Reeling Pitt off the mark again in home loss to Syracuse
With nearly 14 minutes left in Pitt’s 69-58 loss to Syracuse on Tuesday night, there was plenty of time for the Panthers to recover from what had been a listless performance. Suddenly, several opposing players went to the floor, falling onto the Pitt logo at midcourt, pushing each other and...
Ex-Pitt guard Curtis Aiken earns appointment to Pitt board of trustees
Former Pitt standout guard Curtis Aiken has been appointed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education. He is set to serve a four-year term ending Oct. 5, 2027. Aiken, who is a radio analyst for...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi hires 3 coaches for restructured offensive staff
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi filled the final vacancies on his offensive staff and altered its structure Tuesday when he hired three assistants: Jacob Bronowski, Jeremy Darveau and Lindsey Lamar. Bronowski will coach tight ends and special teams, a shift from the first nine years of Narduzzi’s Pitt tenure when Andre...
After week without a game, Pitt’s Jeff Capel hopes he’s fixed Panthers’ issues
When Pitt confronts Syracuse on Tuesday night at Petersen Events Center, the game will be a test of how well Jeff Capel has schooled his team in the wake of an 81-73 loss to the Orange last month. There is time for Pitt to reverse its fortunes, but a 1-4...
Pitt and Duquesne are ‘hunting’ for quick conference turnarounds
The campuses of Pitt and Duquesne are separated by about two miles. For the schools’ basketball teams, the starts of their respective conference schedules haven’t been separated by very much either. The Panthers (10-6) are 1-4 in ACC play. The Dukes (9-6) are 0-3 to begin their Atlantic 10 slate....
ACC’s best rebounders next up for slumping Pitt
There is some good news for Pitt and coach Jeff Capel, but it’s difficult to find much of it after the 78-53 loss to Duke on Tuesday night. The Panthers can cross off North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, the ACC’s leading rebounder, from their list of big men they must confront...
Pitt steps up in class, gets trampled by No. 11 Duke
Pitt was deficient in many areas Tuesday night in its 75-53 loss to No. 11 Duke in what started out as an energized Petersen Events Center. The most dominant factor in the Panthers’ third loss in four games was the fact they had no answer for Duke 7-foot center Kyle...
Pitt learning to withstand physicality while preparing for No. 11 Duke
Pitt and Duke players won’t wear helmets Tuesday night when their teams meet at Petersen Events Center. But there’s a word and style of play that has been creeping into college basketball in recent seasons — physicality — and it’s something that needs to be addressed by players and coaches...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel, Blake Hinson make opposing predictions on national title game outcome
Pitt coach Jeff Capel might not give all his attention to the TV screen Monday night during the college football national championship game between Michigan and Washington. After all, Capel has a game of his own to think about, with No. 11 Duke visiting Petersen Events Center on Tuesday. But...
Larry Fitzgerald becomes 25th Pitt player named to College Football Hall of Fame
Pitt legend Larry Fitzgerald, who needed only 26 games to become one of the most productive and awe-inspiring wide receivers in history, was selected Monday to the College Football Hall of Fame. He was selected in his first year of eligibility and is the 25th man with Pitt ties to...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel, Duke’s Jon Scheyer tag-team tale involves Jayson Tatum, an expletive and a beer for Coach K
Jeff Capel holds many memories of serving with Jon Scheyer on Duke’s coaching staff. A story that stands out for both men was the day Capel uttered an expletive in a five-star recruit’s living room while witnessing the “one and only time” he saw Mike Krzyzewski drink a beer. The...
Good vibes surface for Pitt after Louisville victory, but tough ACC schedule awaits
Two encouraging events emerged from Pitt’s victory at Louisville, the Panthers’ first in four games against ACC competition. • Jaland Lowe’s time on the court continued to increase. After averaging 13.6 minutes through the first nine games of his freshman season, Lowe has been used an average of 20.6 minutes...
Pitt gets verbal commitment from ex-Alabama quarterback Eli Holstein
Pat Narduzzi hopes he altered the landscape and trajectory of Pitt’s football program with four coaching changes on offense, but he went a step further Sunday. Narduzzi took another swing at a transfer quarterback and secured a verbal commitment from Eli Holstein, formerly of Alabama. He is the 12th player...
Behind Blake Hinson’s 21 points, Pitt wins its 1st ACC game of season at Louisville
Anyone who didn’t watch closely while Pitt defeated Louisville, 83-70, on Saturday might only look at the obvious reasons for victory. Blake Hinson (21) and Zack Austin (20) scored nearly half of their team’s points, helping the Panthers (10-5, 1-3) stop a two-game losing skid in front of a crowd...
Pitt football overhauls offensive coaching staff, severs ties with 3 assistants
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi almost completely overhauled his offensive staff Friday night, parting ways with veteran assistant coaches Tim Salem (tight ends), Andre Powell (running backs and special teams) and Dave Borbely (offensive line). The moves surfaced six weeks after Narduzzi began dismantling the offensive staff, firing offensive coordinator Frank...
Pitt gets commitment from transfer WR Raphael Williams, 3rd Western Carolina skill player lured by OC Kade Bell
The influx of new players at Pitt can’t be labeled a roster turnover, but Pat Narduzzi hopes a year from now it will, at least, be labeled a roster enhancement. They tried to hold me back, but it was God planned ‼️???????? #Committed pic.twitter.com/pHkVytOp3l— Raphael Williams Jr. (@Poppi1k) January 5,...
Pitt Take 5: Louisville may not be a ‘must-win,’ but losing at KFC Yum! Center wouldn’t taste good
There is no such thing as a must-win game in early January, but Saturday’s game against Louisville comes close. If Pitt (9-5, 0-3) loses to Louisville on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center and finds itself 0-4 in the conference for the first time since the last of the Kevin...
After practicing in pain, Pitt former walk-on K.J. Marshall rewarded with scholarship
For senior walk-on guard K.J. Marshall, Pitt’s post-practice meeting Thursday was like many that had come before it. “Honestly, I wasn’t listening too much. I was in the back, playing around like I normally do,” he said. But the theme of the meeting was unselfishness, and it suddenly became about...
Ex-Ohio U. linebacker Keye Thompson plans to transfer to Pitt, add versatility to the position
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi added depth and a possible starter to his linebacker group Thursday when Keye Thompson announced plans to transfer from Ohio University. He is the 10th player to join the team through the transfer portal since the end of the season. Thompson, who has one season of...
Winless in ACC, Pitt men seek better point production
Jeff Capel was proud of the effort his team displayed in Pitt’s 70-57 loss to No. 8 North Carolina on Tuesday. He repeatedly has praised his players’ attitude and togetherness, hoping those three traits eventually will lead to victories in the ACC. So far, however, Pitt (9-5 overall) has lost...
Cold-shooting Pitt remains winless in ACC after loss to No. 8 North Carolina
The missed shots hurt – badly – and Pitt had plenty of those in its 70-57 loss to No. 8 North Carolina on Tuesday night. Shots that go awry create opportunities for rebounds and second-chance points. But that was no advantage for a Pitt team that lost the battle of...
Analysis: Pitt needs better rebounding, balanced scoring when it meets North Carolina
Losses create plenty of angst among the Pitt fan base, and what happened at Syracuse will spawn its share. Justifiably so. But when a coach voices concern for the immediate future after Pitt (9-4, 0-2 ACC) was pounded on the glass by the Orange in an 81-73 defeat, it’s time...
Pitt loses 11-point lead, falls to Syracuse 81-73
Before Pitt’s game at Syracuse on Saturday became an 81-73 loss for the Panthers, there were several opportunities to reverse that outcome. • Start with rebounding. Pitt did far less of that than what was necessary, especially in the second half when the score was tied 61-61 with five minutes...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Pittsburgh sports had no ‘best of 2023’
This is the time for cliched, year-in-review “best of 2023” lists. But Pittsburgh sports had no “best of 2023.” All the major sports teams were rotten. All seem pointed in the wrong direction. The Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and Pitt football were a combined 20 games under .500 in 2023. The...
Pitt’s Blake Hinson feels pulse of team, provides scoring touch it needs
Blake Hinson is the only senior in Pitt’s starting lineup, so he willingly accepts the responsible roles of guidance counselor and the team’s leading scorer. The scoring part is easy for Hinson, who leads the ACC and is tied for sixth in the nation in made 3-pointers (45). He also...
