Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - The fourth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers have reached the title game of the Legends Classic as expected, and they will attempt to avoid an upset against the formidable Washington State Cougars this evening.

Pittsburgh has won all six of its games this season, and every victory has come by double figures. In the semifinal round of this tournament last night, the Panthers knocked off a solid Texas Tech team by an 80-67 final. Pitt is led by a tremendous threesome that makes the team one of the undeniable favorites in the Big East, considered by many to be the nation's elite conference.

As for Washington State, which competes in the Pac-10, it owns a 5-0 record and has yet to allow more than 55 points in a game. The defensive-minded Cougars are fresh off last night's 63-52 victory over Mississippi State and represent the toughest opponent for Pittsburgh to date.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between the Panthers and the Cougars on the hardwood.

Against Texas Tech last night, Pittsburgh welcomed DeJuan Blair back to the lineup, as the talented center missed the previous game due to injury. Blair did not look rusty at all en route to 15 points and 11 rebounds, although he did miss six of the 11 free throws he attempted. Sam Young paced the Panthers with 24 points, but his 9-of-25 shooting effort from the field wasn't exactly impressive. The third and final double-digit scorer for Pitt was Gilbert Brown with 10 points off the bench. The key to victory for the Panthers was a 49-31 rebounding advantage. Through the first six games of this promising season, Young is generating 20.2 ppg on 53.3 percent shooting from the field. As for Blair, he checks in with 17.0 ppg on 69.2 percent shooting to go along with 12.8 rpg. Unfortunately, the big man is hitting less than half of his free throws and needs to improve significantly in that department.

Washington State connected on only 2-of-13 three-point attempts against Mississippi State, but the Cougars posted another victory on the strength of their defensive play. They forced 20 turnovers in the game and limited the Bulldogs to 32.6 percent shooting from the field. Leading the way in the triumph was Klay Thompson, as he tallied 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Aron Baynes checked in with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor from his center position. Thompson is averaging 13.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg through five games this season. Baynes adds 11.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg to the mix, and Taylor Rochestie is posting 10.8 ppg and 6.2 apg from his point guard position. The fact that the Cougars are limiting opponents to 41.2 ppg on 29.2 percent shooting from the field is staggering. Washington State is outrebounding foes by 11.6 rpg.