Pitt Enters Top 25 in AP Poll

The Pitt Panthers entered the top 25 in the latest AP Poll.

Pittsburgh Panthers forward Zack Austin (55) celebrates hitting the game winning three pointer in overtime of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena in Columbus on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Ohio State lost 91-90 on a last second shot. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthters got their biggest win of the season last week, which helped them enter the latest AP Poll, as one of the top 25 teams in the country.

They come into this week ranked No. 18 in the nation, receiving 374 points, marking the first time they've made the AP Poll since the 2022-23 season, when they held the No. 25 ranking for the final week of the regular season.

This is also the highest ranking for Pitt since they were No. 18 for one week in the 2013-14 season, starting Jan. 27. Pitt received votes the past two weeks and now ends more than a year drought of playing as an unranked team.

They won their first four matchups of the season, starting 4-0 for the second straight year. Pitt blewout Radford in the season opener on Nov. 4, 96-56, outlasted Murray State on Nov. 8, 83-68, dominated Gardner-Webb on Nov. 11, 83-64, and obliterated rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl in their last matchup on Nov. 15, 86-62, with all game coming at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt would finish their homestand with a 93-48 blowout of VMI on Nov. 18. Sophomore guard Jaland Lowe recorded the sixth triple-double in Pitt history, as he scored 11 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field, making a 3-pointer and adding two free throws, while also grabbing 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Panthers then traveled to White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. to play in the Greenbrier Tip-Off at the five-star, luxury resort, also known as The Greenbrier. They played in Colonial Hall, a 1,000 person capacity venue, which also hosts balls, dinners and conventions.

Pitt opened up the weekend with a 74-63 win over LSU on Nov. 18, but would drop their first game of the season, 81-75 to then ranked No. 19 Wisconsin in the Greenbrier Tip-Off Championship on Nov. 24.

They also lost graduate student guard Damian Dunn in that game, who would have surgery on his thumb on Nov. 25, keeping him out for six weeks through to early January.

Pitt then had to face a tough Ohio State team on the road on Nov. 29 and fell behind double digits early in the second half.

The Panthers would battle back to take the lead on a 20-3 run, but the Buckeyes stayed in it, retaking the lead, but would eventually lose it as the Panthers forced overtime.

Ohio State led throughout the overtime period, but Lowe would make six free throws and redshirt senior forward Zack Austin hit the game-winning 3-pointer on the final shot of the game, 91-90.

Pitt faces Mississippi State on the road on Dec. 4 for a 9:15 p.m. (EST) tip-off in the ACC/SEC Challenge. They'll also face Virginia Tech on the road on Dec. 7 at 2:30 p.m. for their ACC opener.

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