Last season, Pitt's women's basketball team was left out of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. That wasn't the case for this upcoming season as the Panthers will square off against Ohio State. Because last season was their first in the ACC, it means this is also their first time playing in the event.
Pitt will travel to Ohio State on December 3rd (time TBA) for the game. You can see all of the matchups here.
Last year, the Buckeyes were only 17-18. They also return the leading scorer from last year, though, in Ameryst Alston.
Head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio commented after the pairings were announced:
"We are excited for the opportunity to participate in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge," head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said. "Ohio State has a talented team and it will be a great early season road test for us."
After some horrid seasons, including about two years of not winning a conference game, the program really took a small step forward last year. There's still much work to be done to get back to the Sweet 16-level they were at several years ago, but for the first time in a while, there looks to be some actual promise surrounding the program.
I've said for a while that McConnell-Serio is perfect for the job. I don't know that it happens next year, but I do believe she'll be the one to turn the program around.
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