Pitt basketball to participate in 2016 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, per report

This year hasn't even kicked off yet, but CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein had a bit of news on Tuesday regarding next season.

Pitt will reportedly join Michigan, Marquette, and SMU for the 2016 2K Sports Classic. The annual tournament is held at Madison Square Garden. Matchups have not yet been decided.

The Panthers, of course, have played in numerous early-season tournaments. This year, Pitt will be playing Davidson in the Gotham Classic, also at Madison Square Garden.

It's good to see Pitt continue to get New York exposure despite no longer playing in the Big East. Without Barry Rohrssen and his recruiting efforts, the Panthers won't likely have the same pipeline they had there in the past. Still, it keeps them in the eyes of recruits up that way and gives the program some more national exposure. Just as important as all of that, it gives Pitt a quality opponent to add to a non-conference schedule that hasn't always been strong.

Here's a look at the expected 2016 tournament fields. As you can see, the 2K Sports Classic matches up well against all of them in terms of quality opponents. The Panthers themselves will have a chance to be a very good team returning potentially four starters.

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