players rather than the customary seven or eight. The backcourt has a proven scorer in point guard Ashton Gibbs (15.7 points), a dependable swingman in Brad Wanamaker (12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds) and a playmaker, Travon Woodall (5.0 points), who would start at many schools.
Inside, Brown (10.7 points) is a streaky shooter and a reliable defender, the 6-10 Gary McGhee (6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds) provides the prerequisite toughness that all good Pittsburgh teams seemingly possess. Nasir Robinson (6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds) is capable of a big game at either end of the floor.
Another player with something to prove is 6-9 sophomore Dante Taylor, a former McDonald's All-American who averaged a somewhat disappointing 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Although most Pitt players establish their identity, carve out a niche and stay in the lineup until they graduate, this might be the first Dixon-coached team where multiple freshmen - 6-foot-6 J.J. Moore, 6-9 Talib Zanna and 6-4 Cameron Wright - push hard to dislodge some of the familiar faces. With Robinson out until mid-December after needing surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee, Zanna figures to start in November.
''I've never been on a more athletic team,'' McGhee said.
A six-game summertime tour of Ireland showed Dixon the freshmen can play, and he probably won't hesitate using any of them once the Big East schedule begins Dec. 27 against Connecticut.
''It definitely helped them grow basketball-wise,'' Dixon said. ''We'll see how much the extra practice time carries over.''
What carries over at Pitt is the winning. From 1991-2000, no Pitt team won more than 18 games. Since 2001, no Pitt team has won fewer than 20 games, and only one team has won fewer than 25.
Under Dixon, the essentials never change. Defense - always - comes first. Last season's shutdown defender, Jermaine Dixon, is gone, but Brown figures to replace him. The Panthers never lead the Big East in scoring offense but regularly lead it in scoring defense. Rebounding and toughness are demanded.
''We don't want to be a good rebounding team; we want to be a great rebounding team,'' said Dixon, who has a 188-54 record during his one and only head coaching job.
The offense never revolves around a single player, and the best man to take a shot is the open man.
What a home-court advantage, too - the Panthers are 132-11 during eight seasons at the Petersen Events Center.
Since Dixon was hired in 2003, the same year Syracuse won the national title, the Big East has been represented by Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Villanova and West Virginia in the Final Four. The missing name: Pittsburgh.
Last season, Dixon wore out his players reminding them they were picked ninth in the Big East. The theme this season could be an unspoken one, and that's getting to Houston for the Final Four.
''We always have high expectations, but we still have an attitude like we're the underdogs,'' Gibbs said. ''That keeps us working hard and practicing with a chip on our shoulder.''
