ACC Men's Basketball Preview: Pittsburgh Panthers
Inside the opponents of our new conference
With the start of ACC play, we’ll take a look at our conference opponents as we learn about some brand-new teams that we will be visiting and also hosting in Berkeley.
Pittsburgh Panthers 10-2 (1-0)
Head Coach: Jeff Capel III (7th Season)
Best Finish: In 2023, Capel and the Panthers finished 24-12 with a conference record of 14-6. They made the NCAA Tournament as an 11th seed and lost in the second round.
Key Players
G Jaland Lowe - 6-3/175 - 28.6% of Offensive Possession - 27.3% of Shots
16.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, 2.6 TOPG, 38.7% FG, 27.7% 3PT, 86.7% FT
G Ishmael Leggett - 6-3/185 - 24.1% of Offensive Possession - 25.2% of Shots
17.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 1.8 TOPG, 51.3% FG, 32.7% 3PT, 74.5% FT
Rob’s Notebook
As KenPom’s 22nd rated team in the country, this game is not going to be easy at all. Pitt has two very talented guards that are adept at drawing fouls (combined 9 fouls drawn per 40 minutes) and equally as prolific inside the arc. Jaland Lowe is having a career year and is a candidate for POTY. The 18th best offense in the country, that is particulary good from inside the arc will naturally open up looks from 3, which is where the Bears have struggled to defend all season long. Defensively, Pitt is no slouch either, having the 34th-best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country, holding teams to just 29.9% from 3 and 48.9% from inside the arc. Cal will have to rely on their interior presence to open up some of the outside looks. It won’t be just the bigs that will have to help, Cameron Corhen and Guillermo Diaz Graham are the two bigs for Pitt that play the most minutes but also average 4.1 and 4.5 fouls per 40 minutes respectively. That means Andrej, Jeremiah, Jovan and JOJ will have to push into the paint to force their bigs into making contests on the inside. Getting them into foul trouble early might be our best avenue into forcing our way into the game.
Game Info
Tip-Off: 11:00 AM PT
Location: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA
TV: ACC Network
Radio: KGO 810AM or The Varsity Network
Go Bears! Beat the Panthers! Happy New Year!