Breaking Down Pitt Basketball’s Next Three Opponents Heading Into ACC Play

Pitt basketball opened the season with a 9-3 record. The 12-game stretch included lots of lessons for the young group, learned in big wins and tough losses.

But now, the group does not have as much time to grow up anymore. The Panthers will have to learn on the fly behind senior leader Blake Hinson, and on Dec. 30, their ACC slate kicks into gear against the Syracuse Orange.

SYRACUSE (9-3, 0-1 ACC)

The big story with Syracuse this year? The new coach. Jim Boeheim is out after retiring last season, and former ‘Cuse associate head coach Adrian Autry is in.

On the court, Autry’s squad is once again led by former Pitt commit and star guard Judah Mintz. Mintz is averaging 19.8 points per game, ranking fourth in the ACC in scoring so far. After breaking out for the Orange in his freshman season, he has statistically improved almost everywhere this year. Mintz, playing less minutes per game, is averaging 3+ more points, 0.8 more rebounds, and 0.4 more steals per game this season, while shooting one percentage point better from the field and seven-plus percentage points better from three-point range (37.8% this year).

Behind Mintz, the Orange will look to Notre Dame transfer JJ Starling is averaging more than 12 points per game. Starling is shooting just 26% from three this season after shooting 30% from deep last year for the Irish.

On the wing, 6-foot-7 sophomore Chris Bell is having a strong year scoring 11+ points per game. He is shooting well from outside this year, hitting 2.5 threes per game and also shooting 43% from three at home.

As a team, Syracuse is shooting 46% from the field and 34% from three. The team is averaging 37.9 rebounds per game, and dishes out 13.9 assists per game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.1. Autry’s squad averages 9.2 steals and 5.2 blocks per game.

NORTH CAROLINA (8-3, 1-0 ACC)

After going 20-13 last season in year one of the Hubert Davis era, the Tar Heels are off to an 8-3 start to this season, playing against the 15th-hardest strength of schedule in the country, per Kenpom.com. 

UNC, ranked No. 9 in the latest AP Poll, has picked up early wins over Arkansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Florida State. The Heels’ losses have come to Kentucky, UConn, and Villanova.

With Caleb Love transferring to Arizona this past offseason, the Tar Heels are relying on two familiar faces to handle the scoring load, while also looking to two big-time transfers for production. Guard RJ Davis is leading the ACC in scoring with 21.7 points per game. He is shooting a career-best 38% from three and 95% from the free-throw line so far this year, while keeping his assist numbers steady at three per game.

Armando Bacot returned for the Tar Heels after not making the tournament last year, and he, again, is leading the ACC in rebounding. Bacot is averaging a double-double — 15 points and 11 rebounds per game. Last year against Pitt, Bacot posted games of 15 points and 11 rebounds (1st loss to Pitt) and 22 points and 13 rebounds (2nd loss to Pitt).

Along with those two, transfers Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame) and Harrison Ingram (Stanford) are putting up solid numbers for the Heels. Ingram is scoring more than 14 points per game, and excelling from outside (44% from three), while Ryan is struggling from the perimeter (career-worst 29% from three). Five-star freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau has played 20+ minutes in eight games so far and is averaging 6.7 points and 3.7 assists per contest.

The Tar Heels are shooting 46% from the field and 36% from three. The team grabs 37.7 rebounds per game on average and dishes out 13.8 assists per contest with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.3. They average 5.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game.

LOUISVILLE (5-7, 0-1 ACC)

The Cardinals are in the midst of another poor season under Kenny Payne. They have already dropped games to non-conference opponents Chattanooga, DePaul, and Arkansas State, among others. The ‘Cards also dropped an exhibition against Kentucky Wesleyan to open the season.

This year’s team is young — all three of its top three scorers are sophomores. Payne looks to Illinois transfer Skyy Clark for scoring, as well as USC transfer Tre White (12.7 PPG) and Mike James (12.3 PPG). In the front court, forwards JJ Traynor (10 PPG) and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (9.8 PPG, 9.3 RPG) are pacing the team. The Cardinals pretty much have a seven-man rotation, with only six players averaging more than 13 minutes per game.

The Cardinals are shooting 42% from the field, as well as 29% from three. They average 38.6 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game with a 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. They post 5.7 steals and 3.3 blocks per game.

What do you think the Panthers’ record will be in these three games? Comment below or on @michalowskicbb’s Twitter page.

Catch the Panthers’ first game on Saturday against Syracuse at 12 p.m. on The CW.