Pittsburgh Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Panthers

DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 07: Acting coach Jeff Capel of the Duke Blue Devils watches his team during the game against the Boston College Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 7, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 93-82. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images /

Non-conference schedule for 2018-19

Nov. 6 (H) – Youngstown State

Nov. 9 (H) – VMI

Nov. 12 (H) – Troy

Nov. 15 (H) – Central Arkansas

Nov. 17 (H) – North Alabama

Nov. 21 (N) – St. Louis (Barclays Center)

Nov. 27 (A) – Iowa (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)

Nov. 30 (H) – Duquesne (City Game)

Dec. 3 (H) – Niagara

Dec. 8 (A) – West Virginia (Backyard Brawl)

Dec. 15 (H) – Maryland Eastern-Shore

Dec. 20 (H) – New Orleans

Dec. 29 (H) – Colgate

After going 8-5 in non-conference play during the 2017-18 regular season, the Pittsburgh Panthers have taken an alternate route in Year 1 under Jeff Capel. Their schedule isn’t the toughest, but it certainly should help them establish some star power in the early going.

The Panthers open the season with five straight home games beginning with the Youngstown State Penguins on Nov. 6. The VMI Keydets will pay them a visit on Nov. 9 then host the Troy Trojans on Nov. 12. The Central Arkansas Bears (Nov.15) and North Alabama Lions (Nov. 17) will close out their home slate before the toughest portion of their non-conference slate.

The team will travel to Brooklyn, New York, to face a tough St. Louis Billikens squad led by Travis Ford in the Barclays Centers. Pittsburgh will face their first Power 5 opponent when they visit the Iowa Hawkeyes in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Although the ACC has won the last two challenges, the Panthers have gone 1-1 in their last two appearances.

In the annual City Game, Pittsburgh hosts the Duquesne Dukes on Nov. 30. They’ve lost just one game in the past 17 meetings between the teams. The team will face the Niagara Purple Eagles on Dec. 3 before their second true road game on the schedule. On Dec. 8, they travel to Morgantown looking to snap a two-game losing streak against rival West Virginia Mountaineers in the Backyard Brawl.

Three home games close out the non-conference slate against the Maryland Eastern-Shore Hawks (Dec. 15), New Orleans Privateers (Dec. 20) and Colgate Raiders (Dec. 29). They should come as confidence boosters before January starts. The ACC will be a gauntlet for them under a new head coach, experience aside.

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