Second signing day still offers intrigue to Pitt, Penn State, WVU fans
The NCAA’s decision to split national signing day into two windows nearly two months apart has had a profound effect on coaches, prospects and fans. Most players in the Class of 2019 signed in December, largely to avoid protracted periods of uncertainty for everyone involved. But if the volume (as...
Pitt, Wake Forest desperate for win in ACC
No one needs to tell Jeff Capel that Wake Forest is having trouble making shots. In preparation for his game against the Demon Deacons on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, N.C., Pitt’s coach watched video of his opponent’s two most recent losses: 64-37 at Clemson on Sunday and 82-54 to Louisville four...
Pitt adds a linebacker to its 2019 recruiting class
Pitt continued to fortify a position where it is losing three prominent seniors when linebacker SirVocea Dennis said Saturday night he gave coach Pat Narduzzi a verbal commitment. Dennis, 6-foot-1, 214 pounds, attends the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J. Unranked by Rivals.com, he nonetheless signed with the Air Force Academy...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt trying to remain positive in the face of adversity
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...
Pitt’s losing streak reaches five in 65-56 loss to Syracuse
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...
Fatigue, Syracuse next on Pitt’s list of problems to solve
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 works to boost Pitt players’ spirits without accepting defeatVideo
Jeff Capel grew up in an atmosphere of winning: state championship in high school; Final Four berth as a player; and national championship as an assistant at Duke. Winning matters to Pitt’s coach, who has presided over 174 victories with three teams. Yet, Pitt’s slide toward the bottom of the...
Pitt 4-star basketball target Wahab chooses Georgetown
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...
Are better days ahead for ‘fatigued’ Pitt?
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,...
Pitt loses another road game, this time to ACC foe Clemson
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’s Olivia Gray gets spot on preseason All-ACC softball team; Panthers 4th
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...
Former Robert Morris player Marcquise Reed will lead Clemson vs. Pitt
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 looks to grad transfer from Michigan for help on offensive line
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...
Pitt’s improving defense, problems in post on display in loss at Louisville
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...
Pitt fades down stretch in loss at No. 23 Louisville
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...
3 reasons Pitt basketball has faded recently
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...
Pat Narduzzi’s interesting history with his two new coaches
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’s Pat Narduzzi questions wisdom of college ‘free agency’
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...
‘Tough stretch’ for Pitt begins at No. 23 Louisville
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...
Pitt’s Darrin Hall prepares for Senior Bowl appearance
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...
In wake of loss to Duke, 3 questions hanging over Pitt basketball
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...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt needs to recruit top talent, and Jeff Capel is ready to run point
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...
Jay-Z appearance at Pitt game wows Panthers, Duke
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...
Pitt/Duke lovefest ends when the game starts
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...
The Pete regains magical atmosphere during Pitt’s revival
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...
