# 2023–24 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team

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 Semfinals 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 :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Nelly Cummings | 0 | G | 6'0" | 190 | GS Senior | Midland, PA | Graduated/signed to play professionally in Cyprus with 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 | Senior | Charlotte, NC | Graduated/signed to play professionally in Belgium with Kortrijk Spurs |
| Aidan Fisch | 13 | F | 6'5" | 185 | Senior | Murrysville, PA | Walk-on; graduated |
| Nike Sibande | 22 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Senior | Indianapolis, IN | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Ishmael Leggett | 5 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Junior | 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 | Junior | Winston-Salem, NC | High Point |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jaland Lowe #15 PG | Houston, TX | Marshall High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Oct 2, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Papa Kante #24 C | South Kent, CT | South Kent School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | May 22, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Bub Carrington #33 SG | Baltimore, MD | St. Frances Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 15, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Marlon Barnes Jr. #33 SG | Lyndhurst, OH | Brush High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jan 19, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 27 Rivals: 22 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Pittsburgh Panthers". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Brandin Cummings #30 SG | Midland, PA | Lincoln Park High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jan 4, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 27 Rivals: 22 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Pittsburgh Panthers". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m. | | Pitt-Johnstown | W 96–60 | – | 13 – Tied | 8 – Tied | 6 – Carrington | Petersen Events Center (–) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | North Carolina A&T | W 100–52 | 1–0 | 18 – Carrington | 12 – Carrington | 10 – Carrington | Petersen Events Center (6,797) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Binghamton | W 89–60 | 2–0 | 26 – Hinson | 11 – Leggett | 5 – Leggett | Petersen Events Center (7,747) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Florida Gulf Coast | W 86–74 | 3–0 | 19 – Carrington | 7 – Tied | 7 – Carrington | Petersen Events Center (6,567) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 17, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Jacksonville | W 107–56 | 4–0 | 25 – Hinson | 10 – G. Diaz Graham | 6 – Lowe | Petersen Events Center (7,842) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 22, 2023* 9:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Florida NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals | L 71–86 | 4–1 | 19 – Leggett | 9 – Tied | 7 – Carrington | Barclays Center (1,873) Brooklyn, NY |
| November 24, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Oregon State NIT Season Tip-Off 3rd place game | W 76–51 | 5–1 | 19 – Austin | 8 – Austin | 5 – Carrington | Barclays Center (1,620) Brooklyn, NY |
| November 28, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPNU | | Missouri ACC–SEC Challenge | L 64–71 | 5–2 | 22 – Hinson | 7 – Tied | 4 – Carrington | Petersen Events Center (7,390) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 3, 2023 2:00 p.m., ACCN | | Clemson | L 70–79 | 5–3 (0–1) | 27 – Hinson | 7 – Austin | 6 – Carrington | Petersen Events Center (7,713) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 6, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at West Virginia Backyard Brawl | W 80–63 | 6–3 | 29 – Hinson | 9 – Jeffress | 9 – Carrington | WVU Coliseum (12,301) Morgantown, WV |
| December 9, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | Canisius | W 82–71 | 7–3 | 26 – Hinson | 5 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Petersen Events Center (7,808) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 16, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ACCN | | South Carolina State | W 86–50 | 8–3 | 19 – Hinson | 8 – G. Diaz Graham | 6 – Lowe | Petersen Events Center (8,370) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 20, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Purdue Fort Wayne | W 62–48 | 9–3 | 13 – G. Diaz Graham | 10 – Hinson | 3 – Tied | Petersen Events Center (7,641) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 30, 2023 12:00 p.m., The CW | | at Syracuse | L 73–81 | 9–4 (0–2) | 17 – Carrington | 10 – Jeffress | 5 – Carrington | JMA Wireless Dome (20,642) Syracuse, NY |
| January 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 8 North Carolina | L 57–70 | 9–5 (0–3) | 20 – Carrington | 8 – Leggett | 2 – Tied | Petersen Events Center (9,770) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 6, 2024 12:00 p.m., The CW | | at Louisville | W 83–70 | 10–5 (1–3) | 21 – Hinson | 6 – Tied | 5 – Carrington | KFC Yum! Center (10,883) Louisville, KY |
| January 9, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 11т Duke | L 53–75 | 10–6 (1–4) | 11 – Austin | 8 – G. Diaz Graham | 3 – Federiko | Petersen Events Center (11,476) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | Syracuse | L 58–69 | 10–7 (1–5) | 20 – Lowe | 8 – Hinson | 3 – Lowe | Petersen Events Center (7,708) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 20, 2024 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | at No. 7 Duke | W 80–76 | 11–7 (2–5) | 24 – Hinson | 8 – Hinson | 6 – Lowe | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| January 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Georgia Tech | W 72–64 | 12–7 (3–5) | 19 – Carrington | 7 – Federiko | 4 – Austin | McCamish Pavilion (3,612) Atlanta, GA |
| January 27, 2024 2:15 p.m., The CW | | at Miami (FL) | L 68–72 | 12–8 (3–6) | 21 – Hinson | 9 – Hinson | 4 – Tied | Watsco Center (7,779) Coral Gables, FL |
| January 31, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Wake Forest | W 77–72 | 13–8 (4–6) | 24 – Carrington | 7 – Federiko | 4 – Carrington | Petersen Events Center (7,769) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 3, 2024 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | Notre Dame | W 70–60 | 14–8 (5–6) | 17 – Hinson | 9 – Federiko | 5 – Lowe | Petersen Events Center (10,864) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at NC State | W 67–64 | 15–8 (6–6) | 20 – Lowe | 10 – Federiko | 3 – Carrington | PNC Arena (11,366) Raleigh, NC |
| February 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at No. 21 Virginia | W 74–63 | 16–8 (7–6) | 27 – Hinson | 9 – Leggett | 6 – Carrington | John Paul Jones Arena (13,858) Charlottesville, VA |
| February 17, 2024 6:30 p.m., ACCN | | Louisville | W 86–59 | 17–8 (8–6) | 41 – Hinson | 8 – Federiko | 8 – Carrington | Petersen Events Center (11,419) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 20, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Wake Forest | L 58–91 | 17–9 (8–7) | 15 – Leggett | 8 – G. Diaz Graham | 4 – Lowe | LJVM Coliseum (7,448) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 24, 2024 5:30 p.m., The CW | | Virginia Tech | W 79–64 | 18–9 (9–7) | 22 – Hinson | 14 – Austin | 6 – Lowe | Petersen Events Center (12,094) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Clemson | L 62–69 | 18–10 (9–8) | 18 – Carrington | 7 – Carrington | 3 – Carrington | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,346) Clemson, SC |
| March 2, 2024 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Boston College | W 90–65 | 19–10 (10–8) | 27 – Carrington | 7 – Leggett | 9 – Lowe | Conte Forum (7,536) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| March 5, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Florida State | W 88–73 | 20–10 (11–8) | 27 – Hinson | 6 – Carrington | 10 – Lowe | Petersen Events Center (7,860) Pittsburgh, PA |
| March 9, 2024 7:45 p.m., The CW | | NC State | W 81–73 | 21–10 (12–8) | 23 – Carrington | 9 – Federiko | 6 – Carrington | Petersen Events Center (10,700) Pittsburgh, PA |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (4) | vs. (5) Wake Forest Quarterfinals | W 81–69 | 22–10 | 30 – Leggett | 8 – Leggett | 5 – Lowe | Capital One Arena (14,920) Washington, D.C. |
| March 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | (4) | vs. (1) No. 4 North Carolina Semifinals | L 65–72 | 22–11 | 24 – Carrington | 8 – G. Diaz Graham | 4 – Lowe | Capital One Arena (18,722) Washington, D.C. |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.