PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – After being on ‘The First Four Out’ of the NCAA Tournament, Pitt basketball has decided not to accept an invitation to the NIT.
"I am incredibly proud of the performance, development, and fight of our team," said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel in a statement released by the team. "We ultimately fell short of our goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament, despite ranking favorably in the computers, performing well in conference play with a fourth-place finish and an ACC Tournament Semifinal appearance, and playing our best basketball over the last eight weeks of the season.”
“We made the decision to decline an NIT invitation as a team and with the support of our University leadership. It was a difficult choice, but ultimately what is best for our student-athletes."
The Panthers finished the season 22-11 with road wins at NCAA teams Duke and Virginia along with finishing fourth in the ACC.
"The 2023-24 season was a memorable one that began in August with our trip to Spain and the hometown of Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham;" Capel continued. "Blake Hinson proved to be one of the elite shooters in the NCAA and our young backcourt of Carlton Carrington and Jaland Lowe grew into one of the best young guard tandems in the country. Ish's performance against Wake Forest with his father at Capital One Arena and their moment together after the game was special and throughout the roster, we had great performances that led to a second consecutive season with at least 20 wins overall and 10+ victories in ACC play. We are grateful for the tremendous fan support this season. The Oakland Zoo was amazing all season long and is a big part of our program. We look forward to continuing to build this program and preparing for an NCAA Tournament run in 2025."