With only about one month until the ACC tournament and the end of the regular season, Pitt’s once-sparse schedule is starting to fill up.
The Panthers will play at No. 14 Virginia on Saturday, a day they were set to play No. 20 Florida State before that game was postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Seminoles’ program. Additionally, they’ve had a road game at Georgia Tech added on Feb. 14, which had been one of the handful of openings on their schedule.
The game against the Cavaliers will tip off at 4 p.m. and will air on ESPN. Virginia became available as an opponent after its meeting with Louisvilleon Saturday was postponed because of a positive test within the Cardinals’ program. The Cavaliers, the defending national champions and the preseason favorite in the ACC, are 11-3 this season and 7-1 in conference play, putting them atop the ACC standings.
Pitt’s meeting with Georgia Tech was originally scheduled for Jan. 12, but a positive test within the Yellow Jackets’ program delayed that game. Their Valentine’s Day matchup will tip off at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network. Georgia Tech is 8-6 this season and 4-4 in ACC play, but it has shown an ability to be dangerous, with wins against Florida State and North Carolina, as well as a narrow loss at Virginia.
With the Yellow Jackets back on the schedule, Pitt has three postponed games that have not been rescheduled — at Duke, at Boston College and a home contest with Florida State.
As things stand now, the Panthers have just one break of more than three full days remaining on their schedule, which comes between a Feb. 21 game against Clemson and a Feb. 28 matchup at N.C. State. While no other ACC team is off that week, Duke and Syracuse play that Monday, Feb. 22, which means a game later in the week could be feasible, though perhaps unlikely.
Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG
First Published: February 3, 2021, 9:49 p.m.