If Pitt, off to a 9-0 start for the eighth time in its history, is concerned about facing a tougher schedule the rest of the way, the Panthers aren’t showing any signs of it. “I already know we’re for real,” senior guard Carl Krauser said. There are no more games against teams such as St. Peter’s, Vermont and Coppin State, whom the Panthers defeated, 77-51, on Wednesday night at Petersen Events Center. Following a Christmas break, Pitt will begin preparations for only its second road contest of the season, at South Carolina on Wednesday. The Gamecocks (7-2) played at Temple on Thursday night. “We’ve done our best to stay motivated for these games,” said Pitt forward Levon Kendall, who matched a career-high with 11 points against Coppin State (0-9). “We’re ready to go down to South Carolina and see what we can do. Maybe we’ll surprise some people.” A victory would match last year’s 10-0 start for the Panthers, who suffered their first loss against unheralded Bucknell on Jan. 2. Pitt returns home after the South Carolina game to play host to Wisconsin (9-1) at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve in its final non-conference game before opening Big East Conference play on Jan. 4 against visiting Notre Dame (6-2). “I think we’re pretty confident,” Kendall said. “We’ve done a good job of improving each game. That’s something you have to keep in mind, because once you get into the Big East, it’s a whole different game.” Kendall and center Aaron Gray (14 points) combined for 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks against Coppin State, and the two must continue to demonstrate their immense passing skills, when defenses collapse on them, if Pitt hopes to maintain its success against a stepped-up schedule the rest of the way. “These guys played unselfish. They really executed, throughout, what we wanted to do,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said after the victory over Coppin State. Krauser, Pitt’s leading scorer, contributed 12 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Ronald Ramon gave Pitt a fourth scorer in double digits with 10. Pitt, ranked No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll, led at halftime, 35-22, but went cold for a stretch of nearly five minutes while allowing Coppin State to close within 42-35 with 12:01 left. Dixon called a timeout to allow the Panthers to regroup, and when play resumed, Pitt quickly built its lead back to double figures and steadily pulled away. They led by as many as 27 points. Following the 26-point final margin, Pitt’s first nine victories have occurred by an average of 21.6. But don’t expect many more runaway victories this year. “Just traveling to South Carolina is going to be a big test for us,” Krauser said. “It’s going to really show how committed we are to change and basically how we enjoy each other’s company and enjoy playing with each other on the court. “You see teams like (No. 1) Duke playing well, but at the same time, we’re another team, in the Big East, that’s working hard. We’re giving great efforts on and off the court, just being solid student-athletes. We’re just going to try to stay on the path.” Notes: Pitt registered assists on 21 of 24 field goals against Coppin State. The Panthers committed 13 turnovers. … Pitt has won eight consecutive home games. The school record is 40 from Jan. 22, 2001, to Feb. 15, 2004. … Golden State Warriors rookie Chris Taft, who left Pitt after his sophomore season, has been on the NBA club’s inactive list for the past three weeks because of recurring back spasms. Additional Information:

Early perfection

The Pitt basketball team’s 9-0 start this year is tied for the sixth-longest winning streak to start a season. A look at the best starts in Panthers’ history: Record Season Coach 21-0* 1927-28 Doc Carlson 18-0 2003-04 Jamie Dixon 15-0 1915-16 George Flint 12-0 1929-30 Doc Carlson 10-0 2004-05 Jamie Dixon 9-0 2005-06 Jamie Dixon 9-0 2002-03 Ben Howland 9-0 1987-88 Paul Evans *-Final record

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