The Pitt men's basketball team is coming off a 15th consecutive postseason appearance. Most schools would be happy with that, but Jamie Dixon and company are coming off a very disappointing 2014-15 campaign which saw them end up in the NIT. For the Panthers to get back on track and return to the NCAA Tournament, Dixon will have to turn things around with a lot of new faces. Gone are graduated guard Cameron Wright, and big men Derrick Randall and Aron Nwankwo. Also gone are swingman ... Read More
Pitt announces 2015-16 men’s basketball schedule
The Pitt Panthers men’s basketball team and the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference announced their 2015-16 schedules today. Jamie Dixon’s squad will start the regular season with a trip to Okinawa, Japan to play Gonzaga in the Armed Forces Classic on November 13. That contest will be broadcast on ESPN as the first of 10 nationally televised contests for the Panthers. The next big game on the slate for Pitt will be at the Pedersen Events Center for a showdown with Purdue on December 1 as ... Read More
Pitt guard Josh Newkirk to transfer
Junior guard Josh Newkirk, who had microfracture surgery on his left knee on May 6, will not rejoin the Pitt Panthers this fall as expected. Instead, Newkirk will return home to Raleigh, North Carolina to continue his rehab and is expected to transfer to another NCAA Division-I school. "Josh is looking to get closer to home while he recovers from knee surgery and we are in full support of his decision," said head coach Jamie Dixon in a statement. "He has been an excellent student and ... Read More
Durand Johnson to transfer from Pitt basketball program
After a down year, the Pitt Panthers men's basketball team was hopeful that it would get soon-to-be senior guard Durand Johnson back from a season-long suspension. Those hopes won't come to fruition, as it was announced on Tuesday that Johnson will transfer from the Pitt basketball program. #Pitt news - Durand Johnson is no longer a part of the program. — Paul Zeise (@PaulZeise) April 14, 2015 It wasn't announced where he will transfer to at the time of print. "It is time to move ... Read More
Panthers season ends in NIT first round
Senior Aron Phillips-Nwankwo walked off the Petersen Events Center for the final time with his hands on top of his head. His Pitt Panthers career was over as the team fell 60-54 to George Washington in the first round of the NIT Tuesday. “I know we’re a better team than we played, this is how we performed," Panthers coach Jamie Dixon said. "We had good practices and the guys were excited about playing. Some of the decisions we made tonight are not what we normally do. The free throws wore ... Read More
Panthers will host George Washington in NIT
The Pitt Panthers will not be competing in NCAA March Madness this year, but they will still be heading to the postseason, taking part in the National Invitation Tournament. The Panthers (19-14) will host George Washington (21-12) at the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the first round of the NIT. The game will be televised on ESPN. The winner will play the winner of the game between the #1 seed Temple Owls and #8 seed Bucknell Bisons. The NIT features 32 teams that were ... 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
Sheldon Jeter has Pitt thinking NCAA Tournament
The Pitt Panthers basketball team has made it a habit of winning some big games the past three weeks. That could be enough to send them to another NCAA Tournament. If the Panthers do go dancing in March, they may have one man to thank for it- forward Sheldon Jeter. Since receiving a bump in minutes the past few weeks, Jeter has begun to emerge as the player Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon thought he would have at the beginning of the season. Sometimes you just need an opportunity and Jeter ... Read More
James Robinson helps lift Pitt to upset over Notre Dame
Pitt Panthers’ junior guard James Robinson scored the Panthers first five points of the game, but it was what Robinson did at the end of the game that meant the most as Pitt put an end to a three-game losing streak with a 76-72 upset of No. 8 Notre Dame Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt watched an eight-point lead disappear throughout the game’s final three minutes and trailed by one with 12 seconds left after Robinson missed a free throw and Jerian Grant knocked down a ... Read More
Panthers downed by hot shooting Louisville
You aren’t going to win many games when you can’t stop the opposition and the Pitt Panthers found that stopping the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday was a near impossible task. The Cardinals made a whopping 71 percent of their field goal attempts in the first half and cruised to an 80-68 victory, dropping the Panthers to 3-4 in ACC play on the season. The No. 10 ranked Cardinals are one team that hasn’t found trouble winning at the Petersen Events Center as they improved to 4-1 on the ... Read More