Pitt's Throwback Crowd Impresses Virginia Tech HC

The Pitt Panthers and their fans have brought old-school energy back to the Petersen Events Center.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers suffered their worst loss of the season just four days earlier but it didn't mar any of the enthusiasm their fans had when the team returned home to the Petersen Events Center to face Virginia Tech this weekend. 

Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young has seen that building in its heyday, when Pitt was a contender in the Big East and national title conversation and he said his latest visit to Pittsburgh felt like he was back experiencing that golden era of Panthers basketball. 

"I was here in 2010. They were coming off a great year. ... The building was like that. Hard, really hard and I applaud Jeff [Capel] in front of you guys as I did after the game. What a great atmosphere, what a great building for college basketball."

The 12,094 fans who packed the Petersen Events Center made up the largest crowd to see the Panthers play a home game this season, the second straight home game in which 11,000 or more have attended and the third straight crowd of 10,000 or more in an arena that seats 12,508. 

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel noticed the energy as soon as he stepped out of the tunnel and onto the floor. 

"I’m incredibly grateful for the atmosphere that was in the building tonight. Our students and fans were amazing," Capel said. "When I walked out of the tunnel and saw the crowd and felt the energy, and throughout the game, it was electric in there. So I’m incredibly, incredibly grateful for that."

Young was remarkably complimentary of Capel, with whom there is immense mutual respect, for how he's revived a proud program after some lean years and brought these kinds of crowds back to Pittsburgh. 

"What coach Capel has done here is quite impressive," Young said. "He's got another good ball team and they were better than we were today, needless to say."

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