Pitt Guard Ranked in Top 100 Players

A Pitt Panthers guard is ranked in the top 100 college basketball players.

Mar 15, 2024; Washington, D.C., USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jaland Lowe (15) controls the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers sophomore guard Jaland Lowe heads into the 2024-25 season with national writers ranking him in the upper echelon of college basketball players.

Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf of ESPN put Lowe at No. 84 in the top 100 players in college basketball, while Jamie Shaw of On3 ranked him at No. 94 in his top 125 players in the country.

"One of the best young point guards in America, Lowe excelled in the final stretch of his freshman season, averaging 13.1 PPG and 4.6 APG in his final 12 games," Borzello and Mecalf wrote. "He also made 41% of his 3-point attempts during that stretch. He's a player more people across the country will know as his game continues to evolve."

Lowe arrived at Pitt as a Class of 2023 four-star guard who played for Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, just outside of Houston. 

He played in all 33 games in the 2023-24 season, starting 19 of them, while averaging 26.5 minutes, scoring 9.6 points, dishing out 3.3 assists and grabbing 2.8 rebounds per game, respectively. He also shot 38.8% from the field, 35.2% from 3-point range and 85.5% from the free-throw line.

He came off the bench for the entire non-conference, but started the final 19 games of the season, including all but the three first ACC games. 

Lowe scored a season-high 20 points twice, as he shot 8-for-15 from the field, 3-for-4 from the foul line and made a 3-pointer in a loss to Syracuse at home on Jan. 16 and shot 7-for-12, 5-for-5 from the foul line and made a 3-pointer in a victory over NC State on the road on Feb. 7.

He posted one double-double on the season in the win at home against Florida State on March 5. He scored 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field, including a 3-pointer and two foul shots, while also creating 10 assists. 

Two other great games saw him score 12 points and make nine assists in a blowout win at Boston College on March 2 and tally 18 points plus six assists in a win over Virginia Tech at home on Feb. 24. 

His biggest highlight of the season came in an 80-76 win against then ranked No. 7 Duke at Cameron Indoor on Jan. 20. He hit a 3-pointer right in the face of Duke forward Kyle Filipowski with less than 50 seconds left to put Pitt up four points. while shushing the crowd with a finger to his lips.

Lowe worked mostly as a point guard, helping to distribute to players like Freshman Team All-ACC honoree in guard Carrington, ACC Sixth Man of the Year in guard Ishmael Leggett and First Team All-ACC forward Blake Hinson.

Lowe and Leggett will man the back court for the Panthers next season and if they improve on the solid seasons they had, expect to see an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. 

Pitt opens up the season against Radford at 7:00 p.m. on Nov. 4 at the Petersen Events Center.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

• Look: Larry Fitzgerald Visits Pitt Volleyball
• Pitt's Jordan Addison Explains Cryptic Message After Vikings Loss
• Pitt Legend Shouts Out Desmond Reid
• Pitt Battles Big 12 in Latest Bowl Projections
• Pitt Volleyball Maintains No. 1 Ranking

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt