After serving a one game suspension for violating team rules, Pitt senior forward Talib Zanna made his 2013-14 season debut Tuesday night and did it with a bang, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, leading the Panthers to a 75-54 win over Fresno State. Zanna's big performance was coupled by a big game from guard Cameron Wright, who scored a career-high 13 points to go along with six rebounds. “My confidence level has gone up a lot," Wright said. “My teammates set me up on offense. ... Read More
Pitt’s Derrick Randall out to prove a point
Sometimes a player just needs an opportunity. After spending two seasons sitting on the end of the bench at Rutgers, big man Derrick Randall transferred to Pitt in the offseason where it looks like he will get the opportunity he has been searching for. When a team loses five of their top eight players in terms of minutes played, there are going to be opportunities for players such as Randall to impress the coaching staff This year there is no Steven Adams. There's also no Tray Woodall ... Read More
Panthers cruise to opening night victory over Savannah State
The Pitt Panthers basketball team opened the 2013-14 season in typical fashion- with a route of a smaller school. Thanks to an early 15-0 run that gave the Panthers a 19-2 lead just a few minutes into the game, the Panthers cruise to an 88-55 victory at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt got whatever they wanted at the rim early on, sharing the ball, playing typical unselfish Panthers basketball, converted layup after layup en route to building a 40-13 halftime lead. “It starts with Lamar ... Read More
Will Jamie Dixon shrink rotation in 2014?
One of the strengths of the 2012-13 Pitt Panthers basketball team was the extraordinary depth that Panthers' head coach Jamie Dixon had at his disposal as Pitt was one of the rare teams in the country that could run 10 competent bodies out on a nightly basis. That's something that will likely change this season. Gone form that deep 2013 team are five players who were among the top eight Panthers in terms of minutes played. Steven Adams is in the NBA. Tray Woodall and Dante Taylor have ... Read More
Panthers must cut back on the fouls to contend in ACC
As Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers basketball team prepares to begin its inaugural ACC season, the anthers could be in for quite the transition. For the Panthers to find themselves among the ACC’s best teams at seasons end, they have to get back to doing one thing- playing great defense. On the surface, Pitt’s defense was a typical good Panthers defense last season as they allowed only 0.94 points allowed per possession, which was good for third in the Big East Conference. However if you ... Read More
Pitt releases 2013-14 basketball schedule
Will all the attention is being paid to the Pitt Panthers football team as they prepare to begin their first season of ACC play, before you know it Jamie Dixon and the Pitt basketball team will be back in action. With that being said, the Panthers released their entire 2013-14 schedule on Thursday. The schedule features home contests against ACC foes in Duke, Syracuse and Penn State and currently features 16 games on national television, a number that could grow as the season inches ... Read More
Pitt Panthers Notebook: Tray Woodall to Play in Istanbul
The 2013 NBA Draft and NBA Summer League came and went without hearing the name Tray Woodall. Despite working out for a couple NBA franchises, it doesn't look as if there is a fit in the NBA at this time for the former Pitt point guard. With that being said, that doesn't mean Woodall won't be playing professionally next season as he has signed a deal to play with a team in Istanbul. That's good to hear as Woodall got much better during his time in a Panthers uniform and emerged as a ... Read More
Pitt Panthers Notebook: James Robinson help Team USA U19 Team to Championship
With not much new going on around the Pitt Panthers football and basketball teams this time of year, I'm back with my Pitt Panthers notebook to take a quick spin around Pitt's athletic programs. Perhaps the biggest news going on over the course of the past couple of weeks came in the form of Pitt freshman guard James Robinson, who helped Team USA capture the FIBA U19 World Championship Gold Medal with an 82-68 win over Serbia in Sunday’s title game. The victory gave the United States its ... Read More
Pitt’s Steven Adams selected by OKC Thunder with 12th overall pick
Anyone that was still wondering if Pitt's Steven Adams made the right decision when he declared for the 2013 NBA Draft got their answer Thursday night. Yes he did. After one season as a Panther, the much heralded Adams turned himself into a lottery pick when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the No. 12 overall pick. Adams becomes the first Pitt player drafted in the first round since the Indiana Pacers selected Vonteego Cummings at No. 26 in 1999. His selection at No. 12 marks ... Read More
2013 NBA Mock Draft: Is Pitt’s Steven Adams a lottery pick?
With the NBA Finals underway, all but two teams have their eyes completely on June’s NBA Draft. There has been a lot of movement in the two weeks since my last mock. With that being said, let’s take a look at the NBA Finals edition of my 2013 NBA Mock Draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the clock. 1. Cleveland Cavaliers Player Name: Nerlens Noel Position, School: PF, Kentucky Usually by now, we know who the No. 1 pick is going to be, but the Cavs have yet to say Noel is their ... Read More