Inside The Panthers

Jay Bilas Believes Pitt Peaking At Right Time

The Pitt Panthers are peaking at the right time according to ESPN's lead college basketball analyst.

Stephen Thompson

Jay Bilas Believes Pitt Peaking At Right Time
Jay Bilas Believes Pitt Peaking At Right Time /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are rolling, having one six of their last seven and vaulted into the upper echelon of the ACC standings. Now national media is taking notice of their dramatic in-season turnaround. 

ESPN's lead college basketball color commentator and analyst, Jay Bilas, ranked the Panthers among the top 68 teams in Division I right now, slotting them at No. 64 overall. They were one of nine teams he included in his "Bilas Index, Volume III" rankings and snuck in just ahead of NC State at No. 67. 

"All of a sudden, the Panthers have ripped off four ACC games in a row: at home against Wake Forest and Notre Dame, then at NC State and Virginia. Jeff Capel's bunch, led by Blake Hinson (18.3 points per game and 41% from deep), looks to be peaking at the right time."

North Carolina led the way among ACC teams at No. 5. Duke followed close behind at No. 10. Then there's a large gap before the next run of ACC squads with No. 38 Clemson, No. 40 Virginia and No. 43 Wake Forest. Miami and Virginia Tech checked in at No. 56 and No. 58, respectively. Pitt fell to No. 64 and NC State rounded out the ACC contingent represented at No. 67. 

The Panthers have games against Clemson, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and NC State still on the schedule before they open postseason play in the NCAA Tournament. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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