After a week in which Jamie Dixon's Pitt basketball team routed Clemson and beat Maryland on the road, the Panthers received a slight bump in the AP Poll, but at 18-2 still aren't getting the respect they likely deserve on the national scene. Pitt received a slight bump from No. 20 up to No. 18 in the latest AP Poll. The Panthers also jumped from No. 19 to No. 17 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. Undefeated teams Arizona and Syracuse remained in the top two spots in both polls for the ... Read More
Pitt edged out by No. 2 Syracuse in first ACC loss
No. 22 Pitt and No. 2 Syracuse hooked things up Saturday afternoon in what was the early ACC Game of the Year. Watching the two teams play, it was an ACC game in name early as for 40 minutes it seemed liked just another Big East Conference battle as it turned out to be another Pitt-Syracuse classic. However Syracuse freshman point guard Tyler Ennis played like a senior down the stretch, making two big baskets and sinking two huge free-throws as the Orange stayed unbeaten, handing Pitt ... Read More
Pitt’s unselfishness continues to carry team
Throughout Jamie Dixon's era as the Pitt head coach, we have heard the fact that Pitt is an unselfish and defensive minded team about a thousand times. That mantra has carried the Panthers to outstanding success over the past decade plus, but during Pitt's first season in the ACC, they are taking playing unselfish, great team basketball to another level. One of the reasons that Dixon's teams have always relied on unselfish play is they never really had a go-to guy at the offensive end that ... Read More
Pitt stays perfect in ACC with road win over Georgia Tech
With the way he has been playing lately, you had to wonder how No. 22 Pitt would fare on a night where Lamar Patterson didn't have his best scoring game. It turned out to be no problem at all. Talib Zanna scored 22 points, James Robinson added 16 and Pitt pulled away in the second half, remaining perfect in the ACC with a bruising 81-74 victory over Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. With Patterson not shooting well and Durand Johnson out for the season with a torn ACL, Pitt was committed ... Read More
Pitt cracks Top 25 Rankings for first time this season
For some reason it took them quite a while but Jamie Dixon's Pitt Panthers basketball team has finally cracked the Top 25 rankings. In the latest AP Poll, the Panthers come in ranked No. 22, after going the entire season thus far without sniffing the Top 25. That alone is a bit shocking for a Pitt team who has started the season 15-1 and 3-0 in ACC play. It's hard to think if Pitt were still in the Big East that they would have gone this long without being ranked, however that's something ... Read More
Pitt’s Durand Johnson out for season with torn ACL
The Pitt basketball team suffered a major loss on Sunday when it was announced that redshirt sophomore Durand Johnson would be lost for the season with a torn ACL and meniscus injury. The injury happened late in the second half of Saturday's win against Wake Forest. Johnson drove to the lane and went down quickly, possibly stepping on a Deamon Deacons players’ shoe. While Johnson was down the look on guard Cameron Wright's face gave away that something could be serious. Johnson got up, ... Read More
Pitt improves to 3-0 in ACC with dominating performance vs. Wake Forest
Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers made a big statement Saturday afternoon with a convincing 80-65 victory over Wake Forest in ACC action as the Panthers improved to 15-1 on the season and a perfect 3-0 to start their first season in the ACC. It was a game that Pitt dominated from the outset as they led wire to wire as unlike their first two conference games, the Panthers jumped on their opponent quickly from the opening tip. ‘That was nice,” said Pitt point guard James Robinson. “N.C. State ... Read More
Pitt takes care of Maryland in first ever ACC home game
In the first ACC game in the history of the Petersen Events Center, the Pitt Panthers had their hands full with Maryland for much of the night. But used a late first half surge to pull ahead for good and ultimately improve to 2-0 in the conference with a convincing 79-59 victory over the Terps. Both teams found things tough early on as neither team got much in their half court sets. But Pitt closed the first half on an 11-2 run to take a 36-30 lead into the locker room. Pitt head coach ... Read More
Panthers pass first ACC test in win over NC State
It didn't take long for Jamie Dixon's Pitt Panthers basketball team to get their first real "Welcome to the ACC," moment. But after digging themselves an early hole, seniors Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna turned in huge second halves to lead Pitt to a 74-62 victory over North Carolina State in the long awaited first ACC game in program history. Patterson scored 22 points, 17 in the second half, to go along with eight rebounds and six assists, while Zanna chipped in 15 points and nine ... Read More
Is Pitt ready to begin ACC play?
Saturday afternoon, the Pitt Panthers basketball program will make history as they take on North Carolina State in the inaugural ACC game in Pitt program history. Yet once the two team’s line up to tip things off, it will fulfill a long awaited moment for Jamie Dixon, Steve Pederson and everyone associated with Pitt athletics. However the question remains- is Pitt ready? On the surface, that’s not an easy question to answer as you simply don’t know. “We got a lot of positives out of ... Read More