Big game tomorrow at The Pete as Pitt hosts #9 ranked Virginia. Not only are the Panthers fighting for positioning in the ACC but could also help their March Madness resume with a win over a Top 10 team.
Pitt is 20-12 against teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll at the Peterson Events Center, including a 14-3 record against top 10 opponents. Saturday’s game is the first of three straight games against nationally-ranked opponents.
Tomorrow also starts an incredibly difficult stretch of games for Jamie Dixon and Pitt. To say that their schedule in February is tough is an understatement.
Pitt’s February schedule: vs. Virginia, at Miami, at North Carolina, vs. Wake Forest, at Syracuse, vs. Louisville and vs. Duke.
Picking up some marquee wins would also impressive the NCAA Tournament committee. The Panthers rank 31st in the latest NCAA RPI
ACC STANDINGS
North Carolina 8-1
Louisville 7-2
Virginia 7-3
Clemson 7-3
Pitt 6-3
Miami, Fla 6-3
Here are some other Pregame notes heading into tomorrow afternoon’s game.
*Pitt is 17-0 this season and 235-22 (.914) under Dixon when scoring 70 or more points in a game.
*Pitt is tied for third in the NCAA in assists (18.8 apg) and are 15-1 on the season when recording 15 or more assists in a game.
*Pitt is 14-0 this season when outrebounding an opponent.
*James Robinson (985) and Jamel Artis (964) are closing in on 1,000 points in their Pitt career. Michael Young became the 44th Pitt player to record that feat. Pitt has had 3 players reach the 1,000 point milestone in the same season three times (1986-87, 1989-90 and 2010-11.
*Michael Young is the only player in the ACC averaging at least 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game this season.
*Either Young or Artis have led Pitt in scoring in 18 of their 21 games this season. The tandem accounts for 44.7 percent of Pitt’s scoring in league play.
*Pitt is 9-0 this season when Sterling Smith makes 3 or more three-point field goals in a game.
*James Robinson will make his 124th career start, matching Sean Miller for second most career starts at Pitt. Julius Page has the school record with 128 starts.
