Wanted to get to this sooner, but Pitt's non-conference schedule was officially released last week.
The full schedule includes games against: Albany, Rider, Long beach State, LaSalle, Penn, Robert Morris, Duquesne, Tennessee, VMI, Oklahoma State, South Carolina State, St. Francis (PA), and Wagner.
Lots of thoughts and notes on these games.
A bit under the radar, but looking forward to the VMI game a bit (yes, that VMI). In all seriousness, they had the top offense in college basketball last season averaging 87.9 points per game. They also played West Virginia respectably. At the Pete, I wouldn't expect an upset, but could be a fun game to watch.
The game against Penn will be exciting in my opinion. I was high on it when it was first announced because it's going to be played over a holiday weekend at the Palestra. The Quakers lost two of their top three scorers last year, but I think this game could still be fun. Pitt blew them out last season at the Pete and should pick up another win next season on the road.
The Tennessee game will again be huge, obviously - and this time Pitt has to go on the road. The game is at Tennessee, but the Vols shouldn't be nearly as potent without its two top scorers from last year Tobias Harris and Scotty Hopson. Pitt will also run into a familiar face in Dwight Miller there.
Lastly, the Oklahoma State game in NYC will be solid. The Cowboys usually have a pretty good program and any game at The Garden is cool.