After a deflating loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday, Pitt returned to the Petersen Events Center on Saturday afternoon to take on defending America East champion UMBC. The Panthers entered the game as 5.5-point favorites over the Retrievers, but the game would slip out of their control and UMBC would soundly defeat Pitt 87-77.
Pitt got hot from beyond the arc early in the game, with Femi Odukale, Jamarius Burton and Mouhamadou Gueye all sinking long-range shots in the first 10 minutes of the game. That allowed the Panthers to pull out to an 18-13 lead, but the Retrievers would then tie it up at 18-18 and see a momentum shift.