Pitt returns to the court today looking to get back on track. The Panthers suffered a 71-64 setback on Tuesday in a loss to Missouri in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Pitt now holds a 5-2 record on the year and a tough stretch of games in the early season continues today.
Clemson comes to the Petersen Events Center for a 2:00 p.m. tip in the conference opener for both teams. The Tigers come into this game with a 6-0 record and has the look of a team that can compete for an ACC title. Brad Brownell is in his 14th season guiding the program and this might be one of his best teams to date.
Clemson won 23 games last year and the star of that group, PJ Hall, is back for another season. Hall is arguably the best player in the ACC and the 6’10” senior is averaging 21 points per game. The Tigers made one of the biggest splashes in the transfer portal this offseason by snagging Syracuse transfer Joe Girard. The prolific scorer has over 1,700 career points and is a perfect outside pairing with Hall.
Pitt has had its struggles with Clemson, and that might be putting it mildly. Jeff Capel is 0-6 personally against Clemson and Pitt has lost ten straight games in the series. The Panthers have shown flashes of offensive explosiveness this season, but struggled to shoot against Missouri earlier this week.
Can Pitt bounce back with a big game at home? The Panther-Lair.com staff gives their picks.
Stephen Gertz (5-2): I do not know why I deviated from my preseason predictions of late. I have the Pittsburgh Panthers finishing at 16-15. I "boldly" predicted that they would win all their non-conference games against mid-major competition. Mission accomplished so far. I also predicted they would go 2-2 in the contests against the Florida Gators, Oregon State Beavers (unknown at the time), Missouri Tigers, and West Virginia Mountaineers. Pitt currently sits at 1-2 against the aforementioned opponents. That means I have the Panthers winning seven ACC games and this one at home against the Clemson Tigers is not one of them. We know who Pitt is for now: A jump shooting team - nearly half their attempts are three-pointers - that can crash the glass and mostly takes care of the ball. The problem is Clemson does those things too only better, plus they have more of an inside presence on offense in PJ Hall. The Tigers are also the best outside shooting team that the Panthers have seen thus far. Fifth year senior guards Chase Hunter and Joe Girard are both shooting above 40% on triples this season and have posted impressive stats against Pitt in the past. Will Ishmael Leggett bounce back? Probably. I also think Blake Hinson will continue his strong play and Bub Carrington is likely to turn the corner as well. The issue is that while the Panthers are deeper than previous years, they are very thin when it comes to reliable offensive threats. They have a 3-headed attack that lean heavily into one facet to contribute on offense. That is not going to be enough against Clemson.
Prediction: Clemson 76-72
Jim Hammett (5-2): Clemson has had Pitt’s number in general, but this year’s team in particular looks to be pretty good and this will be a tough challenge for the Panthers. Clemson has PJ Hall and that’s going to be a tough matchup, particularly because Pitt’s big men Federiko Federiko and Guillermo Diaz Graham have struggled defending the paint. Missouri had a 30-12 advantage at points in the paint on Tuesday, so you can expect Clemson to try to dump inside to Hall often. I think Pitt is a better team that what it showed on Tuesday and I am looking for them to bounce back today. Pitt needs more scorers than just Hinson and Carrington, and more often than not it needs to be Ishmael Leggett. I look for him to bounce back today and I think Pitt can play a tight game against a very good Clemson team, but it’s tough to predict a win when there is a ten-game losing streak in the series.
Prediction: Clemson 73-68
Matt Steinbrink (5-2): Another difficult one to call for me. This Clemson team is just solid, probably not as good as their record shows. It is a veteran group with a great center and some pieces around him. Although it is at home for the Panthers, any home court edge will likely be negated due to a Steelers game kicking off at 1. The Panthers have not been playing with great detail and Clemson does. I highly doubt Pittsburgh back court struggles again, so I expect it to be a close game. Just think in the end, PJ Hall is too much and gives Clemson the edge with the way Pitt has been defending the post.
Prediction: Clemson 77-75
Houston Wilson (5-2): Clemson might be one of the best teams in the country that many people are not talking about as they come in with a perfect 6-0 record including a road win at Alabama earlier this week. Clemson's starting center PJ Hall has been terrific so far averaging 21 points per game and is playing like he could be a potential 1st Team All ACC player later this year. One of Pitt's major issues so far this season has been their post-play, which was a major concern in their loss earlier this week to Missouri. Outside of Hall, Clemson has a lot of capable pieces including Chase Hunter and Joseph Girard III. Pitt might have to shoot the ball at a high clip to save themselves in this game and I am not sure I see that happening today.
Prediction: Clemson 77-72.
Chris Peak (5-2): Pitt has had a decent-sized break since its last game, and I think that's relevant here, because one of the biggest keys for the Panthers - arguably the biggest key - is progress and development from Bub Carrington. Jeff Capel and his staff had some extra time this week to work with their star freshman guards, and I think that will be time well spent. So much of Pitt's season is going to ride on his growth, and I think we'll see the first sign of that today. The Panthers have struggled against major-conference competition this season, but I think their issues are clear and (mostly) correctable. Pitt will probably lose the battle inside today - although a big defensive performance from Federiko Federiko could go a long way - but I'm looking for Carrington to take a step forward. Throw in the regular contributions from Blake Hinson and a bounce-back from Ishmael Leggett, and I think the Panthers can win this one.
Prediction: Pitt 78-76
