The Hunt: No. 34, Pittsburgh

Last year's record: 31-5, 15-3 Big East 2009-10's toughest games: Louisville, Georgetown, at West Virginia, Villanova Primary attraction: Jamie Dixon goes back to work. Three items of undeniable interest: 1. Because they went to the NBA, you see. So much of college hoops previewing is based on a simple formula: How many players did Team X lose? How good were those players? How good are the players that played behind them? And which recruits will help close the gap? The whole point of this feature is to do something a little bit less cookie cutter than that ... but, on the other hand, sometimes the most interesting thing about a team is players lost vs. players found. In 2009-10, few teams in the nation will experience that formula more acutely than the Pittsburgh Panthers. Jamie Dixon's team lost its three best players, three players that took the Panthers to a 31-5 season and a No. 1 seed and a run to the Elite Eight. Those players are DeJuan Blair (famously passed o...