by Kevin Gorman , Pittsburgh Tribune Review

One was a last-second shot shy of its first NCAA Final Four, while another reached its second consecutive Sweet 16. Two played for conference tournament titles, one earning its first NCAA berth since 1992 and the other its first postseason trip ? to the NIT ? since '94.

Add in the Penn State and West Virginia programs, and eight of 10 teams in the region reached the postseason.

"One year doesn't make a reputation, but I hope it's something we continue to build on," said Pitt men's coach Jamie Dixon, whose Panthers have advanced to the NCAA tourney eight consecutive years and earned their first-ever No. 1 national ranking and No. 1 NCAA tourney seed last season in reaching the Elite Eight. "I hope for success in every program in the city."

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale has been covering basketball here since the days when the Roundball Classic showcased the best high school players in the country and believes the extreme makeover of one major program has had a domino effect on the rest of the region's schools.

"It's attributed to the success Pitt has had," Vitale said. "It's contagious. Ben (Howland) and Jamie set the bar. What they achieved became a springboard for other programs."

Pitt's rise to prominence coincided with its move to the 12,508-seat Petersen Events Center, where the Panthers are 115-10 with 125 consecutive sellouts and have a season-ticket waiting list of 3,000.

"There are people who have given donations that can't get tickets," Dixon said. "That's unheard of."

Pitt is 220-56 since 2001, and its .797 winning percentage trails only perennial powers Kansas (.817) and Duke (.815) in that span. That's a far cry from the days of playing before a half-empty Fitzgerald Field House.

"The obvious thing is, when we're winning, it's a lot more exciting to come to the game," said Brandin Knight, the former Panthers point guard who is now a Pitt assistant coach. "That's not saying the fans are fair-weather, but that wasn't the culture for basketball here."

Knight traces the turnaround to 2002, when Pitt reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993 and won its first- and second-round games at Mellon Arena. The Panthers have now reached the Sweet 16 five times in eight years.

Same goes for the Pitt women, who earned their first NCAA tourney berth in 2007 while playing host to the opening rounds at Petersen Events Center and are coming off back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 under coach Agnus Berenato.

The NCAA women's tourney returns to the Pete next spring.

"If we make the NCAA Tournament, I wouldn't care where we play," Duquesne women's coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said, "because that would be an amazing accomplishment."

Robert Morris men's coach Mike Rice Jr. is a product of Pitt's success, taking over the Colonials after spending one season on Dixon's staff

Rice, who led the Colonials to the Northeast Conference championship last spring, said the city's other schools are trying to emulate the Panthers.

"It does have a ripple effect," Rice said. "The administrations see what is happening across town and there's some jealousy in making sure their program is on the same level."

Adds Duquesne men's coach Ron Everhart, who led the Dukes to the Atlantic 10 title game and an NIT berth last season: "One of the advantages of playing in this area is that Pitt has had so much success. They've driven the programs in this area to pick up their level."

What remains to be seen is whether Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris can sustain their success without their biggest stars. The Panthers lost All-Americans Sam Young and DeJuan Blair, Duquesne graduated All-A-10 guard Aaron Jackson and Robert Morris are without the NEC Player of the Year in Jeremy Chappell. Graduation cost the Pitt women All-American Shavonte Zellous and Duquesne the two-time A-10 Defensive Player of the Year in Kristi Little.

While Western Pennsylvania products have played a pivotal role for some of those programs - especially Schenley's Blair at Pitt - the success has come despite a relative drought of Division I players coming out of the WPIAL and City League. While the Duquesne women have seven WPIAL products, including several transfers, the Dukes are an anomaly. None of the city's other programs have more than two Western Pennsylvanians on scholarship.

"I didn't think it was going to turn around because of how dry the grassroots talent has been around Western Pennsylvania," Rice said. "There's a correlation with one and the other. You look at Duquesne, Pitt and Robert Morris' success in the 1970s and '80s, there were so many homegrown players starring for those teams. But the well ran dry, so to speak."

That could soon change. Everhart and Rice predicted that a dozen or more members of the freshman and sophomore classes project as Division I prospects. They are counting on keeping some of them at home.

"Western Pennsylvania basketball is really coming back around," said Everhart, pointing to Duquesne playing host to the 2012 NCAA Tournament first- and second-round games at Consol Energy Center as a drawing card for recruits. "That would be a tremendous motivating factor for any person, to play in any type of postseason event in front of your home crowd."

With the celebration of the rebirth of the City of Champions, Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris are hoping that their roundball renaissance continues to resonate until they can capture another championship.

"There's a reason Pittsburgh became the No. 1 sports town in America, and it's not just because of the Steelers and Penguins," Pitt's Berenato said of the honor bestowed by Sporting News magazine last month. "All of the basketball programs have helped that reputation."

Dance fever

How the region's Division I programs fared in 2008-09:

Men's basketball

School (Record) Postseason appearance

Duquesne (21-13) NIT first round

Penn State (22-11) NIT champions

Pitt (31-5) NCAA Elite Eight

Robert Morris (24-11) NCAA first round

West Virginia (23-11) NCAA first round

Women's basketball

School (Record) Postseason appearance

Duquesne (20-12) WNIT first round

Penn State (11-18) Did not qualify

Pitt (31-5) NCAA Sweet 16

Robert Morris (13-16) Did not qualify

West Virginia (18-15) WNIT second round

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