Pitt to Host Western Carolina Wednesday in Gotham Classic
12/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF)
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Pitt (9-1) vs. Western Carolina (4-7)
Wednesday, December 23, 2015 • 7:00 p.m. • RSN
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center
THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt (9-1) hosts Western Carolina (4-7) Wednesday, Dec. 23 in the final game of the Gotham Classic. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with Root Sports Pittsburgh broadcasting the contest locally.
• The Panthers are 3-0 in the Gotham Classic with wins over Eastern Washington, Morehead State and Davidson. Western Carolina is 1-2 in the event with a win over Eastern Washington.
• Pitt enters the contest ranked fourth in the country in raw offensive efficiency at 123.8 points per 100 possessions.
LAST TIME OUT
• Pitt is coming off a commanding 94-69 win over Davidson Sunday, Dec. 20 at Madison Square Garden. Michael Young led four double-figure scorers with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
• Young was named Most Outstanding Player as he topped the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season.
• James Robinson added 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.
• Sterling Smith and Chris Jones each had 12 points in the win. Smith was 4-of-5 from three-point range, while Jones also contributed four rebounds and three assists in the game.
• Sheldon Jeter came off the bench to register eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks against the Wildcats.
• Pitt shot 54.5 percent (36-of-66) and registered 21 assists in the contest.
• The Panthers closed the first half on a 38-19 run after trailing 19-12 at the 12:41 mark of the half.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt is 21-4 in the month of December over the past four seasons. Jamie Dixon owns a 78-11 mark in the month for his career.
• The Panthers are 62-3 in the month of December
at the Petersen Events Center, including a 58-3 mark under Jamie Dixon.
• Pitt is 125-5 against non-conference opponents at the Petersen Events Center.
• Jamie Dixon is currently seventh on the list for most wins through 13 seasons with 316 victories. Dixon is one win shy of matching Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) for sixth place on the list.
• Pitt is 272-59 against unranked opponents under Jamie Dixon, including a 9-0 mark this season.
• Michael Young has the top KenPom.com offensive rating (131.8) in the NCAA (minimum 28 percent of team’s possessions used). Offensive rating is a measurement of the number of points generated per 100 possessions.
• The trio of Jamel Artis, James Robinson and Michael Young has started 44 consecutive games as a unit. Robinson has started 112 of 113 career contests, while Young has started every game (80) of his career. Artis has started each game since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
• James Robinson owns a career 3.76:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, tops in ACC history (minimum two years and 300 assists). Robinson has recorded more assists than turnovers in 106 of 113 career games. He has been turnover-free in seven games and leads the NCAA with a 7.14:1 assist-to-turnover ratio this season.
• Michael Young has scored 20 or more points in four of the past five games and is tied for first in the ACC with six 20-point games. He is averaging 18.2 points per game on 61.2 percent (30-of-49) shooting in that span.
• Rafael Maia has started the past five contests and is averaging 5.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in that span. He is 11-of-19 (.579) from the field since joining the starting lineup and has led the Panthers in rebounding in two of the past three games.
• Pitt is No. 7 overall in the latest Ratings Percentage Index. The Panthers are tied for second in the NCAA with three wins of RPI Top 50 teams (Detroit, Kent State and Davidson).
• Sterling Smith has made three or more three-point field goals in five of the past eight games. He is averaging 8.1 points per game and shooting 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from behind the arc in that stretch.
• Pitt leads the ACC and ranks fifth nationally with a .791 free throw percentage. The Panthers have shot 80.0 percent or better from the charity stripe six times this season. Jonathan Milligan (1.000), Sheldon Jeter (.933), Sterling Smith (.917), Cameron Johnson (.900), Michael Young (.850) and Jamel Artis (.813) are each shooting better than 80.0 percent from the foul line this season.
• Michael Young (17.9) and Jamel Artis (14.2) combine to average 32.1 points per game on 58.0 percent (116-or-200) shooting from the field and 83.7 percent (77-of-92) shooting from the free throw line. Either Young or Artis have led the team in scoring in eight of Pitt’s 10 games.
• Pitt has registered 20 or more assists in a game six times and has assisted on 67.0 percent of its field goals this season. The Panthers are tied for fifth in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78:1), while also ranking sixth in assists per game (20.3) and assists per possession (.284) and 11th in assists per field goal made (.674).
• The Panthers have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in six of the past eight contests and are fourth in the ACC with a .501 field goal percentage.
• Pitt leads the ACC in scoring (86.2 ppg.), assists (20.3 apg.), free throw percentage (.791) and defensive rebounds (30.5 drpg.), while also ranking second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78:1), field goal percentage defense (.373), three-point field goal percentage defense (.286), rebound margin (+11.3) and scoring margin (+23.9).
• Pitt has scored 90 or more points in a game five times this season, tied for the seventh-most in program history.