Inside The Panthers

Pitt Sets Season Attendance Record Against Virginia Tech

The Pitt Panthers are slowly rebuilding their home court advantage.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Sets Season Attendance Record Against Virginia Tech
Pitt Sets Season Attendance Record Against Virginia Tech /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers had a raucous crowd at their backs all night long as they rode the momentum of a dominant second half to a 79-64 win over Virginia Tech at the Petersen Events Center. 

And it wasn't just a good crowd - it was a record-breaking crowd. The 12,094 that packed the Petersen Events Center to see the Panthers topple the Hokies was the biggest crowd to grace that building during the 2023-24 season. 

The second-largest crowd to see a Pitt home game this season came when they hosted Duke earlier in January, but even that attendance figure fell 618 people short of the group that filled the Panthers' home for a must-win game against the Hokies. 

This was also the fourth-largest crowd the Panthers have played in front of all season. Only games at West Virginia, North Carolina and Virginia had larger crowds in attendance. 

The Panthers had enjoyed routine sellouts during the Jamie Dixon, when they were contenders not only in the heyday of the Big East but in the national championship conversation. There was a lull as the qualities of the teams declined once Dixon left for TCU but over the past two seasons, as Jeff Capel slowly builds a winning program in Pittsburgh, the city has returned to support his squad. 

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Published
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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