Men’s basketball team releases full schedule

Pitt released its men’s basketball’s 31-game schedule on Thursday, highlighted by home games against Duke on Jan. 27 and Syracuse on Jan. 18.

Pitt’s 2013-2014 conference schedule, which begins on Jan. 8 at North Carolina State, includes 18 games against 14 ACC opponents. The Panthers are scheduled to play nine conference games at home – against Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, N.C. State, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest – and nine away – versus Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Notre Dame and Syracuse.

The ACC Tournament is slated for March 12-16, to be played at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum. The NCAA Tournament is set to kick off shortly after, on March 20-23.

“Our first season in the ACC will provide our fans and supporters with an exciting schedule,” Panthers head coach Jamie Dixon said in a press release from the athletic department. “I’m also excited about our non-conference side as we have put ourselves in a position, once again, to have one of the toughest overall schedules in the country.”

Pitt begins its season with non-conference play on Nov. 8 against Savannah State at the Petersen Events Center.

The remainder of Pitt’s non-conference schedule features bouts at home against Fresno State, Penn State, Loyola Marymount, Youngstown State, Cal-Poly and Albany. Pitt is also set to match up against Howard on Nov. 17 and Lehigh on Nov. 20 at the Petersen Events Center for the Legends Classic in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Panthers travel to the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. to face Texas Tech and the winner of Stanford and Houston as part of the Legends Classic on Nov. 25-26.

On Nov. 30, Pitt is scheduled to take on Duquesne at Consol Energy Center for the 2013 City Game.

As part of the Jimmy V Classic in New York, Pitt faces Cincinnati at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 17.