First Call: Omar Khan admits ‘concern’ over Kenny Pickett’s concussions; Mike Brey goes to campus bar to celebrate win over Pitt
Thursday’s “First Call” has an admission from Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan about Kenny Pickett’s concussions. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey celebrates beating Pitt. Duquesne gets some help. Late-night Metropolitan Division results. And Connor McDavid is just unstoppable. Khan on Kenny’s concussions Appearing on ProFootballTalk’s “PFT Live” at the...
Pitt falls flat in 88-81 loss to Notre Dame in Irish coach Mike Brey’s final home game
If Pitt was overwhelmed by the emotion from Notre Dame coach Mike Brey’s final home game, the Panthers picked a bad time for a letdown. Whatever the reason, the result was a damaging — and embarrassing — 88-81 loss to the Irish on Wednesday night in South Bend, Ind. The...
Pitt invited to coach Mike Brey’s going-away party at Notre Dame
Mike Brey said he’s excited about almost everything that will occur Wednesday night at Joyce Center on the Notre Dame campus. He said 30 of his former players are coming to the game against Pitt, Brey’s last at home after nearly 23 years as Notre Dame’s coach. The night will...
Pitt women hope for ‘fresh start’ in ACC Tournament
Lance White knew rebuilding the Pitt women’s basketball program wouldn’t be easy. Five years ago, he arrived after 15 seasons at Florida State where he was recognized as one of the country’s top assistants. He carried energy, enthusiasm and a difficult challenge into his first head-coaching opportunity. Pitt had won...
Tim Benz: For local college basketball teams, it’s a good year to be goodVideo
As Pitt was hanging 99 points on the scoreboard en route to a 17-point win over Syracuse, the Oakland Zoo rooting section was going crazy as former walk-on and one-time team manager Aidan Fisch scored the last basket of the game. The Panthers bench stormed the floor as the final...
For 1st time since 2015-16 season, Pitt is a top-25 basketball team
The only part of Pitt’s season more consistent than solid performance on the court was fans’ outcry and indignation over their team’s exclusion from the Associated Press Top 25. That so-called disrespect ended Monday when Pitt (21-8, 14-4) slipped into the AP and USA Today Coaches polls at No. 25...
Pitt cracks AP Top 25 poll, top spots unchanged
The top five spots in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll remained the same. The rest of the AP Top 25 was a big jumble. At No. 25, Pittsburgh finds itself ranked for the first time since 2016. The Panthers moved up after beating Georgia Tech and Syracuse last...
Emotional sendoff on senior night ‘nothing short of a dream’ for Pitt’s Aidan Fisch
Since the moment he arrived on campus in Oakland, Aidan Fisch dreamed of wearing a Pitt uniform and contributing to a winning team. His contributions began early on as a team manager for the men’s basketball team. Flash ahead to Saturday night, and Fisch was pinching himself as he scored...
Nothing normal about Pitt’s historic improvement from 11 to 21 victories
Sam Clancy works in the same building as Jeff Capel. It’s inevitable that Pitt basketball, past and present, cross paths occasionally. One day this season, in the midst of Pitt’s historic recovery from oblivion, Clancy walked up to the coach and announced, “I’m a proud basketball alumni. I’m walking around...
Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim offers lengthy expansion of earlier remarks made about Pitt
Less than three weeks ago, comments by longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim sent shockwaves through the college basketball world when he accused Pitt, among other ACC programs, of buying players in an interview with ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Lamenting the changing landscape of college athletics in the Name, Image and Likeness...
Pitt belts Syracuse, rolls into 1st place in the ACC
Perhaps the moment that defined Pitt’s runaway 99-82 victory against Syracuse on Saturday was Nike Sibande’s alley-oop dunk in the second half. The play, initiated by a pinpoint out-of-bounds pass from the baseline by Nelly Cummings, resulted in two points, a 50-40 Pitt lead and a thunderous roar from the...
Jim Boeheim’s comments about Pitt didn’t go over well in Syracuse either
When Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim took a swat at Pitt and a few other ACC schools for “buying a team,” it didn’t go over well in Pittsburgh. It didn’t go over well elsewhere. Like, in Syracuse. Brent Axe is a radio host at ESPN Syracuse and a columnist for...
Pitt Take 5: Stakes high for Panthers in their final 3 regular-season games
Jeff Capel has said repeatedly that the NCAA Net rankings, Associated Press Top 25 and the many versions of bracketology that pop up on the internet do not interest him. But don’t let him fool you. Pitt’s coach knows what’s at stake over the final three games of the regular...
Former Pitt defensive end Deslin Alexandre named Jason Witten Man of the Year
After a busy collegiate career on and off the field, former Pitt defensive end Deslin Alexandre was named the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year at a ceremony Thursday night in Frisco, Texas. The honor is annually presented by former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten to the FBS...
Emotions will surface when Pitt honors its seniors, but big game vs. Syracuse awaits
There will be smiles and tears, back slaps and hugs and flowers for the ladies Saturday when Pitt honors its five seniors in front of a sold-out crowd at Petersen Events Center. Those extracurricular activities will occur before the ball is tipped to start the game, but unlike many past...
U mad, bro?: Frustration around Mike Tomlin’s ‘standard,’ slumping Penguins, Pitt being unranked, Gerrit Cole’s quip
One thing that is wonderful about Pittsburgh sports fans is that they do not discriminate when it comes to their angst. The Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Pitt, college basketball … even the XFL! This week’s “U mad, bro?” illustrates how all-encompassing of a community we truly have in this great city....
While games grow in intensity, Pitt’s Jeff Capel seeks more of the same on defense
Pitt’s victory against Georgia Tech on Tuesday padded the Panthers’ NCAA Tournament resume and relieved some pressure and perhaps some doubt among the fan base after the loss at Virginia Tech. More importantly, it fortified one important thought in coach Jeff Capel’s mind: It’s time to get tough in practice....
Pitt freshmen sacrifice last days of high school to prepare for life as college football player
No one can predict how many or to what extent Pitt’s freshman football players will impact the team next season. So much time, so much to learn and so many moving parts stand in the way before the opener Sept. 2 against Wofford. After winter conditioning, spring practice begins next...
Pitt avoids upset, pulls away from Georgia Tech for 20th victory
By a strict mathematical standard, Pitt’s 76-68 victory Tuesday night against Georgia Tech didn’t qualify as a game the Panthers absolutely needed to win. If Pitt had lost in front of 9,482 at raucous Petersen Events Center, there would have been time to recover. There are three games left in...
Tim Benz: For Pitt basketball — seize upcoming chances to win and play ‘blame game’ later
For fans of the Pitt Panthers basketball team, complaining about the poll voters has proven fruitless. Blaming flawed computer-ranking models — or at least flawed interpretations of them — is doing no good. Jeff Capel’s attempt to take a jab at the ACC Network for weak promotion on Monday was...
Down year for ACC? Pitt’s Jeff Capel doesn’t understand perception
After shepherding Pitt through practice, watching video of his opponents and talking with players, recruits and staff pretty much all day, Jeff Capel still can’t get enough basketball. When the day’s work is done, he may tune into the ACC Network and Big Ten Network to keep up on what’s...
Plum native Emily Coughlin growing into key player for young Pitt women’s lacrosse teamVideo
Emily Coughlin always will have a place in Pitt women’s lacrosse history. Three years ago, when coach Emily Boissonneault started to build the program from scratch, she made the Plum native her first WPIAL recruit. But Coughlin wants to be more than a footnote in the team media guide. She...
Tim Benz: Questions remain around Kenny Pickett — and many other quarterbacks
At this time a year ago, pretty much any Pittsburgh Steelers conversation was focused on the quarterback position. Would Aaron Rodgers really retire or leave Green Bay? What’s happening with Russell Wilson and Derek Carr? Do the Steelers have any faith in Mason Rudolph? How serious is the team about...
Analysis: After loss to Virginia Tech and with tournaments approaching, Pitt needs to get better in a hurry
Three weeks ago — when Pitt was winning regularly and fans were dreaming of lofty tournament seedings and an ACC championship — the Georgia Tech game appeared to be a mere nuisance on the schedule. One of those games put under the victory column long before it’s played, an insignificant...
Pitt’s 6-game winning streak ends in loss to Virginia Tech
After Pitt won six games in a row, no one expected the Panthers to maintain such a pace for the rest of the season. Bad stuff can happen, and Pitt’s 79-72 loss Saturday to Virginia Tech before a crowd of 8,925 at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va., should not have...
