Saturday is a big night for Pitt fans eager to see what the immediate future holds but remain tethered to the past for all the right reasons.

While the Panthers attempt to return to relevance this season, members of the 1974 and 2009 Pitt teams will be honored at Petersen Events Center.

The ’74 team (25-4) won 22 games in a row with a home-grown group of players.

The ’09 Panthers (31-5) reached the Elite 8, only to lose a 78-76 heartbreaker to Villanova.

Best teams in Pitt history? No argument here.

Back to the present day, here are some storylines to ponder before the 6 p.m. tipoff:

1. Don’t sleep on the Irish

Pitt has won three of its past four games and is playing with confidence, but there is so much more work to do to salvage the season.

From a distance, Notre Dame (7-14, 2-8) doesn’t present an imposing challenge, but Pitt was 1-5 in the conference a little more than two weeks ago.

The Irish have lost seven of their past eight for first-year coach Micah Shrewsberry, but six have been decided by single-digit margins, including an overtime victory at Georgia Tech.

Not that the past always matters, but Pitt has lost eight of its past nine against Notre Dame. Coach Jeff Capel is 1-5.

If Pitt’s players don’t show up with the same focus they brought Wednesday night against Wake Forest, shame on them.

2. Defense matters

Capel shouldn’t have any trouble getting his players to take Notre Dame seriously. The Irish are second in the ACC in scoring defense (65.3 points per game allowed). Good defense is a part of the game every coach treasures.

“All people want to talk about is the sexy stuff,” Capel said. “The scoring, the (ball) handling, the dunks, the passes. That’s what gets (reporters) talking. That’s what get social media talking. That’s what gets SportsCenter (talking). Very seldom do you see somebody that’s praised for being gritty, for being tough, for defending.

“Getting guys to understand the importance of it is somewhat of a challenge.”

Capel said Notre Dame plays “elite” defense.

“They’re together. They’re connected. They’re very physical.”

3. That’s my boy

Shrewsberry admits he might treat his son, Braeden, a bit differently from other players on his team.

“He probably gets treated worse,” he said.

Shrewsberry said it’s no challenge coaching his son, who led State College High School to a 25-3 record last season when dad was Penn State’s coach.

“The biggest challenge is more outside pressure,” he said. “If he doesn’t play well, then (the perception is) he’s only playing because he’s the coach’s son or that’s the only reason that he’s getting minutes. Or, he’s playing before ‘Johnny’ because he’s my kid when, in fact, I have a responsibility to Notre Dame to put the best product on the floor for Notre Dame basketball.”

In his freshman season at Notre Dame, Shrewsberry has become a valuable reserve and its busiest 3-point shooter (128 attempts) while starting only four games. He’s averaging 26.3 minutes and 9.2 points and shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc and 88.2% from the foul line (15 of 17). He scored 16 points, with four 3s, off the bench Wednesday in a 65-53 loss at Virginia.

4. An 18-team ACC coming soon

After structuring a schedule for a 17-team football conference, ACC officials next must tackle 18 teams for the 2024-25 basketball season. SMU, Stanford and California will join the ACC this summer.

What does that mean for the ACC Tournament? This year, all 15 current teams will be invited to Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., March 12-16. Capel hopes the increased numbers won’t lead to exclusivity.

“I don’t like it if anyone is excluded from it,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for every team to have a chance at the postseason, and that’s really what March Madness is about. You can get hot, and you could be an unbelievable story. If you don’t allow teams to go there, you strip a program of that opportunity and the kids of that opportunity.”

The other question. Do you play 18 or 20 regular-season games?

When Pitt joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season, teams played 18 conference games. The number bumped to 20 in 2019-20 and remains there. Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said he wouldn’t mind going back to 18, which would give schools greater opportunity to schedule high-profile nonconference opponents, possibly increasing their profile for NCAA Tournament consideration.

Asked that question, Capel defended the ACC from its critics.

“It’s frustrating when you listen to the narrative nationally about our conference,” Capel said. “Historically, I know this league and I’m in it now. You know how good this league is. You know how good the teams are, but yet on a national level for whatever reason, you’re not getting that recognition.”

The most recent Associated Press Top 25 includes No. 3 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke. The only other ACC school to receive a vote from the 63 voters this week is Virginia, chosen No. 23 by Brice Cherry of the Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald.

For the record, the ACC leads the six power conferences (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, Big East and Pac-12) in Final Four berths and champions (eight and three) since 2014. That’s five schools (North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Syracuse and Miami) and three champions (North Carolina, Duke and Virginia).

5. ‘We before me’ isn’t just a football slogan

Ishmael Leggett has found his niche coming off Pitt’s bench and is averaging 15.3 points and 4.3 rebounds over the past four contests. He’s also 8 of 15 from beyond the 3-point arc.

He’s not starting for the first time in his basketball career. Not that it matters to Leggett, who transferred from Rhode Island.

“It’s new, but I’m trying to win basketball games,” he said. “We before me.”

Has he been talking to Pat Narduzzi?

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