That last night was WITHOUT amsal, who I think a lot of us are thinking will be one of our best players. Can’t wait to see him out there.

Pitt -7

And after this last game I now fully believe Vegas so we can write this one in as a W

The Pitt Panthers overwhelmed Radford 96-56 on Monday night at the Petersen Events Center to start off the new season with an emphatic victory. Pitt turned things up a notch near the end of the first half and ran away with it after the break. The Panthers are 1-0, so what stood out from game one?

How it’s supposed to look

If this Pitt team is going to have the type of season some believing they are capable of having, then the driving forces are obviously going to be Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe. The Panthers have several talented players, but what can separate this team is elite guard play.

On Monday, the dynamic Pitt backcourt lived up to the preseason hype.

“Yeah, well, those two guys have the ability to make plays with scoring and with passing and creating for others,” head coach Jeff Capel said of his backcourt’s performance. “It's great to have that two experienced veteran…Jaland’s, I guess you would say he's a veteran, but just good guards.”

Those two good guards combined for 40 points, 17 rebounds, nine assists, and five steals on Monday, and both of them were thriving in the areas you would expect. Lowe played with confidence. He has one of the quickest first steps in college basketball, and when he wanted to go to the rim that is exactly what he did. The star sophomore finished with a career-high 21 points, six assists, three steals, and no turnovers.

Leggett looked even more comfortable in his game than he did last season. The senior went for 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. Leggett is so good at contorting himself around the basket and making tough layups. In the 40-point win, the 6-foot-3 senior also got up for the play of the night on a putback slam.

“Legs just feeling good,” Leggett said of him highlight dunk. “Yeah, legs just feeling a little better today.”

MORE:

Those white 1/4 zips worn by JC and the staff are sharp. Gotta get one of those if available via retail.

Franklin just set the record for the quickest handshake at the end of the game.
I'm not sure if he even looked at Day on the way by.

So, Eli hasn't looked like the QB over the past 3 games the way he looked over the first 5 games. The question is...is he hitting the "freshman wall"? If he struggles against Virginia's defense in the first half, do you sit him down in the second half? It doesn't seem like Holstein is trusting what he sees. I think that's a maturity factor that, hopefully, gets in time. However, it's possibly a maturity factor I think Yarnell may have now. So, that being said, what do you think happens if Holstein struggles in the first half against a below average Virginia D?

I say, if Holstein struggles. If he is playing like he is not decisive when dropping back to pass or makes bad decisions with his throws (throwing into double coverage or throwing an interception), then he needs to sit. It's about winning games.

Hey, friends. Been a while since I've shared a health and fitness resource on here, but I thought this one in particular might help a lot of folks on the board.

I put together an ultimate guide to meal prep for busy professionals » https://chrisgatesfitness.com/2024/11/05/how-to-stick-to-your-diet-meal-prep-for-busy-professionals/

I think the conventional wisdom around meal prep is that it has to be this super detailed process where everything is perfectly weighed out, measured, portioned, etc. and that's just not the case. You can put some really simple strategies in place in order to always have the right foods on hand, without it taking up much of your time or effort at all.

I hope that article helps!

83-82 with :22 left !

And I’m not really looking at Murray St beating a D2 team by like 80 points Monday, but that’s a group picked like 3rd or 4th in the MVC, a league which regularly sends 2 teams to the tournament.

They have good guards, can run and score. They could easily be a 12 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Also, Ohio St beats a ranked Texas team in game 1. Good win for them.

The OOC looks significantly improved from last year, which is a very good thing.

It’s a lofty goal with our schedule but 2 losses or less considering this OOC schedule would be very, very good.

Michigan dropped or lost their Qb commit and are apparently going all in on LSU commit and Elijah Dotson's HS teammate Bryce Underwood as their QB in the '25 class.

Coincidentally or probably not they have also turned up the pressure on Dotson and had him in for an Official over the weekend to watch them get their ass kicked by Oregon.

Anyway, the Michigan guy CB'd him to Michigan today. So that's probably that. Seems like Pitt has done all they could here but it's Michigan for a kid from Detroit lol. Bummer.

I got something going on this Friday and won’t be able to go to the game. Got 2 club tix available. Asking $50 for the pair.
My seats

Beat Texas in Vegas. I had that game penciled as a win for us. It very well could be the biggest game of our season. As we know, out of conference games carry more importance to the committee. So if I could somehow guarantee a win on any game on the schedule, well besides @ Duke, I probably pick this game at Ohio State. Massive massive game for our NCAAT chances. You never know if you'll have enough at bats in the ACC.

Pitt opened the season in style Monday night with a 96-56 win over Radford. On today's Morning Pitt, we're talking about that win, who stood out, what lineups the coaches used and a lot more.

OSU putting the finishing touches on a win over No. 19 Texas in front of a completely empty arena in Vegas. OSU has some solid depth - 5 guys with multiple 3s so far. They look much, much, better than last year.

UCF took down No 15 A&M at home with one of the weaker court stormings I’ve seen. Opening night against No. 15? Cmon. Our friend Dior Johnson had just 5 minutes.

Pitt can hang with each of these teams. Whereas in previous years, they looked overmatched from the get-go.

First, for your win vs VT today and second, for taking that awful "taste" out of this Pitt fan's mouth from last night's football game

The announcer crew was very good today. I thought their overall knowledge of the game came through right from the get-go when they commented about how significantly Pitt beat UVA on Friday. I also enjoyed how they dissected certain points to show what caused the score to happen (credit to ACCNx for having other camera angles)

I think that Fish got to see enough from his subs today and basically put in VVG to close it out at 3 sets. No reason to have the girls play a fourth set today. I looked for his post-game comments but maybe there were none. Was just curious to know how he felt the subs played. Va Tech "looks" better than its record. Their freshman OH looked pretty good

If both Clemson and Pitt win this Saturday, the Clemson game likely becomes another Top 20 matchup. If Pitt wins that game, playoffs are most definitely back on the menu. What most people don't realize is that the ACC is strong enough this year to send 3 playoff reps. Lousiville did our schedule a favor by beating Clemson and becoming another "quality" opponent before we play them. That almost certainly will be another Top 20 matchup if both Pitt & L'Ville win out (especially taking into consideration poll inertia). If SMU beats an undefeated Miami squad in the ACC championship, and Pitt wins out, that would almost guarantee 3 teams in, mainly because Pitt would have earned a spot. ACC very well could end up as the 2nd best conference this year.

The committee cannot disregard one-loss ACC teams in favor of 3 loss B1G/SEC teams. The SEC is in danger of only sending 3 teams to the playoff. Pitt fans need to root hard for Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee to win out (though UT & UGA play each other). Pitt is also benefitting from the Big 12 being down and Colorado potentially having 3-loss Cincinnati/Texas Tech be their "best" win. If Cincy pulls off an upset versus ISU or KSU, that almost immediately gives Pitt a leg up on the 2nd and 3rd best Big 12 teams from a resume perspective.

The Big Ten man....seriously it needs to be talked about how top-heavy this conference has become. Outside of Oregon, PSU, OSU, and Indiana, every B1G team has 3 losses. The conference has no depth and those four teams have truly benefitted from light schedules. The first good team that Indiana will play is Ohio State. Ohio State and Oregon have earned playoff spots so far with big wins. If Indiana beats OSU then I think they earn one too. But man PSU, who have they beaten? Pitt has a better win in a 6-2 Syracuse team than anything they have. PSU will still get in though because of their brand and TV ratings.

Thank god Syracuse beat a ranked UNLV, that is also Boise State's "best" win. This levels the playing field a bit, and ultimately helps Pitt. Once Army gets boat-raced by Notre Dame (like Navy) then that will end any prospect of another non-P4 team taking a bid. Notre Dame is honestly a pretty scary x-factor in this entire scenario. We need them to be upset in one of their final 4 games.

Summary: The Pitt Panthers kicked off the 2024-25 campaign with a commanding 96-56 win over Radford out of the Big South Conference on Monday night at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt had a bit of a slow start, but turned it on in the final seven minutes of the first half and never really looked back from there. Radford cut it to 26-22, but then the Panthers found a jolt of energy, and outscored the Highlanders 19-5 to close the half. That run was fueled by a highlight worthy putback dunk by senior guard Ishmael Leggett and also consecutive 3-pointers from Brandin ‘Beebah’ Cummings and Jaland Lowe.

The Panthers sort of kept chugging along in the second half, with the Highlanders never getting into the game much at all. Pitt forced Radford into 14 turnovers, and the Highlanders shot just 31% from the field.
Pitt’s second half barrage included minutes from all 11 available scholarship players, with Papa Amadou Kante, Marlon Barnes, Cummings and Amdy Ndiaye all making their college basketball debuts on Monday night.

Player of the Game: Ishmael Leggett

Either guard was worthy for this distinction, but I’ll lean with Leggett simply because of the 12 rebounds. He is a very elite level rebounder for being a guard and he seemingly always finds the basketball. But as far as his offensive game goes, he was efficient and did things on his terms. Leggett was 9-of-13 from the field and finished with 19 points. The senior also produced three assists and two steals. Leggett also had the play of the night, with an impressive putback jam to ignite the crowd right before halftime.

Unsung hero: Guillermo Diaz Graham

The junior forward has a new role this season, and I think it will be one that suits him. Guillermo Diaz Graham is starting alongside Cam Corhen, giving the Panthers a much bigger lineup than usual. Because of the support from Corhen, Diaz Graham can kind of pick his spots that fit his game best. He produced 10 points, nine rebounds, had two blocks and a pair of assists as well. He is arguably the team’s most lethal outside shooter, but it looks like he has added more elements to his game.

Turning Point: The 19-5 run to end the first half

It’s not like Pitt was playing terribly to start the game, but it did take a while for it all to mesh. The Panthers started the run by clamping down on the Highlanders defensively, and eventually the shots followed. Radford went without a basket for the final seven minutes of the first half, and Pitt outscored them 19-5 during that stretch. The Panthers were always going to pull away eventually, but this is what got that thing moving.

A new career-high

Jaland Lowe was the game’s high-scorer, as he produced 21 points. That was also a career-best for the sophomore guard. Last season, Lowe reached 20 points twice, but went over that mark on a pair of free throws in the second half against Radford. Lowe also produced six assists, five rebounds, three steals, and zero turnovers. There is a sense Lowe is going to make a significant jump this year, and he showed it off already.

Multiple deep threats

Pitt’s season-opening win was not a magnificent shooting display or anything from deep. The Panthers were just 8-of-23 from 3-point range. The notable thing about the eight makes is that they came from seven different players. Pitt does not have that Blake Hinson-type shooter, who can make five or more 3s every game, but the team appears to have several guys all capable of knocking them down.

Beebah breaks in

Brandin Cummings played starter level minutes on Monday, and that is a trend I think will continue. The freshman from Midland is a pure scorer and he showed some of that in the Radford game. He had a few moments where he looked nervous, but it didn’t last long. He had 11 points and three assists in his college debut.

No Amsal

Pitt freshman forward Amsal Delalic did not dress on Monday, which was not a huge shock. When he initially injured his shooting hand in the preseason, the timeline did not necessarily align with him returning for the first game, although it was a possibility. He does seem close to returning to action. It was notable Capel played seven guys over 20 minutes, and I think Delalic will be right there. I think that is a pretty firm eight-man rotation when things get going.

No. 260

Jeff Capel picked up the 260th victory of his head coaching career on Monday. 98 of those victories have been here in Pittsburgh.

Up Next: 11/8 7:00 p.m. Murray State (Petersen Events Center)

The Panthers should see a little more resistance on Friday. Murray State is always a well-regarded mid-major team. The Racers are led by Steve Prohm, who is in his second stint coaching the program. He guided Murray State to a 31-2 record in 2012 and a 29-6 mark in 2015, before taking the Iowa State job. He has since returned, and Murray State has jumped up in conferences going from the Ohio Valley to the Missouri Valley Conference, which has made things more challenging for Prohm and the program overall.

He has done these non-conference games for at least the last 2 years and he is very good. Pitt should hire him to take over for Hillgrove tomorrow. I was running my kids around and had the game on radio earlier. Rough listen. I grew up listening to Billy on Pitt games and Channel 4 Sports, but when he can’t even describe who has the ball or give the score it’s time to give it up.

Kancey with two sacks on Mahomes. One to end KC’s hope for a score before half. Another chasing him down out of the pocket on 3rd down.

Hail to PITT

Monday
7:00 - ACCN: Maine @ Duke
9:00 - ACCN: Elon @ North Carolina

Friday
6:00 - ACCN: Army @ Duke
7:00 - ESPN2: North Carolina @ Kansas
7:00 - CBSSN: Boston College vs VCU in Annapolis

Saturday
noon - ACCN: Tennessee @ Louisville

Sunday
1:00 - ESPN2: Wake Forest vs Michigan in Greensboro

Stream-only ACCNX games:

Monday
4:00 - Denver @ Stanford
7:00 - Radford @ Pitt
7:00 - South Carolina Upstate @ North Carolina State
7:00 - Northern Kentucky @ Florida State
7:00 - LeMoyne @ Syracuse
7:00 - Morehead State @ Louisville
7:00 - Charleston Southern @ Clemson
8:00 - Delaware State at Virginia Tech
8:00 - The Citadel @ Boston College
8:00 - Coppin State @ Wake Forest
8:30 - Tarleton State @ SMU
11:30 - Cal State-Bakersfield @ Cal

Wednesday
7:00 - Stonehill @ Notre Dame
7:00 - Campbell @ Virginia
7:30 - West Georgia @ Georgia Tech

Thursday
7:00 - North Carolina A&T @ Wake Forest
8:00 - Florida A&M @ SMU
10:00 - Cal Poly @ Cal

Friday
4:00 - Cal State-Fullerton @ Stanford
7:00 - Murray State @ Pitt
7:00 - Presbyterian @ North Carolina State
7:00 - South Carolina Upstate @ Virginia Tech
7:00 - St. Francis @ Clemson

Saturday
7:00 - Florida State @ Rice (ESPN+)

Sunday
1:00 - North Florida @ Georgia Tech
2:00 - Binghamton @ Miami


- some strange start times for non-TV games. Stanford plays 2 weekday afternoon home games at 1PM. I double-checked and these games are indeed at 4:00 Eastern, NOT 4:00 Pacific which would make more sense. Also, Cal plays Monday at 8:30 and a few teams play at 8. Those are too late for a Monday night.

- Cool to see Cooper Flagg go up against his hometown team in Game 1. His twin brother just committed there for next season.

- Some good weekend TV games. I wonder if Wake Forest would get credit for a neutral site win if they beat Michigan 30 miles down the road in Greensboro.

- Does FSU get credit for a road win playing Rice 4 miles away from their campus? Nobody knows the parameters that NET uses to determine neutral site games. MWC teams play very few home games OOC and I'd like to see some ACC teams go on the road to play some cupcakes. For example, how many fewer season tickets would we have sold if we took away 2 cupcake games and played at St. Francis and Mercyhurst? Need to game NET.

We have all been looking forward to this for a long, long time. Its time to leave no doubt.

Its Game Time,

Lets Go Pitt!!!