Fans expressed a lot of angst this week after Pitt’s players decided to wear their black uniforms instead of the royal blue that has been so popular for football and basketball.
Guess what. Greg Elliott said you can stop complaining.
In his mind, the black uniforms helped fuel the team in its two NCAA Tournament victories this week against Mississippi State and Iowa State.
“Honestly, we chose black because we think about it as we come here to take control of something,” he said in Pitt’s locker room Friday after the 59-41 win over Iowa State. “Most of the time when you see a team taking over something or a bank robbery…they dress in black, right? We entered all in black. That’s what we own.
“We’re not robbing a bank or anything, but trying to break in and take something. Because everyone said we weren’t supposed to be here. So we will continue to win victories.
Said Pitt is 5-0 in black uniforms — Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Florida State in the regular season, plus two in the tournament — he had a quick response.
“Let’s keep wearing them.”
Pitt, the No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region, will face No. 3 Xavier in the second round on Sunday. When Jamarius Burton was asked if the Panthers would wear black again, he made their choice clear.
“If we’re the bottom seed, of course,” he said.
Jerry DiPaola is an editor at Tribune-Review. You can contact Jerry by email at jdipaola@triblive.com or via Twitter .