Pitt-Clemson Preview: Everything You Need to Know

Pitt basketball has perhaps its most important game of the season on Tuesday night, when it will take on Clemson on the road.

The Panthers, hoping to make the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year, have a massive opportunity in front of them. Let’s dive into the game preview.

PITT’S OUTLOOK

Pitt is coming off a 79-64 smackdown of Virginia Tech over the weekend, a game in which Blake Hinson dropped 22 points and Zack Austin grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds and swatted away five shots. Pitt smothered the Hokies on the defensive end, holding them to just three three pointers throughout the entire game.

Now, the Panthers are down in Clemson, South Carolina looking to earn a key Quad 1 win to add to their resume. The Panthers lost to the Tigers earlier in the year, 79-70, as Joe Girard III dropped 25 points and PJ Hall had 22 points and 11 rebounds. In that game, Hinson went 6 for 10 from three-point range, and Ish Leggett added 17 points. The Panthers were out-rebounded in that battle and allowed Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin to grab a game-high 17 rebounds.

Pitt’s Jeff Capel Previews Second Matchup Against Brad Brownell, Clemson

CLEMSON (19-8, 9-7 ACC)

HEAD COACH

Brad Brownell (14th season)

TOP SCORERS

#24 PJ Hall

Hall has proven himself as one of the top players in the conference throughout his stellar career at Clemson. As mentioned earlier, he dominated Pitt in the first matchup this year. He is averaging a team-high 18.7 points per game. Hall scored just seven points against Florida State over the weekend, fouling out of the game with just 16 minutes played.

#11 Joe Girard III

Girard, the Syracuse transfer, has made 82 three pointers this season at a 43% clip. He is scoring more than 15 points per game on average and had 24 points this weekend in the win over FSU.

#1 Chase Hunter

The 6-foot-4 guard is 12.5 points per game for the Tigers and has a team-high 83 assists on the season.

METRICS

According to the NCAA’s NET Rankings, Pitt is ranked No. 47, while Clemson is ranked No. 23. Pitt is ranked No. 54 in KenPom. Com’s ratings, while Clemson is ranked No. 24.

GAME TIME

Pitt Vs. Clemson will start at 7 p.m. EST on ACC Network.

SPREAD

Clemson is favored by 7 points in Tuesday’s matchup, per DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under is hovering around 142 points. You can take Pitt ML at +260, or Clemson ML at -325.

TV

You can find Tuesday’s game on ACC Network. Ariya Massoudi and Dan Bonner will be on the call.