Pitt announced Tuesday morning that home basketball games at the Petersen Events Center would be limited to 500 attendees until further notice.
The announcement comes in response to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's intensified capacity restrictions in response to the surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state.
Pitt had announced on Nov. 10 that it would allow 1,250 attendees to home basketball games, with a plan to allow fans in general seating as well as the university band, spirit squad, media, and the required players and staff for both Pitt and opposing teams to play and manage the game.
However with this adjustment, Pitt will not offer general seating for single game tickets. The only permitted attendees to Pitt home games at this time "include players, coaches, working staff, player/coach families, and special guests of the University."
“As our hospitals and health care system are facing greater strain, we need to redouble our efforts to keep people safe,” Governor Tom Wolf released in a statement on Monday. “If our health care system is compromised, it isn’t only COVID-19 patients who will suffer. If we run out of hospital beds, or if hospital staff are over-worked to the breaking point, care will suffer for every patient – including those who need emergency care for illnesses, accidents, or chronic conditions unrelated to COVID-19.”
Pitt basketball's home opener is scheduled for a 7 p.m. Wednesday tip-off against St. Francis, Pa.
• Pitt also announced Monday that the tip-off time for Pitt's Saturday game against Drexel at the Petersen Events Center will be 1 p.m. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra.
That puts the game start just 2.5 hours before Pitt's football team's 3:30 p.m. kickoff against Clemson at Memorial Stadium. We will be at the Petersen Events Center for the basketball game and cover Pitt football remotely with our routine live file.
• Pitt also updated its tip-off time against Northwestern to 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 9 at Welsh Ryan Arena. The game will be televised on ESPNU:
We got updates on updates. #ZooEra
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) November 24, 2020
