NCAA Tournament notebook: How the Diaz Graham twins found their way to Pitt
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jeff Capel’s career in college basketball stretches back to the turn of the century. Since that time, he has been a host for many recruits. But the day prep stars Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham showed up at Pitt with their family — extended family, really —...
Pitt notebook: Black uniforms suit Pitt just fine
Fans have expressed plenty of angst this week after Pitt’s players decided to wear their black uniforms instead of the royal blue that has been so popular for football and basketball. Guess what. Greg Elliott said you can stop complaining. In his mind, black uniforms have helped fuel the team...
Defense leads Pitt to 59-41 NCAA Tournament victory against Iowa State
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guillermo Diaz Graham just couldn’t help it. He needed to open his mouth and unleash all his emotion with one scream. Even though he would rather not. Screaming is what everybody — Pitt players, coaches and, especially, the 16,150 at Greensboro Coliseum — were doing Friday while...
Pitt’s Federiko Federiko doesn’t start, may play against Iowa State
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Federiko Federiko may play in Pitt’s first-round game Friday against Iowa State, but he was not announced as a starter before the game. Freshman Guillermo Diaz Graham started in his place. The TruTV telecast reported that Federiko has a sprained MCL in his knee, but he entered...
Penn State takes wrestling lead after Day 1; Spencer Lee advances
TULSA, Okla. — Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis and Iowa’s Spencer Lee remain on track to win their fourth Division I wrestling titles, and Penn State leads the team race after the opening day of action at the national championships on Thursday. Lee, a Franklin Regional grad, pinned Air Force’s Tucker Owens...
Pitt students gear up for March Madness game against Iowa State with cautious optimism
So, maybe it’s not full-on madness — at least not yet. But with the University of Pittsburgh’s men’s basketball team set to face Iowa State University on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Panthers fans who haven’t had a tournament win to celebrate since 2014 are...
Pitt notebook: Blake Hinson puts his time at Iowa State off limits, but he welcomes talk about Barack Obama
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Turns out, Blake Hinson prefers talking about Barack Obama, his Pitt teammates and the city of Pittsburgh more than he does his former team, Iowa State. Hinson sat on stage Thursday and was peppered with questions about Iowa State, where he spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons....
Amid all his coaches, Pitt’s Jamarius Burton still welcomes mom’s halftime texts
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jeff Capel almost never sits down during games. He’s always pacing the Pitt sideline, directing player traffic and, occasionally, pleading with officials. Meanwhile, several of his assistants regularly are bouncing off their chairs, waving their arms and shouting instructions toward the court. All that said, Pitt senior...
Sean Miller back in the NCAA Tournament with Xavier, but Vanderbilt loss with Pitt sticks with him
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sean Miller turned 54 years old this season, with almost that many years of basketball fame, fortune and success behind him. At present, Miller is consumed by the 2023 NCAA Tournament, bringing his No. 3-seeded Xavier team to Greensboro, N.C., to meet No. 14 Kennesaw State at...
Pitt, Duquesne involved in talks to play football game at Acrisure Stadium
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Pitt and Duquesne officials are in the midst of talks that could bring their football teams together for the first time since 1939, possibly in one of the next few seasons at Acrisure Stadium, Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke said Thursday. Duquesne has played Power 5 schools...
Tim Benz: Tournament expansion is a bad idea — but if the NCAA can’t resist, here’s how to do it
Thursday and Friday mark what many feel to be two of the best days of the sports year: the first two days of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Perfectly timed on the sports calendar. Perfectly formatted with its fan-friendly three-week-long bracket system. Perfectly packaged with its survive-and-advance drama, and David...
Pitt adds verbal commitment from Ohio defensive tackle Francis Brewu
Pitt upped its number of verbal commitments for the Class of 2024 to five Thursday morning, as three-star defensive tackle Francis Brewu announced a pledge to the Panthers on Twitter. #BLESSED I am extremely excited to announce that I am 100% committed to play football and continue my academic career...
U mad, bro?: Steelers free agency, Pitt coverage, Tristan Jarry, Pens roster decisions put the ‘mad’ in ‘March Madness’
March Madness is upon us, but Pittsburgh sports fans don’t seem that mad about Pitt. They’re mainly mad about the Steelers, the Penguins and my coverage of both teams. OK, and a little mad about Pitt too. Here’s this week’s “U mad, bro?” Tim sent me an email after Penguins...
Pitt’s Guillermo Diaz Graham likes the flavor of his first taste of March Madness
When Guillermo Diaz Graham walked onto the UD Arena floor for Pitt’s First Four NCAA Tournament game Tuesday, he was startled by the enormity of the crowd. Born in the Canary Islands 20 years ago, Guillermo and his twin brother, Jorge, had been playing basketball for years. Why such a...
Gov. Shapiro’s NCAA bracket pits Pitt vs. Penn State in Sweet 16
It’s a bold prediction. One only a Pennsylvania governor could dream up. Right there in his Sweet 16 round, Gov. Josh Shapiro has Pitt meeting Penn State in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The governor shared his bracket Wednesday on social media. It's the best three weeks in basketball, Pennsylvania.Take a...
5 things to know about Pitt vs. Iowa State in the NCAA TournamentVideo
We now know that the Pitt Panthers (23-11) are going to be in the field of 64 after their 60-59 First Four victory over Mississippi State on Tuesday night in Dayton. We’ve long known that their potential opponent would be the Iowa State Cyclones (19-13), who finished fifth in a...
Pitt marches to 1st NCAA Tournament win since 2014 in First Four thrillerVideo
DAYTON, Ohio — In the aftermath of Pitt’s rousing 60-59 victory Tuesday night in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, Jamarius Burton, Blake Hinson and the Diaz Graham twins – Guillermo and Jorge – handled themselves from three totally different corners of the emotional spectrum. Guillermo, who blocked Mississippi...
Pitt’s Federiko Federiko out with knee injury for NCAA Tournament game
DAYTON, Ohio — A difficult job just became moreso Tuesday night when Pitt center Federiko Federiko, who started 27 games this season, was not in the starting lineup for the Panthers’ NCAA Tournament First Four game against Mississippi State. Federiko, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, injured his knee last week in an...
‘Best time of your life’: Pitt football opens spring practice
Among the handful of opening days on the annual calendar for major college football, Tuesday’s is far from the most anticipated. It isn’t as important as the start of preseason camp or, certainly, the first gameday of a season. But this unseasonably cold Tuesday morning at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex’s...
Pitt’s Heather Lyke named finalist for SBJ’s Athletic Director of the Year
DAYTON, Ohio — Pitt’s across-the-board success in athletics has gained Heather Lyke national recognition. Lyke, who has been Pitt’s athletic director since 2017, was named a finalist for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year award. Pitt finished the fall portion of the academic year ranked sixth in...
Pitt Take 5: Win or lose, Panthers can celebrate this season, look to the future and the return of Will Jeffress
DAYTON, Ohio — No matter what happens to Pitt on Tuesday night against Mississippi State, the season should not be judged by one 40-minute period of basketball. A loss would be Pitt’s fifth in the final eight games of the season, probably tied to each one of the following reasons:...
Pitt center John Hugley IV to enter transfer portal
On the day of Pitt’s first NCAA Tournament game since 2016, a player once thought to be key in the team’s potential reemergence opted to part ways with the program. Junior center John Hugley IV announced Tuesday morning he is entering the transfer portal. “ … It is with careful...
Jay Wright on Pitt’s turnaround; Penn State’s NCAA tough opener; West Virginia’s showdown with Maryland
This will be the most exciting week of college basketball in Western Pennsylvania in a long time. Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia have all qualified for the NCAA Tournament in the same year for the first time since 2011. The action gets going Tuesday night as Pitt takes on...
Pitt’s big challenge in NCAA First Four: Contain Mississippi State’s 6-11 Tolu Smith
DAYTON, Ohio — The game will hit the TV sets in the Canary Islands at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, an hour later on the Spanish mainland. “My dad will be watching,” Pitt freshman Jorge Diaz Graham said. “My friends, maybe.” But, Jorge, don’t they have to get up and go...
Tim Benz: If Pitt has ‘joy with a mixture of hunger’ conflict over being seeded in Dayton, there’s a way to reconcile it
The NCAA Tournament bracket was released Sunday with Pitt playing against Mississippi State as a First Four team in Dayton on Tuesday. The winner will play Iowa State on Friday. Many Pitt fans seemed to react with equal amounts of relief and outrage. Relief in the sense that Pitt managed...
