As the Pitt Panthers prepare to take on Eastern Washington Friday night in one of their four games as part of the Gotham Classic, Panthers’ head coach Jamie Dixon has to be all smiles. That’s basically due to the fact that through seven games the Pitt offense has performed at a level unlike anything Dixon has seen the past few years. “We are certainly skilled,” Dixon said. ‘We have guys up and down the roster who are skilled offensively. We just have to keep doing what we are doing and ... Read More
Pitt suffers first loss of season to No. 11 Purdue
The competition was much better than it had been during their first four victories of the season and although the Pitt Panthers competed, ultimately they fell short for the first time this season in a 72-59 loss to No. 11 Purdue in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Purdue (7-0) seven footer A. J. Hammons was unstoppable in the second half, scoring 17 of his game-high 24 points during the second 20 minutes to help lead the Boilermakers to the victory. Hammons also added 12 rebounds in the ... Read More
Pitt leans on experience to beat Kent State
The Pitt basketball team had a fight on their hands for much of the afternoon against Kent State, but Pitt leaned on its experience to come away with a win. Michael Young (23), Jamel Artis (19) and James Robinson (18) combined to score 60 points as Pitt defeated the Golden Flashes 85-76 to remain unbeaten on the season. ”Those three guys were terrific,” said Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon. “The numbers speak to that. I like the passing and the shot selection was as good as you can get. The ... Read More
Pitt wins opener vs. St. Joseph’s College
It took the Pitt Panthers basketball team a little longer than they may have liked, but they finally got a game that counted. Pitt, who saw their hopeful season opener against Gonzaga in Japan called at halftime, officially opened its season Tuesday night with an 84-43 victory over St. Joseph's (IN) College at the Petersen Events Center. While it was a major step down in competition from No. 9 Gonzaga, Panthers head coach Jamie Dixon got a lot of guys some playing time and was happy they ... Read More
Pitt game vs. Gonzaga cancelled after first half
For Jamie Dixon and the Pitt Panthers basketball team, the trip to Okinawa, Japan for the Armed Forces Classic against No. 9 Gonzaga was to be an early measuring stick on how the new look Panthers would measure up against good competition after a disappointing 2014-15 campaign. Unfortunately, Pitt only got half the chance to find out. After one half of play, the officials decided to cancel the rest of the game due to unsafe floor conditions. At the time of the decision to stop the ... Read More
Pitt’s Michael Young named to NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee
Pitt forward Michael Young had a pretty solid season on the court last year and will be one of the Panthers top performers this coming season as well. Young was an honorable mention on the All-ACC team last season and more importantly was on the Atlantic Coast Conference's All-Academic Basketball Team. Young has parlayed all of that into a bigger responsibility off the court. The junior forward and Duquesne native has been selected by the NCAA to serve as a student-athlete ... Read More
Panthers tournament hopes cut by Barber, NC State
The Pitt Panthers knew its task was monumental in order to get back into the NCAA Tournament conversation, but the journey ended before it could start. The 81-70 loss to NC State Wednesday night in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Now despite what many people call Jamie Dixon's best coaching job, the Panthers will be NIT bound. NC State [20-12] dominated the first half, and Anthony 'Cat' Barber in particular created separation from the Panthers [19-14]. Barber scored 21 points in ... Read More
Jamel Artis, Michael Young named honorable mention ACC
To say it has been a disappointing season for the Pitt Panthers would be an understatement and that disappointment has been reflected in the ACC postseason honors. The Panthers went without a member on the 2014-15 All-ACC Basketball Team, although both Jamel Artis and Michael Young were named honorable mentions. Thanks to a very strong close to the conference season, Artis nearly cracked the third team, but finished seven points behind North Carolina's Brice Johnson for a spot on that ... Read More
Pitt falls on senior night
The Pitt Panthers did not want to disappoint Cameron Wright, Derrick Randall and Aron Phillips-Nwankwo with a loss in their final home game and also wanted to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume. Instead, the Panthers (20-11) came away with a 67-63 loss against the Miami Hurricanes (18-12) Wednesday night. Sophomore forward Michael Young had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Panthers. Sophomore forward Jamel Artis scored 11 points and Wright contributed. 11 points and five ... Read More
Jamie Dixon gets win No. 300 as Pitt defeats Florida State
Michael Young scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but it was little used Aron Phillips-Nwankwo that helped spark a run that helped the Panthers defeat Florida State. After being outrebounded by 17 Saturday in a loss to Clemson, Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon promised to use a bigger lineup to try and fix the Panthers rebounding woes. Nwankwo got 12 minutes off the bench and made them count, sparking a 16-3 second-half run that broke a tie game and helped propel the Panthers to a 73-64 ... Read More