On Thursday afternoon, fourth-seeded Pitt will open its ACC Tournament slate with a matchup against Wake Forest — the fifth seed in the tournament.
With both teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble, this game means much more than just another ACC Quarterfinal matchup. Let’s dive in to the preview.
PITT’S OUTLOOK
Pitt took care of the Demon Deacons at home earlier in the ACC schedule, but on Feb. 20, Wake Forest dominated Pitt in every facet of the game down in Winston-Salem. The 91-58 throttling of the Panthers surely left a mark on the minds of Pitt fans, but Jeff Capel’s team has battled back to win four of five games since that loss.
WATCH: Jeff Capel, Blake Hinson Preview ACC Tournament, Talk Pitt’s Growth
The Panthers are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, sitting in the “First Four Out” category of Mike DeCourcy’s latest bracketology. Wake Forest is also on the bubble according to most bracketologists, and DeCourcy has the Deacons as one of the last four teams in the field.
PREVIOUS TWO GAMES
Pitt earned 24 points from Bub Carrington and 22 from Ish Leggett in the win over the Demon Deacons at home in late January. In that game, the Panthers held Wake Forest to just 27% shooting from three-point range.
Leggett had 15, Jaland Lowe had 12, and Blake Hinson had ten points for Pitt in the Demon Deacons’ revenge game in late February. Pitt hit just 29% of its field goals and 27% of its threes in the loss, while five of Wake’s starters scored in double figures in that game.
WAKE FOREST (20-12, 11-9 ACC)
HEAD COACH
Steve Forbes (4th Season)
LEADING SCORERS
Hunter Sallis – Guard – 18.2 PPG
The Gonzaga transfer went just four for 14 from the field on Wednesday but finished with a solid 14 points in the win over the Irish.
Kevin “Boopie” Miller – Guard – 15.4 PPG
Miller had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and two assists on Wednesday against Notre Dame.
Cam Hildreth – Guard – 13.6 PPG
Pitt held Hildreth in check in the first game between the two teams this year. On Wednesday, the Englishman had ten points on 4-for-9 shooting.
Andrew Carr – Forward – 13.6 PPG
Carr posted another double double on Wednesday, going 5 for 9 from the field for 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
METRICS
Pitt is ranked No. 46 in KenPom. Com’s ratings, while Wake Forest is ranked No. 23. The NCAA’s NET rankings have the Panthers at No. 45 and the Demon Deacons at No. 36.
Because this is a neutral-site game against an opponent ranked within 1-50 in NET, this is a Quad 1 game for the Panthers.
GAME TIME
Pitt Vs. Wake Forest will start at 2:30 p.m.
SPREAD
Wake Forest is favored by 2 points in Thursday’s game, per DraftKings Sportsbook (as of Thursday at 10 a.m.). The over/under is set at 145 points. You can bet Pitt money line at +114 or Wake Forest ML at -135.
TV
You can find Wednesday’s game on ESPN2 and on the radio on 93.7 The Fan. Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Jess Sims will be on the TV call.
Deacons 85-76
Yeah. I think Pitt is going to have a hard time.
But, I don’t think they get blown-out, like they did in Winston-Salem.
Wake-79, Pitt-76
I’m glad that I was wrong.
I guess you didn’t count on “Ish” Leggett.
Tough match-up … but, i think the extra day of rest helps in the end. Pitt gets the W. H2P !