The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team will face the University of Pittsburgh in an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Petersen Events Center.

The game will not count on the record of either team.

"A friend of mine used to be an intern in (Pitt's) athletic department," SRU coach John Marhefka said. "That served as a contact, along with the fact that Division I programs look for Division II teams to play in these games now."

Last year, the NCAA prohibited Division I teams from playing Athletes in Action or other AAU-based organizations in exhibition games.

"The NCAA believed AAU teams and (player) recruiting are too closely linked," Marhefka said.

The Rock played Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference in an exhibition last year. Robert Morris University and Penn State played PSAC opponents last season as well.

Indiana (Pa.) is playing at Pitt Nov. 13.

"This will serve as a good opportunity for our kids to see some things," Marhefka said. "They'll be humbled a bit, I'm sure, but this will be their first game playing against somebody other than themselves, and they're excited about it."

Street & Smith's college basketball magazine picks Pitt to finish ninth in the 16-team Big East this coming season. The restructured conference has five teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 by Street & Smith's.

"We're walking into big-time basketball at a great venue," Marhefka said. "It's a test for our guys, but all athletes want to test their skills against the best."

The game includes a pre-game SRU alumni reception at 5:30 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. Tickets for the game and reception are $30 and are available by calling SRU's Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-GET-ROCK.

The Rock has other exhibition games lined up against Penn State-Altoona and Juniata College.

SRU's regular season opener is Nov. 17 against Ohio Valley at Morrow Field House.

The Rock is coming off a 7-20 season — its 13th losing season in 14 years — and has 10 freshmen or sophomores among its 12-player roster. The team has no juniors.

Its seniors are 6-foot-11 center Dejan Jancic and 6-3 guard Nathaniel McCoy, who averaged 30 points per game for Butler County Community College in 2002-03.