Pitt will play Mississippi State in this year's SEC/ACC Challenge

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Pitt will play Mississippi State in this year's SEC/ACC Challenge

Jerry DiPaola | Wednesday, June 12, 2024 4:32 p.m.

Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel gives instructions during a time out during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Louisville in Pittsburgh Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. Pittsburgh won 86-59. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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.

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