PITTSBURGH — Jamie Dixon insists he’s not going anywhere. The same goes for Steven Adams.

After another March disappointment for Pitt, it’s a start.

The Panthers (24-9) bounced back from a miserable 2011-12 season to get back into the thick of the Big East, but the rousing send-off Dixon and company had in mind before moving to the ACC never materialized.

Pitt rallied from a slow start to finish 12-6 in the final incarnation of the Big East before it breaks up. But the Panthers failed to win a game in the conference tournament for the third time in four years. Things didn’t get any better in the NCAA tournament, when ninth-seeded Wichita State had its way in the second half of a 73-55 romp in the second round on Thursday.

Not exactly a swan song to sing about.

“We just simply weren’t the right way from start to finish,” Dixon said.

A rarity for a team that for long stretches played better than the sum of its parts. The Panthers stuck with a 10-man rotation all season, relying largely on unselfish play and solid defense to handle more talented opponents. Every Pitt player averaged at least 12 minutes a game, and no Panther averaged more than 11.5 points.

Senior point guard Tray Woodall returned from an injury marred junior year to become the unquestioned leader of a team that featured five new players, including impact freshmen in the blossoming Adams, steady point guard James Robinson and raw talent Durand Johnson.

Adams started slowly while learning to adapt to the more physical play in the United States compared to his native New Zealand. The 7-footer was arguably Pitt’s best player by March. He scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Shockers, practically keeping the Panthers in it until the bottom fell out in the final 5 minutes.

Considered a potential “one-and-done” player when he arrived on campus, Adams remains a project offensively and said in the locker room on Thursday he has no plans to declare for the NBA draft.

If he sticks around, Pitt should have little trouble adapting to life in the ACC. Having familiar faces around will certainly help. Lamar Patterson, J.J. Moore, Cam Wright, Trey Zeigler and Talib Zanna will also be back.

Dixon too, apparently. Despite growing speculation the California native is the top choice for the vacant job at USC, Dixon downplayed the idea of leaving, calling it just typical chatter this time of year.

When pressed on if he planned to be back at Pittsburgh moments after his 10th season as head coach ended, Dixon nodded to a distraught Woodall and responded “that’s the farthest thing from my mind.”