PITTSBURGH (18-5, 6-4 Big East): The Panthers haven’t played since Ramon swished a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat West Virginia at home last Thursday. Own a 13-1 home record, and Providence has never won at the Petersen Center … Pitt has won seven straight against PC. This is the third straight season the Panthers have hosted the Friars and fourth time in the last five years … Injuries have cost Pitt its starting backcourt of Mike Cook and Levance Fields. Cook is out for the season while Fields is back practicing. He has not been ruled out for tonight … Young averaged seven points a game in each of the last two seasons but he elevated his game as a junior … Frosh big man Blair has put up some monster numbers, including 20 rebounds in a win over Duke … Now in his fifth season at Pitt, coach Jaime Dixon owns a 123-35 record and is 51-23 in Big East games.

 PROVIDENCE (13-10, 4-7): The Friars return to the road, where wins have proved tough to come by. A two-point loss at St. John’s Saturday gave PC a 1-6 road record this season. The Friars are 3-11 on the road in the Big East over the last two seasons … Xavier made five threes against St. John’s and leads the team with 59 treys … Friars managed just two offensive rebounds in the SJU loss. That’s a major concern tonight with Pittsburgh since Blair, Young and Biggs off the bench are all aggressive board men … Jon Kale is suspended and will not play tonight … Tim Welsh is 2-8 versus Pitt in his career at PC.

 WHERE: Petersen Events Center, 7:30 p.m. SERIES: Pitt leads, 26-16. LAST MEETING: Pitt won, 74-68, on Feb. 10, 2007. RADIO-TV: WEEI (103.7 FM). COX-TV.

—KEVIN McNAMARA