On Monday night, Pitt men’s basketball will welcome the Monmouth University Hawks for their fourth non-conference game of the season, hoping to move their winning percentage back above .500. But outside the lines, there’s a lot to know about the Hawks, whose influence stretches from inches beyond the court all the way to the White House.

Get to know Pitt’s first non-conference opponent of the season — the plucky, up-and-coming Nicholls State Colonels — before Saturday's game.

With the recent finalization of Pitt’s 2018 football schedule, it’s never too early to start planning ticket purchases and tailgates. The team is set to face a tough non-conference schedule, including...