On Wednesday night, Pitt will return home to the Petersen Events Center after three-straight games on the road.
The Panthers will host Wake Forest, one of the better teams in the league, in a huge game for Pitt’s postseason hopes. Let’s dive into the preview for the game.
PITT’S OUTLOOK
After starting 1-5 in ACC play, Pitt (12-8, 3-6 ACC) rattled off two big road wins over No. 7 Duke and then Georgia Tech. However, in its last game, Pitt lost to Miami after coming all the way back from a 19-point deficit. Now, Pitt returns home to look to bounce back against another strong ACC squad.
While it would make sense that the Panthers would be more comfortable on their home court, their record hasn’t quite shown that this year. Pitt is 7-5 at home and 4-2 on the road this year. That home record includes an 0-4 start to ACC play at the Petersen Events Center (losses to Clemson, UNC, Duke, and Syracuse).
WAKE FOREST (13-6, 5-3 ACC)
HEAD COACH
Steve Forbes (4th Season)
Wake Forest has had two-straight winning seasons under Forbes but has yet to make an NCAA Tournament under the former East Tennessee State head coach. This year, the Demon Deacons return key players such as Andrew Carr, Cameron Hildreth, and Damari Monsanto.
LEADING SCORERS
Hunter Sallis – Guard – 17.7 PPG
The Gonzaga transfer is leading the team in scoring this year while shooting 48% from the field and 39% from three-point land.
Kevin “Boopie” Miller – Guard – 16.8 PPG
A Central Michigan transfer, Miller is averaging 16.8 points per contest this year for the Demon Deacons. He is also dishing out a team-best 4.1 assists per game for Wake Forest on average.
Cam Hildreth – Guard – 15 PPG
Hildreth, out of England, came to Wake Forest as a top-100 recruit in the class of 2021. Now in his third season, he has continued to improve with each year and is averaging 15 points per game as a junior.
Andrew Carr – Forward – 14.3 PPG
Carr has been rock solid since transferring over from Delaware before the 2022-23 season. This year, he is averaging 14.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
REMEMBER EFTON?
In early December, Wake Forest received good news as Gonzaga transfer big man Efton Reid was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA in his first year with the Demon Deacons.
Reid has started nine games and is currently averaging 8.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game for Forbes’ squad.
If the name sounds familiar, you may remember his roller coaster recruitment out of high-school as a five-star prospect. Reid eventually chose LSU and played there for one season, then transferred to Gonzaga. Then. this offseason, he chose to transfer again, this time to Wake. Read about his recruitment and Pitt’s involvement here.
Source: Efton Reid Committed to Jeff Capel, Pitt before Backing Out, Picking LSU
METRICS
Pitt is ranked No. 70 in KenPom.Com’s ratings (down two from Miami loss), while Wake Forest is ranked No. 39. The NCAA’s NET rankings have the Panthers at No. 65 and the Demon Deacons at No. 44.
Because this is a home game against an opponent ranked within 31-75 in NET, this is a Quad 2 game for the Panthers.
GAME TIME
Pitt Vs. Wake Forest will start at 7 p.m.
SPREAD
Pitt is favored by 1.5 points in Wednesday night’s game, per DraftKings Sportsbook (Wednesday 9:30 a.m.). The over/under is set at 143.5 points. You can bet Pitt money line at -125 or Wake Forest ML at +105.
TV
You can find Wednesday’s game on ACC Network and on the radio on 93.7 The Fan. Jay Alter and Malcolm Huckaby will be on the call for ACCN.
Prediction: Wake-65, Pitt-62, followed by gnashing of teeth over poor officiating.
But, I would love to be wrong.
I think Wake will win 80-73.