Inside The Panthers

Pitt Gets New Opponent in TBT Regional

The Pitt Panthers drew an old Big East rival in the regional round of The Basketball Tournament.

Stephen Thompson

Apr 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Ryan Boatright (11) cuts the net after
Apr 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Ryan Boatright (11) cuts the net after / Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The regional round of The Basketball Tournament hosted by the Pitt Panthers now has a full complement of teams set to visit the Petersen Events this summer.

With the addition of Stars of Stoors, a team of UConn alumni, the Pittsburgh Regional is set. The Zoo Crew, a team of Pitt alumni, will face off with Stars of Stoors, Happy Valley Hoopers (Penn State alumni) and Best Virginia (West Virginia alumni) in a regional that will be full of bad blood.

Pittsburgh Regional games will be played at Petersen Events Center from July 19 to 24. Each of the 64 teams in the single-elimination tournament will be competing for the grand prize of $1 million that awaits the champion.

Last year's Zoo Crew squad featured a host of Pitt starts from the near and far future. Greg Elliott, Nike Sibande and Nelly Cummings, stars of the 2023 NCAA Tournament team, all joined the roster, although Sibande did not end up playing. Mo Gueye was also listed on the roster but did not end up playing either as he pursued an opportunity with an NBA franchise. 

Stars of the Jamie Dixon era - Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, Sam Young, LeVance Fields, Jamel Artis, Ryan Luther and Talib Zanna also played. 

Pitt announced that Jamarius Burton, a 2023 first-team All-ACC selection for the Panthers, and Artis have confirmed he will play for the Zoo Crew this summer. 

The Zoo Crew lost their first round matchup, 86-71 to Herd That in Wheeling, West Virginia, in last year's tournament and will hope to improve on that run this summer.  

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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: