Pitt will play Mississippi State in this year's SEC/ACC Challenge
Pitt coach Jeff Capel’s wish to improve the competitive level of the Panthers’ nonconference schedule might have received a boost Wednesday when matchups were announced for this season’s SEC/ACC Challenge.
Pitt will play at Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., on Dec. 4. All 16 matchups were revealed by ACC and ESPN officials.
There are no guarantees that success carries over, but Mississippi State has played in the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons. The Bulldogs (21-14) were No. 31 in the final 2023-24 NCAA Net rankings, and a victory in Starkville equated to a Quad 1 victory for their opponent.
Pitt defeated Mississippi State, 60-59, in an NCAA First Four game at the end of the 2022-23 season. In Pitt’s only other game against the Bulldogs, the Panthers lost 66-61 in the 2001 NIT at Fitzgerald Field House.
The Panthers also will be part of the previously announced field of four teams in the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Nov. 22 and 24 in White Sulpher Springs, W.Va. Matchups have not been set, but Pitt will play two schools from among Wisconsin, Central Florida and LSU.
Wisconsin (22-14) finished No. 21 in the Net rankings and reached the NCAA Tournament last season. UCF and LSU were 17-16.
West Virginia (9-23) also will be part of Pitt’s nonconference schedule.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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