Tomorrow is the first of three straight road games. Admittedly there is a 10-day gap between the FSU game and Rutgers on the 31st. It also the first true road game of the season and the only one in the non-con. Oh, and it is only the third game against a team from a power conference. I guess, no matter how you slice it, it hasn’t been the most challenging non-con schedule.

The Pitt-FSU game is the FoxSports Net national game at 5:30. Tim Brando and Mike Gminski have the call. The game can be found on FoxSports Pittsburgh, North, South, Rocky Mountain, Arizona, Northwest, West, Detroit and Houston (Alternate); Comcast Chicago, Bay Area; Sunshine Network and MSG Plus.

The ESPN.com power poll holds Pitt steady at #3.

See Sam dunk. See Sam score. With Sam Young playing like an All-American and double-double machine DeJuan Blair down low, playing Pitt is a scary prospect for opposing Big East teams.

Yes, I know Gottlieb had Pitt down at #5. Shocking to be sure. He’s holding to his same talking points from the start of the season (Insider subs.).

After watching an extensive amount of tape on Pitt and calling their Siena game in person Wednesday night, I am left with about the same impression that I had before the season.

Pitt is very strong, long and athletic, and the addition of Jermaine Dixon at the 2-guard spot gives them a lockdown perimeter defender. Sam Young is a steadily improving wing who might be this year’s Joe Alexander. By that I mean Young is a dynamic scorer from 17 feet in, has the ability to post smaller guards, and in transition, he has not lost his incredible bounce. Young is not a true guard in terms of ballhandling or passing skill, and I still think they miss a Mike Cook-type of all-around weapon to make everyone else better. Tyrell Biggs is playing with a ton of confidence, and DeJuan Blair is just a complete beast at the block.

Of course there’s a but…

In terms of their Final Four potential or even Big East potential, it is obvious that the Panthers will win with their defense and inside scoring. To beat Pitt, you must stop them in transition off misses and turnovers, block out and contain Blair at the block. Fields is solid as heck, but they still lack offensive pop from the two guards they have had in the past. My questions linger …

• Can Blair stay out of foul trouble on the road?

• Can Fields’ foot not bother him the entire season?

• Can Jermaine Dixon shoot the ball like he did in exhibition games?

• Can Pitt score from the perimeter against a top-level zone or quality interior defense?

Roughly translated, I see no reason to change my notes cribbed from preseason magazines.

Jermaine Dixon is looking forward to the FSU trip since he played junior college down there. He might be a little too excited to play in front of friends.

“When coach (Jamie) Dixon came down in April to recruit me,” said Jermaine Dixon, who played two seasons at Tallahassee Community College, “he said we’d be coming back down to Tallahassee to play Florida State. I’ve been waiting for this ever since. I’ll get to see some old coaches, teammates and friends.”

Jermaine Dixon, the top shooting guard for No. 3 Pitt (11-0) struggled to contain his excitement Friday at Petersen Events Center before boarding a bus for the airport.

Judging from his level of enthusiasm, it was becoming a chore.

So, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised if Dixon hoists a few shots he shouldn’t early in the game.

Meanwhile in a notebook piece, no shock that Dwight Miller is being redshirted. Interesting that Coach Dixon felt the need to make a “special note” on Miller’s improvements in practice. Perhaps a subtle (or not so) way of letting Miller know he still figures into the plans and is an important part of the team.

Coach Dixon concedes that he is still struggling to give minutes to both Ashton Gibbs and Travon Woodall from game to game.