Oakland Zoo is the student cheering section for the University of Pittsburgh men 's and women 's basketball teams . The Zoo cheers on the Panthers from the bottom tier of the stands at the Petersen Events Center , primarily across from the teams ' benches and on the baselines under the baskets . The " Pete " holds a rowdy crowd of 1,500 students that are typically uniformly clad in gold t-shirts , and the Zoo student section is consistently sold out for Panthers home games . The Oakland Zoo is named after Oakland , the neighborhood in which the university is located . The name " Oakland Zoo " is used for the basketball cheering sections only ; the football cheering section has often used the title , " The Panther Pitt . " The Oakland Zoo has been noted as being one of the most formidable student cheering sections in college basketball . The Zoo has been profiled in '' The Wall Street Journal '' , and has been featured on ESPN in various segments including ESPNU Campus Connection Week on January 19 , 2009 , ESPN Student Spirit Week on January 16 , 2007 , and ESPN " College Basketball GameDay " on January 13 , 2007 . According to an anonymous poll of league players published by Sports Illustrated , the Oakland Zoo has helped make the Petersen Events Center the " Toughest Place to Play " in the Big East Conference . Anonymous players in the article were quoted describing the Oakland Zoo with the following descriptions : " The fans get there early to start heckling you . It 's like a zoo . " and " The student section is next to the court , and the fans there say some creative stuff . " In 2013 , the Petersen Events Center , with specific mention of the Oakland Zoo , was ranked as the nation 's second best game atmosphere arena by '' USA Today '' . Some members of the Oakland Zoo have been known to wear body paint , wigs , masks , or animal-themed costumes that have included , at various times , giraffes , moose , penguins , gorillas , bears , among other species
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Oakland Zoo (cheering section)