Pitt finished the 2022-23 home schedule by winning its final six games in a row. While one portion of the Panthers’ story comes to an end, another is just beginning. For the first time in seven seasons, the Pitt Panthers ranked in the AP Poll Top 25.
Pitt (21-8, 14-4 ACC) received 140 votes to rank No. 25 on the AP rankings as the third-highest ACC team behind Virginia (No. 13, 718 votes) and Miami (No. 16, 668 votes), who both lost Saturday. Duke (78), NC State (6), and Clemson (5) also received votes outside of the Top 25. The selection marks the first time in 2,591 days Pitt is ranked.
The Panthers received 34 votes and sat No. 27 overall in the rankings last week, two spots higher than the week before. Pitt received 82 votes for the Feb. 13 poll, 48 additional votes than the previous rankings.
The Panthers slotted as high as No. 20 under head coach Jamie Dixon during the 2015-16 campaign. It also marked the last time Pitt reached the NCAA tournament. The team lost 47-43 to No. 7 seed Wisconsin, entering March Madness a No. 10 seed following a 21-12 overall record and a 9-9 ACC mark.
Andy Katz has the Panthers No. 22 overall on his Power 36, down seven spots from No. 31 last week. The Hurricanes (No. 12) moved down three spots while the Cavaliers (No. 30) took a major tumble from No. 8 following losses to Boston College and North Carolina.
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein moved Pitt from No. 26 to 23 on his latest ROTHSTEIN 45, noting Jeff Capel should be named ACC Coach of the Year. Miami (No. 12) and Virginia (No. 15) are higher than Pitt while Duke (No. 24), NC State (No. 29), and North Carolina (No. 45) sit behind.
Pitt faces Notre Dame on the road Wednesday night. A victory would own a share of the ACC regular season title and a victory at Miami would secure the outright crown.
according to this guy, we’re lucky and blessed to be #25 …
ACC teams have no one but themselves to blame for lack of respect in polls and brackets | Sporting News
Call the Wambulance! Butt hurt fanboy alert!
You seem emotionally invested in PITT losing in every sport. It’s weird for a grown man. If some wild stretch of miracles and luck put the Panthers in the college football playoffs would you even extend a lukewarm congrats?
Actually not at all. Im a very big football fan. And a realist. The nonsensical whining about the basketball program is a joke. Fact: Capel has a losing record. Fact his ACC win percentage is an abysmal 35-57. Fact: 3 of his recruits have been arrested in the past three years. One lightening in a bottle season doesn’t mitigate an overall substandard performance. “Weird for a grown man”? Who is engaging who?
I don’t agree with much of this. I think bringing up Capels record so far is a bit unfair considering the position he was in to start. I do agree with the lightening in a bottle point though. We need to see what next season brings before we declare we are “back” and deserving of any ranking bias whatsoever. Next year will be different. We need to understand that. I’d say 7th and above in the ACC would show we are on the right path to being perennially “back.”
What is unfair about examining a coach’s record in its entirety? It’s more disingenuous to basically give them a 4 year pass. And the arrests speak for themselves
What’s unfair about bringing up his complete record? He regressed years 2-4. In total, he has done a subpar job. Numbers don’t lie.
The state of the program prior to his arrival requires looking at the totality of the situation beyond the numbers. At least that is what I think.
I also said you were right about the lightening in a bottle piece. Care to talk about that? I offered up a perspective and thought on the matter. Would you like to engage in discussion? What do you think about my idea of measuring progress starting next year after this fantastic season we’ve had?
It will be Year 6. Anything less than a top 5 finish in the conference would show definitive regression and the lack of ability to build a program
In Year 6 anything less than top 5 would show an inability to truly build a program. Numbers simply don’t lie. When recruits arrested far exceeds postseason appearances you don’t belong coaching my alma mater
Top 5 is fair. I think top 7 in an average ACC conference makes the tourney. That’s where I got 7. And I think jockeying above 7 as a low bar is fair in this landscape.
Fair enough on the arrests. Winning has a way of causing people to look past that kind of thing.
There is a need for the scrutiny Mr. PS provides. Otherwise we may have a coach tell his boss “get off my lawn” and the DoD fighting to keep said boss because he’s in their back pocket.
Is this “On Campus Stadium”? If so, everyone please move on.
Nope.
No. And feel free to take your own sage advice. No need to engage with nothing of value skippy
So, as an example of how weak the ACC is, this guy states that they are “only” 8-6 in head to head match-ups against the second best conference in the country, but because the B10 has a few more non-conference wins they are far superior to the ACC…okay, got it.
Uh, do you understand the concept of “small sample size”? Dummy.
I’m sorry to hear that we are finally ranked. I was kind of hoping that we would become the FIRST unranked ACC Champion.
There is still hope. If Central Connecticut State NW beats Albany A&M, they may move ahead of us in the rankings! What happens if we win the NCAA tournament? Do we get ranked 21st?
“We” LOL. What actual affiliation do you have with the University?
I use “we.” I was a student and in the Zoo. But a lot of people say “we” when talking about their favorite sports teams. It’s a bit lame to pick on that…
We can agree to disagree on that.
“We” when you have no affiliation with the University is simply teenybopper crap. Pure fanboy
https://youtu.be/xN1WN0YMWZU
Or search “Mitchell and Webb We Football” if you don’t want to follow the link. Funny video on the use of “we” by sports fans.
If you ignore it, it will go away.
Doubtful.
Too much fun inserting facts and balance into the fanboy echo chamber that this board has devolved into.
I enjoy bringing facts and perspective to the fanboy echo chamber that is this board….
Facts and perspective are fine, even welcome…it’s the insults directed at anyone with a differing opinion that I could do without.
Never insult until I’m insulted. Feel free to scroll by my posts and responses
Don’t have to look hard. Literally your first post to TJ at the top of these comments… you’re not even good at this.
Lot of X-spurts have egg on their faces and are hoping Pitt falls flat on our faces. Wednesday’s going to be a tough one, Brey’s last home game, senior night and Notre Dame. Good luck guys.
Look boys and girls it’s RaDICK ! Such a loser ! You said Pitt was terrible … Wrong ! You said Capel was worst coach in NCAA …… ooops wrong again ! You’re a complete loser …… go back to hiding
Well said.
You’ve found a niche. Two word responses. You’ve managed to sound less like a moron.
https://youtu.be/xN1WN0YMWZU
Posted this on the wrong thread. Funny video on the “we” in sports
Triggered? You’re just a cowardly jag off who won’t use her own name. Pathetic clown
A great season so far & love the fact that the team has gotten better game to game! A very nice VICTORY at home to shut up the whiner from Syracuse who didn’t buy enough good players after his kids graduated.. LET’s keep it rolling a game at a time & bring the A GAME to Notre Dame due to the fact that they have ruined a few seasons in the past & a beat down of the Irish would be nice. Good Luck & Thank You Team, Coaching Staff, & AD Lyke for turning the program around & making… Read more »
If say Syracuse was in 1st place in the ACC…this late in the season. Do you believe they would have never been ranked the whole season and then get squeezed in at the lowest spot possible of #25. No way Jose !
Seems to be a total willingness among sportswriters/websites to ignore Pitt.
And we’ve seen these kind of media games….in more than just sports. so it does
happen.
See my response above. Can’t be an x-spurt and have a team picked 14th in league within one victory of the league championship. Calls your ability into question.
There is a need for the scrutiny Mr. PS provides. Otherwise we may have a coach tell his boss “get off my lawn” and the DoD fighting to keep said boss because he’s in their back pocket.