Pitt basketball’s top 5 ACC games to mark on your calendar
By Brett Tunno
An experienced and deeper Pitt basketball team is seeking an ACC title and return to the NCAA Tournament, and these five games should not be missed.
On Wednesday night, Jamie Dixon and his Pitt basketball team used a late surge to power past Syracuse for its 11th win of the season in the ACC opener, and the Panthers currently are atop the early ACC standings with North Carolina.
The Orange are dealing with some sanctions and head coach Jim Boeheim is serving a suspension, yet the rivalry from the old Big East days has extended into ACC play.
Big East basketball was full of powerhouses in the past, but now we have grown accustomed to the life of ACC basketball, in which Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville, and Notre Dame have joined the historical top notch programs of North Carolina and Duke.
Pitt has cruised through the majority of its non-conference schedule. finishing up with a contest against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday.
Coach Dixon may have his best team since the 2011 squad that was a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but this team may be more dangerous. Pitt has been running up and down the court, playing less of the slow-tempo offensive styles of the past. The big question is, “Will Jamie Dixon continue to let Pitt run?”
If he keeps the reigns off of Pitt, the Panthers could be very dangerous down the stretch of ACC play.
It won’t be easy though, as the ACC is really deep and several analysts think 9 to 10 teams could make the NCAA Tournament this upcoming March.
As Pitt begins to run through the gauntlet of conference games, I’ll assess five games that you should mark on your calendars and not miss.
Next: 5. @ Louisville Thursday, January 14th 9PM