Let’s dive into the game preview.
PITT’S OUTLOOK
Pitt is trying to reach the double-digit win mark before the holidays. The Panthers have had nine days in between their last game and have had some time to handle finals week and recover from a grueling early-season road trip. Pitt overcame a slow first-half start against Eastern Kentucky in its last game and dominated the Colonels in the second half, coming away with a 40-point win, 96-56.
SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS (6-5)
HEAD COACH
Chris Mudge (2nd Season)
SAM HOUSTON PREVIEW
Sam Houston has had a winning record every year since 2013. The Bearkats have been consistently good in three different conferences in that time (Southland, WAC, and now, Conference USA) and in year one of their C-USA tenure, they went 13-3 in the league. This year, they are off to a 6-5 start overall and a 4-5 start against D-1 opponents. The Bearkats were picked to finish third in their league’s preseason poll.
Lamar Wilkerson is the big name to know. Wilkerson, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard/wing is a sharpshooter, and has been one of the most accurate snipers in all of D1 hoops this year. He is 43 for 87 from deep this year, a stunning 49% mark. Against Baylor, he went 5 for 12 from downtown, scoring 19 points in a loss. Against Indiana, he went 8 for 18 from the field to score 18 points (just two threes made in that game).
As a team, Sam Houston ranks 36th in D1 in fastbreak points, scoring 15+ per game. The team ranks 14th in D1 in three-point percentage as well.
