Winter sports roundup: men’s basketball off to a strong start

While most Pitt students spent their winter break recovering from final exams and enjoying the holiday season, the Panthers continued their respective seasons. The results of the athletic department are shown below.

men’s basketball

To the delight of Pitt’s die-hard basketball fan base, the team survived the winter break and got off to a glorious start to the ACC campaign. The Panthers are currently 11-5 on the season and 4-1 in the ACC, putting him second in the conference.

After November 20, the Panthers went 10-2 with big wins over No. 25 UNC and No. 12 UVA during the intermission to tie for first place in the ACC. On Sunday, their winning streak came to an end after losing to Clemson in their first meeting loss at home.

Many players have excelled for the Panthers so far this season. Senior guard Jamalius Burton scored his game in his career with UNC He scored 31 points on a shooting percentage of 82.4%. Burton’s performance earned him his ACC Co-Player of the Week honors, as well as NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week honors.

Transferred junior forward Blake Hinson is also off to a good start to the season, averaging 16.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He had 25 in the Panthers’ win over Syracuse.

The Panthers’ 4-0 start in ACC play is their best start in the conference since the 2015-16 season, Pitt’s last year in the NCAA Tournament. Their next conference test is against Duke in Durham on Wednesday.
women’s basketball

While the men’s team had a blast during their break, the women’s basketball team had a December to forget. Since Dec. 11, the Panthers have struggled in ACC play starting 0-5 with his 1-6 overall.

After a heartbreaking 68-66 overtime loss at home to Ball State, Louisville beat an already reeling Panthers 77-53 at home. Pitt scored his only win of the break at home against North Alabama on December 21, and has since fallen four times in a row in ACC play.

So far this season, the Panthers have yet to beat a 5-power opponent. Appearance. Head of the fifth year, his coach, Lance White, is currently at the helm of the program and he’s 8-64 in his ACC play.
wrestling

No. 21 Pit Wrestling is off to a very solid start to the 2022-23 campaign. The Panthers went 5-2 with his win over No. 13 Lehi and the 115-team Midlands he finished second in his championship. They are his third highest ranked team in the ACC, behind North Carolina State and Virginia Tech.

Despite a strong start, the Panthers hit a speed bump against rival West Virginia on Sunday to drop their second game of the season, 24-11. His No. 1 wrestler in the 141-pound division Junior Cole Matthews dropped his season opener against WVU, with No. 9 Senior Mickey Filippi winning the contest. No. 8 Nino Bonacorsi also won the matchup, but suffered third period losses in several other games, spelling a loss for the Panthers.

The Panthers swept the Ivy League slate before losing to West Virginia, defeating both Brown and Columbia along the way.

gymnastics

Pit gymnastics is just one game on the winter calendar, but he looked dominant in the only contest, defeating Penn, Temple and Penn State at the Keystone Classic at Fitzgerald Field House.

The team shined best in vault, with four Panthers setting new personal records and taking an early lead over their opponents. Sophomore Sidney Washington set the bar with his 9.875 score in the event.

The Panthers then posted a 48.975 on beam, also the best of all three teams. Her freshman year Reyna Garvey performed brilliantly, scoring her 9.950 on her debut. With a sizeable lead, Pitt confidently entered the floor section and finished strong, securing the victory with a total of 195.950. It is the largest Panthers home opening score in program history.

The Panthers are looking to get off to a strong start at the Wasatch Classic in Salt Lake City on Saturday.