One thing had stuck out throughout the Pitt Panthers first four games and that is the fact that the Panthers aren't very good defensively early on in the season. That showed up again on Tuesday night as Pitt was outmatched in pretty much every way possible, dropping a second-round Maui Invitational game 74-57 to No. 15 San Diego State. The Aztecs, who came into the game struggling to shoot the ball, shot 58.7 percent from the floor on the night (27-of-46) against the Panthers, which is a ... Read More
Pitt crashes glass in win vs. Chaminade
Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon made a point of emphasizing rebounding after his Panthers were shocked by Hawaii Saturday morning. His players got the message. Derrick Randall set a Maui Invitational record with 21 rebounds, Michael Young grabbed 15 while scoring 27 points and Pittsburgh rode a dominating performance on the glass to beat host Chaminade 81-68 Monday in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. The Swords are a much smaller team than Pitt (3-1), but it was an impressive ... Read More
Pitt suffers first loss of season at hands of Hawaii
The Pitt basketball program was supposed to get a taste of some tougher competition when it made its first appearance in the Maui Invitational. They probably didn't expect that to be the case as soon as they stepped off the plane in Hawaii. Pitt got a lot more than the warm up game they were expecting from the Rainbow Warriors. Hawaii's Michael Thomas scored four of his 12 points late in the game as the Rainbow Warriors defeated Pitt 74-70 early Saturday morning, sending the Panthers to ... Read More
Pitt’s Michael Young growing into solid post player
With the graduations of both Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna, along with the injury to guard Cameron Wright and the suspension of forward Durand Johnson, Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers are looking for someone to step up in a major way as a go-to-guy at the offensive end of the floor. That guy might just be sophomore forward Michael Young. Young led the Panthers with a career-high 20 points, making 10-of-12 field goals while pulling down five rebounds Sunday afternoon in a 63-26 victory over ... Read More
Pitt opens season with win vs. Niagara
Jamie Dixon's Pitt Panthers got the post Lamar Patterson era off to a good note as four Panthers players scored in double figures, led by a career-high 14 from Jamel Artis, as Pitt opened the 2014-15 season with a 78-45 victory over Niagara on Friday night at the Petersen Events Center. Josh Newkirk added 12 points for the Panthers, freshman Cameron Johnson added 11 and Chris Jones had 10 for Pitt, who has now won 18 consecutive openers. "We got off to a great start and that was good," ... Read More
Pitt’s Durand Johnson suspended for the season
When the Pitt basketball team tips off the 2014-15 season against Niagara in about 30 minutes, they will do so without a major piece of their team. Jamie Dixon announced prior to the game that junior forward Durand Johnson will be suspended for the season. Dixon said in a statement: "Durand will remain with our program and practice. However, he will not compete in any games this season." It is not immediately known what has led to the suspension. Johnson was counted on to be a big ... Read More
Pitt to face Gonzaga in 2015 Armed Forces Classic
The Pitt basketball team is doing something that they have never done in program history this season when they head to Hawaii to take part in the Maui Classic. Next season the Panthers will add another first to program history as well. Pitt will open its 2015-16 season in the Armed Forces Classic against Gonzaga in Okinawa, Japan, ESPN announced Friday morning. The game will be played on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 at Camp Smedley D. Butler Marine Corps Base in Okinawa, Japan and will be ... Read More
Pitt picked to finish sixth in ACC Preseason Poll
Jamie Dixon's Pitt Panthers are set to begin their second season of play in the ACC and according to many of the writers covering the conference, the Panthers will be just an average team in 2015. Pitt was selected by league media members to finish sixth out of 15 schools during the ACC's preseason media day held Wednesday in Charlotte. The Panthers finished sixth with 592 total points. Duke was selected to finish first with 935 points and 41 first place votes, followed by No. 2 North ... Read More
Jamie Dixon: The nation’s best coach never to reach a Final Four?
The Pitt Panthers will begin the 2014-15 season on Friday with an exhibition contest against Indiana University (PA.). With the beginning of every Panthers season, it also begins the catcalls of fans who believe that Pitt would be better off with someone other than Jamie Dixon leading the program. I tend to always get a laugh out of that because Dixon has done a heck of a job as the Pitt head coach and while he has yet to lead the Panthers to the Final Four, you still have to believe that ... Read More
JUCO big man Rozelle Nix, latest Pitt commit for Class of 2015
With the 2014-15 season to begin shortly, Pitt Panthers coach Jamie Dixon was busy over the weekend landing a big body on Sunday for the Class of 2015. Dixon landed a verbal commitment from another junior college player, this one being 7-footer Rozelle Nix who is ranked among the best junior college prospects in the Class of 2015. Nix, a Cincinnati native who’s a sophomore at Pensacola State College in Florida is the latest in line of JUCO players that Dixon has targeted ... Read More