Pitt basketball announced the team's season opener Friday to be against St. Francis [Pa.] on Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Peterson Events Center:
Tipoff official for Nov. 25. #ZooEra
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) November 13, 2020
Also announced were two more scheduled non-conference games for Pitt against Drexel on Nov. 28, and Gardner-Webb on Dec. 12. Combined with the already announced Dec. 9 matchup with Northwestern as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Pitt has now announced four of its five non-conference games, with the final expected to be announced soon.
The Friday announcement coincided with the university celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Oakland Zoo, the student cheering section of the Panthers:
Our 20th anniversary logo is here!🔥 Even though things will look a little different at the Pete this year, we are so excited to celebrate 20 years of The Oakland Zoo💯 #H2P #ZooEra pic.twitter.com/ebSC2abfTm
— Oakland Zoo (@OaklandZoo) November 13, 2020
Dating back to the days when Pitt basketball was played in the Fitzgerald Field House, the Oakland Zoo became one of the most revered student cheering sections in all of college basketball. The section was even acknowledged as the toughest place to win in sports by the Wall Street Journal in 2009.
"I'm so excited to be part of the 20th anniversary of this incredible student section," Jeff Capel said on Friday. "I'm anxious to get the season started. We're close. Let's get ready to go."
Pitt announced its full ACC schedule on Tuesday, with the team's first ACC game against Miami on Dec. 16, and first home ACC game against Louisville on Dec. 22.
The team's season opener against St. Francis is set to air locally on AT&T Sports Network, and nationally on the ACC's regional sports networks. That is the only Pitt basketball game currently with a scheduled tip-off time. All other game times and TV designations are to be announced at a later date.