2023–24 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team explained

Mode:Basketball
Year:2023–24
Prev Year:2022–23
Next Year:2024–25
Team:Pittsburgh Panthers
Conference:Atlantic Coast Conference
Short Conf:ACC
Record:22–11
Conf Record:12–8
Head Coach:Jeff Capel
Hc Year:6th
Assoc Coach:Tim O'Toole
Ahc Year:6th
Asst Coach1:Milan Brown
Ac1 Year:6th
Asst Coach2:Jason Capel
Ac2 Year:6th
Stadium:Petersen Events Center
(Capacity: 12,508)

The 2023–24 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers were led by sixth-year head coach Jeff Capel and played their home games at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Panthers won their first four games of the season before losing the opening game of their preseason tournament, the NIT Season Tip-Off, to Florida. They won the third place game against Oregon State. They would then go on to lose their next two games, the first to Missouri in the ACC–SEC Challenge and their ACC season opener against Clemson. They then rebounded to win their next four games, including a rivalry game against West Virginia. The Panthers had a record of 9–2 against non-conference opponents. The Panthers lost four of their next five ACC games including to eighth-ranked North Carolina and eleventh-ranked Duke. Pittsburgh began a streak of winning seven of their next eight with a win over seventh-ranked Duke. The only loss during the stretch came at Miami (FL) while they won against NC State and twenty first-ranked Virginia. They finished the season by winning four of their last six games, with losses coming again to Clemson and to Wake Forest. They defeated NC State on the final day of the season.

The Panthers finished the 2023–24 season 22–11 and 12–8 in ACC play to finish in a fourth place. As the fourth seed in the ACC tournament they received a bye into the Quarterfinals where they defeated Wake Forest. They faced North Carolina in the Semfinals where they were defeated 65–72. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament and they were eligible to participate in the NIT Tournament, but they opted not to participate.[1]

Previous season

The Panthers finished the 2022–23 season 24–12, 14–6 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. This season marked a surprise turnaround from previous seasons; at one point, the Panthers were ranked No. 25 in the nation, their first appearance in the top-25 rankings in seven years. As the No. 5 seed in the ACC tournament, they defeated Georgia Tech before losing to Duke in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the Panthers' first invitation since 2016. As a No. 11 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Mississippi State in the First Four. They upset Iowa State in the first round before losing to Xavier in the second round. This marked Pitt's best season since 2014.

Offseason

Departures

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for Departure
Nelly Cummings 0 G 6'0" 190 GS Senior Graduated/signed to play professionally in Cyprus
with AEL Limassol B.C.[2]
1 G 6'3" 185 Freshman Left the team for personal reasons
Greg Elliott 3 G 6'3" 180 GS Senior Graduated
John Hugley 4 F 6'9" 265 Junior Transferred to Oklahoma[3]
Nate Santos 5 F 6'7" 215 Sophomore Transferred to Dayton[4]
11 G 6'4" 200 Graduated/signed to play professionally in Belgium
with Kortrijk Spurs[5]
Aidan Fisch 13 F 6'5" 185 Senior Walk-on; graduated
22 G 6'4" 185 Graduated

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Ishmael Leggett 5 G 6'2" 180 Rhode Island[6]
KJ Marshall 12 G 5'10" 180 Senior Walk-on; Mars Hill
Zack Austin 55 F 6'7" 201 High Point[7]

Recruiting classes

2024 recruiting class

Schedule and results

|-!colspan=9 style=| Exhibition|-!colspan=9 style=| Regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| ACC TournamentSource[8]

Rankings

See also: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Behanna. Garett. Pitt declines NIT invite after missing out on NCAA tournament bid. cbsnews.com. KDKA-TV. April 8, 2024. March 17, 2024.
  2. Web site: Pitt G Nelly Cummings Signs First Professional Contract. Sports Illustrated. Stephen. Thompson. July 20, 2023. September 7, 2023.
  3. Web site: Pitt Transfer John Hugley Commits to Oklahoma. Sports Illustrated. Stephen. Thompson. April 20, 2023. September 7, 2023.
  4. Web site: Dayton adds Pitt transfer to 2023-24 roster. Dayton Daily News. David. Jablonski. June 13, 2023. September 7, 2023.
  5. Web site: Pitt G Jamarius Burton Signs with Belgian Team. Sports Illustrated. Stephen. Thompson. July 23, 2023. September 7, 2023.
  6. Web site: Rhode Island Transfer Ishmael Leggett Signs with Pitt. Sports Illustrated. Stephen. Thompson. April 20, 2023. September 7, 2023.
  7. Web site: High Point Transfer Zack Austin Signs with Pitt. Sports Illustrated. Stephen. Thompson. April 21, 2023. September 7, 2023.
  8. Web site: 2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule. pittsburghpanthers.com. University of Pittsburgh Athletics. August 31, 2023.