Pitt will be one of only two teams to be part of College Basketball Gameday twice in the season. This Saturday and then in regular season Big East finale at Marquette on March 3. The other school showing up twice — UNC.

“They thought Pitt was, obviously, our best team and, given the incredible crowd at the Pete since it was built, with the Zoo, they thought it was a great atmosphere,” said Dan Gavitt, Big East associate commissioner for men’s basketball. “It’s a home run for ESPN.”

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“I guess the national coverage you get all day, somebody told me it’s like a 12-hour infomercial on your school,” Dixon said. “It puts your school in a great light.

“It’s an accomplishment to be included in it, and for us to be on twice is a reflection of our program and our consistency over the years.”

ESPN intends to capture the atmosphere of Pitt and its campus, from the Cathedral of Learning to a look inside the Panthers’ locker rooms. Included will be a live interview with Dixon, a feature on senior center Aaron Gray, an on-court demonstration and a preview of the day’s top games accompanied by predictions and commentary by the “GameDay” crew — anchor Rece Davis and analysts Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis and Andy Katz.

And the day wouldn’t be complete without Dick Vitale, ESPN’s high-energy color commentator known for his signature calls. Vitale will join the show for 20 minutes prior to the Pitt-Georgetown game.

Of course, it still matters if you win the game and the others in this homestand.

Gray admitted there will be many distractions throughout the day. He said the team just needs to realize the opportunity that is in front of them. The Panthers can take a giant step toward a Big East regular-season championship by beating Georgetown, Connecticut and Marquette in the next 10 days.

“Not only are they three home games, but they’re against three of the top teams in the Big East,” Gray said. “It’s definitely a little bit of an advantage having them at home.

“We have a great crowd, great support from the city. We’re real confident and comfortable at home. Every team that comes in here is kind of worried because we’ve been voted the toughest place to play for two or three straight years.”

College basketball — especially in a year where there doesn’t seem to be too many teams that are absolutely far above the  rest — is  a situation where home court means so much. So you have to win the home games. Pitt can’t let the whole atmosphere of the infomercial and distractions work against them.