The Pitt Panthers are ranked.
For the first time since the 2022-23 season, Jeff Capel’s squad has been voted as a top-25 team in college basketball by the AP voters.
Pitt came in at No. 18 in the country in today’s poll from the AP.
The Panthers are one of just three ACC teams that are ranked in this week’s poll, along with Duke and North Carolina.
Pitt is off to a strong 7-1 start to the season behind big wins over Ohio State (on the road), LSU (on a neutral court) and West Virginia (at home). West Virginia has since turned its season around after falling to Pitt by 24 points, with wins over No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 24 Arizona last week.
Pitt is in year seven of the Jeff Capel-era, coming off a second-straight 20-win season. The Panthers finished last year 22-11, but said goodbye to stars Bub Carrington (Washington Wizards) and Blake Hinson (Golden State Warriors) as they went off to the professional level. In addition, the Panthers said goodbye to Federiko Federiko (Texas Tech) and William Jeffress (Louisiana Tech), as both players transferred out this past spring.
Pitt returned key players Lowe, Leggett, and Zack Austin, among others. The staff also brought in a talented group of newcomers, headlined by transfers Cam Corhen (Florida State) and Damian Dunn (Houston) as well as freshmen Brandin “Beebah” Cummings, Amdy Ndiaye, and Amsal Delalic.
Dunn is currently out with a sprained ankle and a dislocated thumb, which he had surgery for recently. He is expected to miss about five more weeks of action.
Stay tuned for the latest on Pitt basketball on Pittsburgh Sports Now all season long.
The Panthers will play next against Mississippi State on Wednesday night.
