Pitt sits at 12-1 overall and 1-0 in Big East play. The team is ranked #6 and will probably move up a spot next week. The team just came off of a strong team performance against the Kemba Walker Huskies that reminded everyone that Pitt hasn’t gone away. Despite all the accolades to the surprise teams, players and where the attention is in the conference — Pitt is on top and quietly worrying every other team.

So everyone is feeling good about Pitt and the players. There’s no one star or standout, other than by default.

There are discussions and debates over who stirs the drink on this team. Is it Wanamaker? Gibbs? Will it still be Brown by the end of the year as believed it might be back in the preseason? Is Nas the glue guy on this team, even though, the team played well without him when he was hurt. Maybe it’s Woodall? Does this team even need one when all the starters and most of the bench already seem comfortable with their roles and the teammates? Honestly, I don’t know the answer right now. Right now I would be comfortable seeing Gibbs, Wanamaker, Woodall or Brown take the final shot in a game. Guys like Robinson and McGhee seem to be players that keep the team together. Wanamaker probably is the vocal leader, while Gibbs has gotten louder in directing things.

I think many fans are still struggling — despite it being the second straight year — with the fact that while Pitt is balanced, it is stronger in the backcourt. There was a comfort with the power inside with Troutman, Taft, Gray, Kendall, Young and Blair. Yeah there was the point guard to direct and another guard to try and stretch the defense with shots outside. But the offense went inside.

Now, the guards penetrate. The offense goes to and through them. The frontcourt gets work, but it seems to be more on clean-up or if there was nothing for the guards. This has been working out well for Gary McGhee — who showed some nice touch in the game — but has been steady inside.

These may be minor details — McGhee’s 11 points weren’t even the margin of Pitt’s victory — but this should not to be overlooked; McGhee’s offensive contributions will be paramount when shots aren’t falling from the outside, and his ability to control the interior will push opposing offenses farther outside.

Much has been written and discussed about the improvement of McGhee, who went from Blair’s benchwarmer to possible transfer to solid contributor. But he’s now showcasing his strength, and while McGhee will never be Blair in terms of offensive ability, he is slowly proving he’s an option in a Pitt attack than is increasingly showing its endless possibilities.

Nasir Robinson gets some well-deserved love. After missing some early games because of injuries, he came back. But Coach Dixon had him coming off the bench. A move I liked because Robinson is an energy guy and it seemed like a good option to have him jump in after the game is underway and change the dynamic on opposing teams. But, then, I’m not the coach and Robinson got back to being the starter against UConn.

Coming off the bench, Robinson averaged 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds before Pitt coach Jamie Dixon told him last week that he would regain a starter’s role.

“It gave me a lot of confidence” Robinson said. “I went hard in practice, and it worked out. It really didn’t matter (who started). I just wanted to come out and play my game.”

Posting a double-double and despite being an undersized power forward, dominated inside. It also supports what Coach Dixon has always said, that how the kids do in practice determines how and when they play.

To that end, J.J. Moore got some minutes against UConn and had an impact. What he didn’t do, though, was take a single shot. You could see that he wanted to. A couple times, he looked so poised to try and force the issue. But he has started to learn the lesson. You earn the playing time by being part of the team. By making the pass and most importantly — playing defense.

It was a very encouraging sight for a guy who has gotten in games at times this season and brought back unfortunate memories of Keith Benjamin’s first couple of years.  Trying to score right away, and launching shots. Being careless and not playing with the rest of the team. Moore may be the most talented in this freshman class, but he is showing that he does listen and can be coached.

Dave Telep at ESPN.com throws some more love at Coach Dixon (Insider subs) the coach and the evaluator:

How does Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon celebrate his win over UConn? He goes to Myrtle Beach to go recruiting, of course. Pittsburgh and Dixon’s recruiting is a fascinating study of evaluation of players and their subsequent “fit” in the Pittsburgh program. Dixon always seems to wind up with a litany of players who come to Pitt with a chip on their shoulder and that’s the way Dixon likes his recruits.

If you play for the Panthers, there’s a good chance that at the end of your four years you’ll have maxed out your abilities, played in four NCAA Tournaments and didn’t entertain transferring.

“Kids like our place. They like the campus, how we treat them and how we play,” Dixon said.

We’ll throw this one out there: Dixon is the next generation Gary Williams. His teams win and his players improve. It’s a simple formula: coach them up and keep them happy and it’s worked for Dixon. There’s really no need to chase the uber-talented, pampered high school super star. Dixon seems to prefer guys who can be coached, want to be coached and see themselves as winners. Dixon has mastered the art of evaluation and integration with his brand.

How many Big East offers you think Bradley Wannamaker entertained? None, and now every time he steps onto the court don’t think for a second that doesn’t fuel him. Nasty and motivated, the Pittsburgh way. Pittsburgh’s other recruit at Wannamaker’s position that year: Virginia Tech’s Malcolm Delaney. Dixon was in position to strengthen his team with either one of those guys.

No. I’m not sure who Dixon was watching in particular. The Beach Ball Classic is in Myrtle Beach right now, and has teams from all over the country are in it.

As Khem Birch’s signing, along with plenty of other recent signees with talent and high major pursuit — Cameron Wright, Dante Taylor, J.J. Moore, Blair, etc.  — it isn’t the talent that Dixon shies away from. It has to do with their ability/willingness to be coached and to play within a certain framework. Coach Dixon has shown a willingness to adapt his system to the players strengths and weaknesses, but he expects them to be willing to work as well.

The Gary Williams comparison is fair. Forget the last five years at Maryland. Maryland’s recruiting sagged after the loss of some longtime assistants. Williams essentially missed on his assistant hires and that has been something they have been slow to overcome. But in the years before that — especially from1994 to 2005. Williams had his Terrapins team always in the ACC hunt. Always in the top-25. Building to more each year, and yet not loaded with the 5-star talent. There was talent and McDonald’s All-Americans. But it wasn’t anything like what Duke or UNC had. Pitt under Coach Dixon is doing similar things.