Pitt fans reflect on season after Panthers lose to Xavier
Pitt lost to Xavier in round two of the NCAA tournament Sunday afternoon
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Updated: 7:43 AM EDT Mar 20, 2023
YEAH. KAYLA, YOU KNOW, THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH EXCITEMENT AROUND THIS TEAM ALL SEASON LONG. AND OF COURSE, THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. AND ALTHOUGH THE PANTHERS COULDN’T CLINCHED A SPOT IN THE SWEET 16, WE DID TALK WITH A LOT OF FANS TODAY. THEY SAID THEY WERE SO PROUD OF THEIR TEAM AND ALL OF ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS. ANY TIME PICK IT’S IN THE TOURNAMENT, YOU HAVE TO BRING IT IN SOME WAY. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WATCH IT SOMEWHERE. I DON’T WANT TO JUST WATCH IT AT HOME. I WANT TO WATCH IT SOMEWHERE, ESPECIALLY WITH MY DAD AND AND JUST THE CROWD. ALL EYES WERE ON THE BIG SCREEN AT LINCOLN, ZENO, PITTSBURGH AS PITT FANS PLACE THEIR BETS, HOPING FOR A BIG WIN AGAINST XAVIER. MARCH MADNESS IS INCREDIBLE. YOU KNOW, YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT OPENING WEEKEND, THE BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR, JUST IN TERMS OF LIKE PURE BAD VOLUME. YOU GOT 64 TEAMS, 32 GAMES IN THE FIRST TWO DAYS. THERE’S NOT MUCH VIKINGS PANTHERS CAME INTO TODAY’S GAME AFTER WINNING THEIR FIRST TWO NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES SINCE 2014. ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY JUST COMING IN TO GET PART OF THE ACTION. THIS YEAR WE HAD WEST VIRGINIA, PENN STATE, AND OBVIOUSLY NOW PITT ALL IN THE TOURNAMENT. AND IT’S CREATED A LOT OF BUZZ. THE CASINO WAS JUST ONE OF MANY PLACES WHERE FANS GATHERED TO WATCH THE GAME. IT WAS A PACKED HOUSE AT LOT 17 ON LIBERTY AVENUE WHERE WE TALKED WITH THE OWNER. WE WERE ALWAYS HERE AT BASKETBALL SUPPORTERS FROM THE TIME THAT WE OPENED DURING 2000. AND I MEAN, THE SUCCESS OF THE TEAM, YOU KNOW, JUST TRANSLATE TO SUCCESS FOR OUR BUSINESS. WHILE THE PANTHERS 2022 2023 SEASON HAS COME TO AN END, FANS ARE ALREADY LOOKING TO THE TEAM’S PROMISING FUTURE. IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, GOOD BASKETBALL BACK IN MARCH. YOU KNOW, JUST BEING RELEVANT, GREAT. HOPEFULLY WE BUILD ON THIS AND NEXT YEAR, YOU KNOW, BACK TO WHAT WE WERE USED TO IN THE EARLY 2000 WHEN PITT BASKETBALL’S GOOD IN THIS AREA, PITTSBURGH AND BEYOND. THIS PLACE IS BUZZING AND PEOPLE LOVE THE PANTHERS. SO OBVIOUSLY A BITTERSWEET ENDING FOR THE PANTHERS THIS SEASON. BUT YOU HEARD IT. FANS ARE ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT SEASON. REPORTING LIVE FRO
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Pitt fans reflect on season after Panthers lose to Xavier
Pitt lost to Xavier in round two of the NCAA tournament Sunday afternoon
The Pitt Panthers have bowed out of the big dance. Pitt lost to Xavier in round two of the NCAA tournament Sunday afternoon.Although the team couldn’t clinch a spot in the Sweet 16, fans praised the team and their success.“I love watching this team. They are fun to watch. Seeing these guys all come together, kind of out of nowhere, a lot of these guys are first year guys and didn’t play for Pitt last year. To see where they made it to is really not only surprising, but it’s awesome," Ed Diorio said.All eyes were on the big screen at Live! Casino Pittsburgh as fans placed their bets hoping for a win earlier in the day.“March Madness is incredible. You are talking about opening weekend. The busiest time of the year just in terms of pure bet volume. You've got 64 teams. 32 games in the first two days. There's not much like it,” Live! Casino Pittsburgh Sportsbook Manager, Anthony Zrelak said.The Panthers came into Sunday’s game after winning their first two NCAA tournament games since 2014.Fans also gathered to watch the game at Lot 17 on Liberty Avenue where Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 talked with the owner. “We were always huge Pitt basketball supporters from the time that we opened here in 2000, and the success of the team just translates to success for our business. It was great to have Pitt basketball back in March. You know just being relevant is great. Hopefully, we build on this and next year back to what we were use to in the early 2000s,” said David Namestnik, owner of Lot 17.
The Pitt Panthers have bowed out of the big dance.
Although the team couldn’t clinch a spot in the Sweet 16, fans praised the team and their success.
“I love watching this team. They are fun to watch. Seeing these guys all come together, kind of out of nowhere, a lot of these guys are first year guys and didn’t play for Pitt last year. To see where they made it to is really not only surprising, but it’s awesome," Ed Diorio said.
All eyes were on the big screen at Live! Casino Pittsburgh as fans placed their bets hoping for a win earlier in the day.
“March Madness is incredible. You are talking about opening weekend. The busiest time of the year just in terms of pure bet volume. You've got 64 teams. 32 games in the first two days. There's not much like it,” Live! Casino Pittsburgh Sportsbook Manager, Anthony Zrelak said.
Fans also gathered to watch the game at Lot 17 on Liberty Avenue where Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 talked with the owner.
“We were always huge Pitt basketball supporters from the time that we opened here in 2000, and the success of the team just translates to success for our business. It was great to have Pitt basketball back in March. You know just being relevant is great. Hopefully, we build on this and next year back to what we were use to in the early 2000s,” said David Namestnik, owner of Lot 17.
