Panthers Decline Invitation to NIT
3/17/2024 6:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team has declined an invitation to the 2024 National Invitation Tournament.
"I am incredibly proud of the performance, development, and fight of our team," said head coach Jeff Capel. "We ultimately fell short of our goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament, despite ranking favorably in the computers, performing well in conference play with a fourth-place finish and an ACC Tournament Semifinal appearance, and playing our best basketball over the last eight weeks of the season. We made the decision to decline an NIT invitation as a team and with the support of our Athletic Department leadership. It was a difficult choice, but ultimately what is best for our student-athletes."
"The 2023-24 season was a memorable one that began in August with our trip to Spain and the hometown of Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham;" Capel continued. "Blake Hinson proved to be one of the elite shooters in the NCAA and our young backcourt of Carlton Carrington and Jaland Lowe grew into one of the best young guard tandems in the country. Ish's performance against Wake Forest with his father at Capital One Arena and their moment together after the game was special and throughout the roster, we had great performances that led to a second consecutive season with at least 20 wins overall and 10+ victories in ACC play. We are grateful for the tremendous fan support this season. The Oakland Zoo was amazing all season long and is a big part of our program. We look forward to continuing to build this program and preparing for an NCAA Tournament run in 2025."
Pitt concludes the season with a 22-11 record, including a 12-8 mark in ACC play.
The Panthers can return everyone from this season's roster for the 2024-25 campaign except for Blake Hinson. Hinson averaged 18.5 points per game, while setting a school record with 110 three-point field goals this season. He totaled 1,159 points and 207 three-point field goals in just 69 games as a Panther. He holds the school record for three-point field goals per game and was the fourth fastest player to 1,000 career points at Pitt.
