PITTSBURGH (AP) -Aaron Gray, the Big East Conference preseason player of the year, hasn't scored in double figures in his last four games. His 26 points over that span barely equal his single-game average for much of the season.

Here's the surprise: No. 7 Pittsburgh won those four games by an average of 21 points.

The Panthers (14-2, 2-0 in Big East), were expected to build around the 7-foot Gray like they had no other player in the six seasons since they became a conference power again. At 270 pounds, Gray is difficult to push around yet has a soft scoring touch that makes him a threat from 15 feet in.

``He's a mountain in the middle,'' Florida A&M coach Mike Gillespie said.

So what's up? How is Pitt, a team never known for its strong outside shooting, making up for the lack of scoring from its most dominant inside player since Charles Smith 20 years ago?

``I think this team has the best balance we've ever had,'' coach Jamie Dixon said. ``This is the best outside shooting team we've ever had, I don't think there's too much argument with that. We've got a number of guys who can shoot it.''

That doesn't mean Dixon isn't concerned about getting Gray more involved in the offense when Pitt plays at DePaul (10-6, 1-1) on Wednesday night. Gray was only 2-of-7 for seven points in a 69-48 decision over South Florida on Sunday and matched his season low with five rebounds.

``I think he's happy that we're winning, but we do need to get him more touches,'' point guard Levance Fields said. ``People are keying on him, and a couple of times we missed him (when he was open), but guys are making shots, making plays.''

Before going into his scoring slump, Gray averaged 20 points during a three-game stretch - but Pitt lost twice, to Wisconsin and Oklahoma State. The Panthers also had only 16 3-pointers in those three games.

In the four games since, they've made 37 shots from beyond the arc, including a 10-of-16 performance against South Florida in which six players made at least one 3-pointer.

``If we didn't have the margin of victory we had, we'd be a lot more concerned,'' Dixon said.

What's curious about Gray's drop-off in scoring is that only a couple of opponents have focused on taking him out of the offense.

Florida A&M did that in a 77-51 loss, and the Panthers took advantage by making a season-high 13 3-pointers. Syracuse, which plays its 2-3 zone against every opponent, held Gray to nine points.

But Gray's off day against South Florida was more the result of him getting into foul trouble and spending half the game on the bench. Gray was dominant inside in an 84-54 rout of Dayton with 15 rebounds, yet was held to five points partly because Pitt didn't need any of its starters to play much more than half the game.

``I'm somewhat surprised that we haven't gotten more double teams than we've seen,'' Dixon said. ``I think it's because our team has shot it so well that very few teams have zoned us or double teamed him.''

Not that Pitt wants to go much longer with Gray being more of a spectator than a participant in their offense.

After the DePaul game, Pitt returns home to play Georgetown and 7-2 center Roy Hibbert and No. 24 Connecticut and 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet in a four-day span, and Gray will need to be at his best

``I don't think he'll get frustrated. I haven't seen it, and I don't think he's forced up bad shots at all,'' Dixon said. ``That would be a reflection of frustration. He's continued to pass the ball regularly. I think he's handled it well.''

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