The 2023–24 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers were led by sixth-year head coach Jeff Capel and played their home games at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Panthers won their first four games of the season before losing the opening game of their preseason tournament, the NIT Season Tip-Off, to Florida. They won the third place game against Oregon State. They would then go on to lose their next two games, the first to Missouri in the ACC–SEC Challenge and their ACC season opener against Clemson. They then rebounded to win their next four games, including a rivalry game against West Virginia. The Panthers had a record of 9–2 against non-conference opponents. The Panthers lost four of their next five ACC games including to eighth-ranked North Carolina and eleventh-ranked Duke. Pittsburgh began a streak of winning seven of their next eight with a win over seventh-ranked Duke. The only loss during the stretch came at Miami (FL) while they won against NC State and twenty first-ranked Virginia. They finished the season by winning four of their last six games, with losses coming again to Clemson and to Wake Forest. They defeated NC State on the final day of the season.
The Panthers finished the 2023–24 season 22–11 and 12–8 in ACC play to finish in a fourth place. As the fourth seed in the ACC tournament they received a bye into the Quarterfinals where they defeated Wake Forest. They faced North Carolina in the Semifinals where they were defeated 65–72. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament and they were eligible to participate in the NIT Tournament, but they opted not to participate.
Previous season The Panthers finished the 2022–23 season 24–12, 14–6 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. This season marked a surprise turnaround from previous seasons; at one point, the Panthers were ranked No. 25 in the nation, their first appearance in the top-25 rankings in seven years. As the No. 5 seed in the ACC tournament, they defeated Georgia Tech before losing to Duke in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the Panthers' first invitation since 2016. As a No. 11 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Mississippi State in the First Four. They upset Iowa State in the first round before losing to Xavier in the second round. This marked Pitt's best season since 2014.
Offseason
Departures Departures Nelly Cummings 0 G 6'0" 190 GS Senior Midland, PA Graduated/signed to play professionally in Cypruswith AEL Limassol B.C. Dior Johnson 1 G 6'3" 185 Freshman Kingston, NY Left the team for personal reasons Greg Elliott 3 G 6'3" 180 GS Senior Detroit, MI Graduated John Hugley 4 F 6'9" 265 Junior Cleveland, OH Transferred to Oklahoma Nate Santos 5 F 6'7" 215 Sophomore Geneva, IL Transferred to Dayton Jamarius Burton 11 G 6'4" 200 Charlotte, NC Graduated/signed to play professionally in Belgiumwith Kortrijk Spurs Aidan Fisch 13 F 6'5" 185 Senior Murrysville, PA Walk-on; graduated Nike Sibande 22 G 6'4" 185 Indianapolis, IN Graduated
Incoming transfers Incoming transfers Ishmael Leggett 5 G 6'2" 180 Washington, D.C. Rhode Island KJ Marshall 12 G 5'10" 180 Senior Reading, PA Walk-on; Mars Hill Zack Austin 55 F 6'7" 201 Winston-Salem, NC High Point
Recruiting classes 2023 recruiting class
2024 recruiting class
Roster
Schedule and results
!colspan=9 style=| Exhibition
!colspan=9 style=| Regular season
!colspan=9 style=| ACC Tournament
Source
Rankings
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.
References