Pitt basketball will play in the inaugural The GreenBrier Tip-Off next season, an in-season tournament in November, the program announced on Tuesday.
Along with Pitt, UCF and Wisconsin also have agreed to play in the tournament, with a fourth team coming soon.
Pitt basketball will face off against Wisconsin for the first time since the 2016 NCAA Tournament First Round, where Wisconsin earned an ugly 47-43 victory in the final game for Jamie Dixon as head coach of the program. Wisconsin holds a 12-7 lead in the all-time series against Pitt, beating them at home in December 2006, 89-75. Pitt won the two previous games before that, 73-64 at home in December 2005 and then a 59-55 win in Madison, Wis. in the Second Round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers have played the Golden Knights just once, defeating them 53-44 in the First Round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
Sulphur Springs, W.Va. is the setting for this tournament, playing at the 1,000 person capacity Colonial Hall at The GreenBrier. The hall hosts balls, fancy dinners, concerts and conventions. Radford and Marshall faced off in a sellout game at the venue on Nov. 10, with Radford pulling off the close 66-62 victory.
The resort is located in the Allegheny Mountains 250 miles south of Pittsburgh close to the West Virginia-Virginia border. The Greenbrier holds a number of indoor and outdoor activities, numerous shops, five golf courses, 20 dining and lounge venues, signature spa services and an on-property casino on more than 11,000 acres.
This is the first in-season tournament that Pitt basketball will play in West Virginia. It will also serve as the just the second time that Pitt has played outside of Morgantown in the state, traveling to face Marshall in Huntington for a win in December 1991.
Travel packages will be available for Panthers fans looking to attend include game tickets, good for each game of the Tournament, and hotel accommodations on property. Panthers fans interested in securing packages and receiving additional event updates from the Tournament can register to receive email alerts atwww.greenbriertipoff.com. Ticket-only packages, based on availability, will go on sale in the fall.
If I’m not mistaken, Antonio Gates was on that Kent State team back in ’04. Can’t remember if he was a prominent part of that team or not, but I’m pretty sure he was at least a starter.