While they have sometimes struggled to attract attention in the shadow of Pitt’s successful football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers men’s basketball team has recently begun to re-emerge as a contender on the national scene. The team’s one appearance in the Final Four is essentially beyond living memory now for all but the oldest Panthers fans, having occurred in 1941, but since 2000 they have managed to crack the Sweet 16 on 5 occasions and the Elite 8 once. A difficult qualification route in 2023 via the First Four saw the team rise to the challenge, causing several upsets to reach the second round proper of March Madness. Panthers fans will be hoping for even more in 2024. 

How can I get cheap tickets to Pittsburgh Panthers games?

The Petersen Events Center has seen steadily rising attendances in recent decades at Pittsburgh Panthers basketball games. Tickets can be tricky to get your hands on, particularly for postseason tournament games, key conference deciders, or rivalry matchups (see below). To find the cheapest tickets to Pittsburgh Panthers games, check the TicketX listings on this page and use our trusty TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. You can purchase tickets with the lowest commission fees from TicketX with a single click! 

Pittsburgh Panthers Rivalries

The Pittsburgh Panthers basketball team’s biggest rivals are the West Virginia Mountaineers, a rivalry known as the Backyard Brawl across football and basketball. The two teams have met in a number of decisive conference matchups that have gone right down to the wire. The Panthers have in-state rivalries with the Penn State Nittany Lions and Duquesne Dukes, though these have fallen off in recent years due to infrequent matchups. The Panthers also have a conference rivalry with the Syracuse Orange. 

Are Pittsburgh Panthers basketball games exciting?

Pittsburgh Panthers basketball games at the Petersen Events Centerare exciting events that draw big crowds of students and local residents to come cheer on their team. The team’s student cheering section, known as the Oakland Zoo, likes to show up in gold T-shirts and get very, very rowdy.