Pitt and Vanderbilt schedule two-game basketball series

Pitt and Vanderbilt announced that they had reached an agreement to play a two-game series on Monday. The first game in the series will be played in Pittsburgh on Nov. 24. The second will be played in Nashville next year.

“As we put together our non-conference schedule, we are always looking for opponents who will help us prepare for ACC play,” said head coach Jeff Capel. “I have known [Jerry Stackhouse] since we were AAU teammates as teenagers back in North Carolina. He teaches a fast-paced, aggressive style of basketball, and his teams compete at a high level. This matchup will be a great test for our team and will help ready us for conference play.”

Pitt and Vanderbilt last met in the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1988, with the Commodores defeating the Panthers 80-74. With that said, Pitt leads the all-time series 2-1 and holds a 1-0 record against Vanderbilt in Pittsburgh as well as in Nashville. But Pitt’s two wins in the series came in 1923 and 1935.

Last season, Pitt went 10-12 under Capel, and the team has gone 40-48 during his tenure. However, when Pitt and Vanderbilt meet at the Petersen Events Center this fall, the Panthers will take the court with a new-look team, as they added five newcomers to the roster this offseason. They include transfers Jamarius Burton, Mo Gueye, Dan Oladapo and Chris Payton as well as 2021 recruit Nate Santos.

As for Vanderbilt, the team is coming off a 9-16 season under Stackhouse and has gone 20-37 during the coach’s two years at the helm in Nashville. But the Commodores do feature some notable talent, as they are led by junior duo Scotty Pippen Jr. and Dylan Disu, who combined for an average of 35.8 points per game last season while Pippen led the team in assists and Disu led the team in rebounds.