Jan 5, 2009 11:25 pm US/Eastern
Pitt Panthers Basketball Team Ranked No. 1
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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Former Pitt football player Chuck Bonasarte, who is now a street vendor, says he'll have No. 1 t-shirts on Tuesday.
KDKA
For the first time in 101 years of basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, the Panthers are the top-ranked team in the nation.
It's exciting for fans who have followed the team through its rise to becoming a national power.
It didn't take long for the "We're #1" hand signs to appear on Pitt's campus in Oakland.
"And we've never been ranked No. 1 before so it's great to be here at a time when we're ranked No. 1," says Pitt student Adrienne Lucas. "I was here when the Steelers won the Super Bowl and everything, so I'm like this a good time to be a Pitt student."
Former Pitt football player Chuck Bonasarte, who is now a street vendor, says he'll have No. 1 t-shirts on Tuesday. He says it's good for business.
"People are fired up. Our Pitt family's always been buying Pitt products but now we're going to get all the fringers or the people that were like half and half Pitt or they go to another school," he says. "They're all going to want to adopt Pitt as their No. 1 team now – everybody in Allegheny County today."
The Panthers earned their No. 1 ranking after beating Georgetown on Saturday.
"It's surely getting talked about – that's for sure," says Pitt Basketball Coach Jamie Dixon. "There's no way you can say it's a bad thing, you know. As the university strives to be the best in everything we do, and you know, I think it's great for our city as well."
Players say they're more determined than ever to win the big one.
"Playing and making people consider you [the] No. 1 team, I mean, you got to come play everyday because every time somebody … they try to bring you down," says Pitt forward Sam Young.
"We know it's out there but we got a lot more work to do and we … our goals aren't finished yet," Pitt forward Tyrell Biggs said. "I mean, it's early in the season, we're looking for a Big East ring, hopefully get past the Sweet 16."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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