After back-to-back thrilling wins at the Petersen Events Center, the Pitt Panthers gear up for another big home game today. Clemson comes to town with an identical 4-0 record in ACC play as Pitt, and the winner of this game will take sole possession of first place in the league and will have a good chance of cracking the rankings on Monday.
Clemson is under the direction of Brad Brownell, who is in his 13th season as head coach. He has taken the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament three times in his career, and it looks like this year's team has a chance to do the same. Clemson has four players averaging double figures, led by senior forward Hunter Tyson. He averages 15.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. The Tigers are an experienced team with three seniors and two juniors in the starting five. They are coming off of a narrow 68-65 win over Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
Pitt has strung together six straight wins, with the last two being top-25 upsets. The Panthers saw themselves trailing by 12 points in the second half to Virginia before storming back to take down the Cavaliers 68-65. Pitt received a big boost from Nike Sbande off the bench last game, who poured in 16 points. Blake Hinson and Jamarius Burton have both been performing at an All-ACC level this season as well.
Can Pitt extend this winning streak to seven games? The Panther-Lair.com staff gives their picks.
Stephen Gertz (11-4): Two teams picked to finish outside of the top-10 in the ACC preseason polls will be battling it out inside the Pete to see who will claim the top spot in the conference in early January. Pitt's path to victory revolves making sure PJ Hall and Hunter Tyson do not get going from beyond the arc, while keeping the latter off the glass. Furthermore, they need to defend the three-point line against the entire Clemson team as they are one of the best shooting teams in the country in terms of percentage. I mention Hall because he presents a much different challenge than Armando Bacot and other post players as he can step out and shoot triples with consistency. The Panthers will need to account for that in their ball screen defense. Pitt has the better backcourt and I expect Burton and Cummings to outplay Brevin Galloway and Chase Hunter by a noticeable and important margin. If this ends up being a wash, the Panthers may be in for more of a fight than they bargained for. Maybe the return of John Hugley gives Pitt just a little bit more, but honestly, whoever is the better shooting team will likely win this one. To that end, I like the Panthers ability to defend the three-point line better than Clemson.
Prediction: Pitt 76, Clemson 70
Houston Wilson (10-5): Pitt has started to make the rest of the country know that they are a legit contender in the ACC and a win today against Clemson would be another step in the right direction. Clemson has found success this year being an older team and they have looked much more experienced. However, Pitt looks experienced too and they have all the tools to win this game which I think they will.
Prediction: Pitt 75, Clemson 70
Matt Steinbrink (8-7): Clemson and Pitt at 4:00 today for isolated first place in the league. Just like we all predicted preseason. That is what is on the line today. These are two similar teams that are experienced and shoot the three well. This game will likely stay within a possession for most of the game. Clemson has owned this series, similar to how NC State did. The Panthers already overcame those demons, and now I think they do the same with Clemson. They are just playing too well and have found a way to be resilient and make winning plays.
Prediction: Pitt 71, Clemson 67
Jim Hammett (9-6): If you read my 3-2-1 column yesterday, you already know I'm going with the Panthers. Pitt is on a roll right now and they are doing two things well: winning close games and playing at home. The Petersen Events Center is starting to clear the cobwebs and is sounding like the perennial homecourt advantage it used to be. The thing that impresses me most about this Pitt team is how everyone is really playing well in their role, and perhaps nobody is doing that better of late than Nelly Cummings. The senior guard has recorded 15 assists to just one turnover in Pitt's last two games. The worry I have in this one is that Clemson has owned Pitt through the years. Pitt has been down lately, but it's not like Clemson has been a powerhouse during that stretch either. It will be a challenge for Pitt, but I think they get it done in front of the home crowd.
Prediction: Pitt 72, Clemson 66
Chris Peak (11-4): I know fully well the cosmic jinx I’m tempting with this pick, but I have to do it: I’m taking Pitt. The Panthers just seem to have a good thing going right now. Nelly Cummings and Jamarius Burton are leaders in every sense: steadying forces who can make a play when one is needed. Nike Sibande provides a spark off the bench. Greg Elliott is a threat to make 5-7 there’s in any given game. Federiko Federiko continues to progress. And Blake Hinson does just about everything. I think Pitt matches up well with Clemson - especially in the backcourt - but I just really like how this Pitt team is playing right now, and I think they keep it up.
Prediction: Pitt 74, Clemson 67
