Pitt Announces Time Change for SMU Game

The Pitt Panthers basketball game on Feb. 7 will now be at 2:00 PM, the team announced today. It was previously scheduled to be at 3:45 PM on the same day. The game will still be broadcast on The CW.

Before the Panthers host SMU, they will travel to No. 17 Virginia on Feb. 2. Virginia is just one of several ranked teams Pitt will play in this tough stretch of the season.

After getting an overtime win over Wake Forest, Pitt's next game was against No. 22 Clemson. Though they had a decent second half of the game, Pitt lost by a score of 63-52. Virginia is currently 18-3 overall and 7-2 in the ACC. Their best win has been over Louisville, who crushed Pitt at the Petersen Event Center.

After taking on Virginia, Pitt gets a slight lucky break by playing the unranked SMU Mustangs at the Petersen Event Center. Still, SMU has a 15-6 overall record and is currently 4-4 in ACC play. SMU’s best win has come over UNC, who was ranked No. 12 at the time. Pitt lost to SMU by a 83-63 score last season. Pitt currently have no wins over the Mustangs since they joined the ACC in 2024. Pitt women’s basketball team also lost to SMU recently.

After SMU, Pitt will play back-to-back ranked powerhouses with matchups against Duke and North Carolina. The Panthers currently sit at 2-7 in ACC play; picking up a few wins in this stretch of the season would be very impressive morale wise.

Offensive Struggles

Pitt's offense has continued to be it's biggest weakness this season. Head coach Jeff Capel is on the hottest seat of his eight-year tenure at Pitt. Especially after recent comments by Athletic Director Allen Greene, changes to the coaching staff are expected to come.

In their recent game against Clemson, Pitt shot 37.7% from the field and 19.2% from the three-point line. The team has the talent to make baskets, but they often rely on tough shots as the shot clock winds down rather than a more fluid offense.

At the very least, Pitt's free throw shooting has gotten better after an awful stretch of it that lost the Panthers a few games. Shooting in just above 60% from the free throw line isn't usually applauded, but it does show progress from earlier in the season. Hopefully, these numbers improve as Pitt fights through an undeniably difficult season that could point to changes on the horizon.

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