Pitt was finished when they left the Big East. They had a heavy NYC pipeline, which vanished when they were not playing New York area teams. They became just another program trying to recruit New York/New Jersey, and Pittsburgh was not exactly a premier destination. Pittsburgh high schools don't produce a lot of basketball talent, and west of Pittsburgh is Big 10 country and a lot of competition for even second and third tier players.
I thought that Pitt could make a bit of a comeback in the NIL/House era given that they are in a city with lots of corporate sponsors and wealthy individuals, and Pitt has a big endowment. Maybe the next coach will be more successful.