It doesn’t matter whether they are members of the Big East Conference or the ACC, the Pitt Panthers will always have their problems with Mike Brey’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That was the case again Saturday for the Panthers, but unlike the past five meetings between the two schools, this time Pitt found a way to come away with an 85-81 victory in overtime. Lamar Patterson scored 20 points, including a pair of free throws with two seconds left, and Talib Zanna had 17 points and 14 ... Read More
Pitt offense struggles again in loss to Florida State
The Pitt basketball team has had their share of close games as of late, having not won a game in regulation since January 25. They haven’t learned from all their close encounters. Senior night wasn’t kind to Pitt seniors Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna as the duo combined to go only 9-for-25 from the floor as the Panthers were upset at home by Florida State 71-66. Pitt (20-7, 8-6 ACC) shot only 37 percent from the floor and 63 percent from the charity stripe in the loss. “Not what I ... Read More
Ennis sinks Pitt at the buzzer
Syracuse freshman point guard Tyler Ennis played a major role down the stretch the last time No. 1 Syracuse and No. 25 Pitt hooked up, but that was nothing compared to what Ennis had in store for the Panthers when the undefeated Orange visited the Petersen Events Center Wednesday night. Ennis drained a walk-off three-point shot at the buzzer from just inside half court as Syracuse remained unbeaten with a dramatic 58-56 victory. Talib Zanna, who led Pitt (20-5, 8-4 ACC) with 16 points and ... 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
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
Panthers scratch and claw their way to victory over Penn State
It wasn't as easy as Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon may have liked, but eventually the size and depth of the Panthers wore down visiting Penn State as Pitt improved to 8-0 on the season with a 78-69 victory in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. But the Panthers had their hands full with the Nittany Lions all night long. Penn State took a 30-28 lead at the half thanks to the fact that the Panthers could not buy a bucket. "Not a good first half," said Dixon. "I spent halftime emphasizing the amount ... 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
Double Bye haunts Pitt again in Big East Tournament loss to Syracuse
Generally speaking, you would think getting the double bye in the Big East Tournament it should be an advantage, but statistically speaking that hasn't been the case, especially for the Pitt Panthers, who had dropped their three previous tournament games after receiving the dreaded double bye. Their luck didn't change much Thursday afternoon at Madison Square Garden as the Panthers dropped to 0-4 in such situations after falling to Syracuse 62-59, making Pitt one-and-done in their final Big ... Read More
Pitt’s Taylor and Woodall go out winners as Panthers defeat Villanova
There have been plenty of great Big East Conference moments at the Petersen Events Center over the years, but with the upcoming move to the ACC, the Pitt Panthers will be turning a new chapter in making history at The Pete. Thanks to a big effort in overtime from Talib Zanna and a couple big clutch three-pointers from freshman James Robinson, the Panthers closed their chapter of Big East history the same way they started it- with a win as No. 23 Pitt knocked off Villanova 73-64 in their final ... Read More
Pitt must address rebounding issues Saturday vs. U Conn
There has been one common theme surrounding the four losses the Pitt Panthers basketball team has suffered so far during the 2012-13 campaign- the lack of rebounding. Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon has stressed the importance of rebounding over and over again, but the message hasn’t exactly gotten through yet. Currently Pitt ranks only 190th in the nation, pulling down only 34.7 boards per contest, which is not like a Pitt team. It has hurt them at stretches throughout the season, ... Read More