Pitt category, Page 154

Where Jim Boeheim was impressed with Pitt’s freshman guards for the way they aggressively attacked Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, Jeff Capel was learning to live with every mistake the young Panthers made. There were ill-advised passes that led to turnovers, open looks that resulted in missed shots and controversial calls for...

When two teams get together and one has trouble shedding the other and building a comfortable advantage, the outcome is often decided by moments. Plays that last mere seconds, but ultimately determine a winner and loser. Pitt’s 65-56 loss to Syracuse on Saturday at Petersen Events Center had three of...

No one should be surprised if Pitt’s players are showing signs of fatigue as they approach the end of the first half of the ACC season. Game 9 is Saturday at Petersen Events Center against Syracuse, and it will be a good test for two reasons. It will reveal: •...

Jeff Capel continues trying to recruit some of the top high school players on the East Coast, especially those who can score in the paint, but he struck out Wednesday when four-star center Qudus Wahab chose Georgetown. Wahab (6-foot-10, 230 pounds) was rated the 20th center in the U.S. (115th...

Jeff Capel chuckled, but you could tell he really wasn’t in a joking mood. He was talking about how easily Clemson, a team that had lost five of its first six ACC games, hit shots in the first half of the Tigers’ 82-69 victory against Pitt on Tuesday night. Capel,...

CLEMSON, S.C. — Senior guard Marcquise Reed scored 26 points, and Clemson rediscovered its touch from long range Tuesday night in an 82-69 victory against Pitt in an ACC game at Littlejohn Coliseum. Reed, the Tigers’ leading scorer at 19.3 points per game, enjoyed another big night, making 8 of...

Pitt senior infielder Olivia Gray was named to the preseason All-ACC softball team while the defending Coastal Division champion Panthers were projected to finish fourth by the coaches poll. Gray was an All-ACC first-team selection last year after hitting .311, with four home runs and 25 RBIs. She also finished...

Four years later, Andy Toole doesn’t begrudge Marcquise Reed. “While he was here, he put his all into our program,” Robert Morris’ coach said of Clemson’s 6-foot-3 senior guard. Yet, there are wistful thoughts that occasionally cross Toole’s mind. “I would have loved to have coached him for four years,”...

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has returned to the graduate transfer pool for the third consecutive year in an attempt to fortify his offensive line. Nolan Ulizio, who played at Michigan the past four seasons, posted Sunday on Twitter his intention to play his final season of eligibility at Pitt. He...

There’s plenty of information to dissect following Pitt’s 66-51 loss to Louisville on Saturday. Some good, some bad. Let’s start with the good stuff. 1. Team defense improving Pitt played reliable defense for much of the game, holding the Cardinals to 66 points, their lowest total by 13 in seven...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The shots weren’t falling for No. 23 Louisville on Saturday, so the Cardinals needed to make sure the same thing happened to Pitt. Jordan Nwora scored 17 points to help Louisville rally past Pitt, 66-51, and avenge its only conference loss this season. The Cardinals (15-5, 6-1...

Not long ago, Pitt had a 16-point lead on Louisville with 14 minutes, 37 seconds left in the second half. The Panthers survived in overtime 89-86 because they don’t know how to stop fighting. In the subsequent four games and the 19:37 left against Louisville, Pitt was outscored by 32...

When an otherwise successful season ended with a three-game losing streak, Pat Narduzzi moved swiftly to fix the problem. He fired two coaches — the first time he did it with more than one assistant in the same offseason — and hired Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator and Chris Beatty...

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi may need to find a new holder for his kicking game next season, but he otherwise barely is affected by the NCAA’s transfer portal that ushers free agency into college athletics. But that doesn’t mean he likes it. “It’s become really a mess,” he said Friday...

The first order of business for Pitt freshman Au’Diese Toney at Louisville on Saturday will be to remain calm. “You always have to be level-headed and keep your composure,” he said. Still, there’s nothing wrong with talking to the guy you’re guarding, perhaps getting him riled up a bit as...

Darrin Hall’s all-star tour will continue Saturday when the Pitt running back suits up for the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., where he’ll attempt to improve his NFL Draft stock. He will become the first Pitt running back since Kevan Barlow in 2000 to appear in the Senior Bowl. Hall...

Petersen Events Center is energized again, with two Pitt basketball crowds already topping 12,000. How different is that? Average attendance at the Pete has fallen every season since 2014-15, finally hitting an all-time low of 4,117 last year. Students seated in the Oakland Zoo sections take great glee in cheering...

Jeff Capel wasted no words when asked about being associate coach to Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski or accepting the Pitt head coach job, even when those worlds were about to collide when the Panthers played the Blue Devils. “It’s not about me,” Capel said, repeatedly. That was his answer for the...

Like he insists has been his routine for every game, Zion Williamson had a go-to pregame hype-up song. “‘(It Was All A) Dream’ by Jay-Z, Faith Evans and Notorious B.I.G.,” the Duke freshman said proudly. “I can never go wrong with that song.” So, imagine Williamson’s joy when he saw...

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski professed great love for Pitt coach Jeff Capel after his team’s 79-64 victory Tuesday night at Petersen Events Center. Not surprising since Capel started for Krzyzewski for four years at Duke and was his trusted assistant coach for the past seven. But there are limits to...

Forty-minutes before scheduled tip-off, there were arguably more people in the seating bowl of the Petersen Events Center than there were for 10 of Pitt’s 12 previous home games this season. Intangibly, probably more energy and delirium at that point than there was for any of the 18 home games...

With the Oakland Zoo bouncing and hip-hop legend Jay-Z bobbing his head to the beats of his own songs courtside, the Pitt-Duke game brought back memories of Petersen Events Center as an intimidating home court. That first-year Pitt coach Jeff Capel was coaching for the first time against his alma...

After the Oakland Zoo’s confetti was swept off the floor of Petersen Events Center and Pitt’s game against Duke on Tuesday night became a memory, another pressing matter remained for the Panthers. The rest of the season. Pitt will play only one game at Petersen Events Center through Feb. 5,...

Duke’s 79-64 victory against Pitt in front of a noisy, sellout crowd at Petersen Events Center made coach Jeff Capel think. About his past and, of course, the present as his Panthers try to keep up with more talented teams in the ACC. Duke freshman forward Zion Williamson, projected to...