The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball program is popularly known as the Pitt Panthers, and is the NCAA Division 1 intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh. The team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in the 12,508 capacity Petersen Events Center. Their official uniform colors are blue and gold and their current coach is Jamie Dixon.
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They began playing basketball in 1905 and soon become a national power winning two Helms Foundation National Championships in 1927-28 and 1929-30, and were coached by the innovative and legendary Naismith Hall of Fame inductee "Doc" Carlson, and led by National Player of the Year and Hall of Famer Charlie Hyatt. In 1941 following a Final Four appearance, Pitt appeared in a handful of NCAA tournaments throughout the 50, 60s, and 70s, including a Elite Eight appearance in 1974 led by All-American Billy Knight, and in 1982 entered the Big East Conference, and by the end of the decade had secured a pair of Big East regular season championships led by All-Americans Charles Smith and Jerome Lane. In 1999 they hired Ben Howland as head coach, and in 2003 replaced him with Jamie Dixon.
They have achieved seven straight NCAA tournament appearances since 2001, four Sweet Sixteen appearances, three Big East regular season championships, two Big East Tournament Championships, and six Big East Tournament Championship game appearances.