Sports

A full weekend of ACC matchups ahead for Pitt Athletics

This weekend is filled with tons of Pitt athletics action, including huge ACC matchups and crucial contests for the winter sports programs. The Pitt sports calendar is full of exciting events for every Pitt fan, from a high-stakes basketball contest to a competitive wrestling match.

The upcoming weekend promises an exciting lineup of ACC matchups for Pitt Athletics. 

Here is a preview of every matchup this weekend.

Men’s Basketball

A much-needed spark ignited the Pitt men’s basketball team (12-7, 3-5 ACC), with huge wins over Duke and Georgia Tech this past week. 

The team is slowly climbing the ACC charts, game by game. Fortunately, the Panthers will have another opportunity to play an ACC team this weekend. The team will travel to Miami to face the Hurricanes (13-6, 4-4 ACC) on Saturday, Jan. 27.

The Panthers have a chance to finish their three-game road trip undefeated. The Hurricanes go into this game coming off of a win against Notre Dame. 

This game will challenge the Panthers, since the Hurricanes have had an explosive offense. The Hurricanes average 81.9 points per game, surpassing the Panthers’ allowance of 66.6 points. Additionally, the Panthers average 76.3 points per game, with only a 4.0 point difference from the 72.3 points allowed by the Hurricanes.

This game is an exciting one, and a win is needed from the Panthers to keep the momentum rolling and give more hope towards the ACC Tournament. 

Tipoff is set for 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Watsco Center. Coverage will air on The CW. 

Women’s Basketball

Among the winter and spring sports offered by Pitt, women’s basketball stands out as a less-than-promising one. As the month of January draws to a close, the Panthers have struggled mightily, failing to beat any of their opponents throughout the month.

On Sunday, the Panthers (6-13, 0-6 ACC) will travel to Kentucky to take on Louisville (16-3, 5-1 ACC). Louisville is currently ranked No. 18 in the AP top 25 poll

This team is a challenge for the Panthers considering the struggling season they have endured. Louisville has only lost one ACC game, while Pitt has yet to win a single game in-conference. Pitt hopes to break its six-game losing streak this weekend. 

Additionally, these teams already met this month, on Jan. 11, where the Cardinals dominated Pitt in the second half in their 74-44 win. Since then, Pitt has lost every game. This game looks promising if you’re a Cardinals fan and disappointing if you’re a Pitt fan. 

Tipoff is set for Sunday, Jan. 28, at 2:00 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Arena. Coverage will air on ACCNX on ESPN+.

Gymnastics 

Pitt gymnastics (2-3-0, 0-1-0 ACC) travels to North Carolina to take on NC State (1-4, 1-0 ACC) on Friday night. Another ACC matchup this weekend, this is a much-needed win by the Panthers to put them back on track. 

This is an exciting night for fans of both teams as well as Taylor Swift fans, as the contest is ”Taylor Swift” night at the Reynolds Coliseum, complete with Eras Tour t-shirts and friendship bracelets.

Pitt gymnastics has lost its last two meets, and the team is looking to break this losing record. The Wolfpack is coming off of a massive win against UNC last weekend — however, this is the only win the team has on the season. 

The meet begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, at the Reynolds Coliseum. Coverage of the meet will be on ACCNX on ESPN+. 

Wrestling

Along with Pitt gymnastics taking on NC State on Friday night, Pitt wrestling (7-5-0, 0-0-0 ACC) is hosting NC State (10-2-0, 0-0-0 ACC) on Friday night and taking on the Wolfpack as well. NC State wrestling is currently ranked No. 8 in the AP top 25 poll. 

NC State has yet to lose on the road, while Pitt has only won one match at the Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers are looking to get back on track after losing the last two matches. On the other hand, the Wolfpack won their last match against Hofstra 43-5. 

Five consecutive weeks have seen NC State ranked in the top 10. Both teams are competitive and this will make for an exciting ACC matchup this Friday evening. 

The duel starts on Jan. 26 at the Fitzgerald Field House at 7 p.m. Coverage will air on the ACC Network.

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