Pitt Opens ACC Play Wednesday Against Syracuse
12/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF)
[-/25] Pitt (10-1, 0-0) vs. Syracuse (10-3, 0-0)
Wednesday, December 30, 2015 • 9:05 p.m. • ESPN2
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center
THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt (10-1, 0-0), ranked 25th in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll, hosts Syracuse (10-3, 0-0) Wednesday, Dec. 30 in the ACC opener for both schools. Tipoff is set for 9:05 p.m. with ESPN2 broadcasting the contest.
• The Panthers are 7-2 all-time against Syracuse at the Petersen Events Center with five of those games decided by 10 points or fewer.
• Pitt enters the contest ranked sixth in raw offensive efficiency at 123.0 points per 100 possessions (KenPom.com).
LAST TIME OUT
• Pitt posted a 79-73 win over Western Carolina as Jamel Artis scored a season-best 29 points to lead four double-digit scorers.
• Artis went 10-of-14 from the field and 8-of-8 from the foul line in the win. He also added eight rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal for the Panthers.
• James Robinson filled the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and three steals. He was 9-of-10 from the foul line for the game.
• Michael Young and Sheldon Jeter each had 12 points and six rebounds in the win. Young went 6-of-6 from the foul line, while Jeter was 5-of-8 from the field.
• Pitt shot 50.0 percent (24-of-48) from the field, marking the seventh time it has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field.
• The Panthers closed the game on a 25-12 run over the final 7:01 of the contest. Pitt made 14 straight free throws down the stretch and finished 29-of-33 (.879) from the foul line for the game.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt is 22-4 in the month of December over the past four seasons. Jamie Dixon owns a 79-11 mark in the month for his career.
• The Panthers are 63-3 in the month of December
at the Petersen Events Center, including a 59-3 mark under Jamie Dixon.
• Jamie Dixon is currently tied with Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) for sixth on the list for most wins through 13 seasons with 317 victories. Dixon is two wins shy of moving into the top five all-time on the list.
• Pitt is 273-59 against unranked opponents under Jamie Dixon, including a 10-0 mark this season.
• Michael Young (4th - 130.0) and Jamel Artis (10th - 126.6) rank among the top players in the country in KenPom.com offensive rating (minimum 24 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 45 consecutive games as a unit. Robinson has started 113 of 114 career contests, while Young has started every game (81) of his career. Artis has started each game since the beginning of the 2014-15 season.
• James Robinson owns a career 3.77:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, tops in ACC history (minimum two years and 300 assists). Robinson has recorded more assists than turnovers in 107 of 114 career games. He has been turnover-free in seven games and leads the NCAA with a 6.56:1 assist-to-turnover ratio this season.
• Michael Young has scored 20 or more points in four of the past six games and is tied for second in the ACC with six 20-point games.
• Pitt leads the NCAA in free throw percentage (.802) and has shot 80.0 percent or better from the foul line in seven contests. Jonathan Milligan (1.000), Sterling Smith (.929), Cameron Johnson (.900), Sheldon Jeter (.889), Michael Young (.864) and Jamel Artis (.850) and James Robinson (.800) are each shooting better than 80.0 percent from the foul line this season.
• James Robinson is three assists shy of becoming the eighth player at Pitt to record 500 or more assists in a career. Robinson is currently eighth at Pitt with 497 career assists.
• Michael Young (17.4) and Jamel Artis (15.5) combine to average 32.9 points per game on 58.6 percent (129-of-220) shooting from the field and 85.8 percent (91-of-106) shooting from the free throw line. Either Young or Artis have led the team in scoring in nine of Pitt's 11 games.
• James Robinson is expected to make his 100th consecutive start Wednesday, becoming just the fourth player at Pitt to start 100 or more games in a row.
• The Panthers have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in seven of the past nine contests and are 17th in the NCAA with a .501 field goal percentage.
• Pitt leads the ACC in assists (20.2 apg.), free throw percentage (.802), three-point field goal percentage defense (.292) and defensive rebounds (30.4 drpg.), while also ranking second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73:1), field goal percentage defense (.377), rebound margin (+11.2) and scoring margin (+22.3).
• Pitt has registered 20 or more assists in a game six times and has assisted on 67.9 percent of its field goals. The Panthers are tied for fourth in the NCAA in assists per game (20.2), while also ranking among the leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (10th - 1.73:1), assists per possession (6th - .283) and assists per field goal made (8th - .679).
• Pitt has had a 20-point scorer in each game of its current six-game win streak. Michael Young has four 20-point games in that span, while Jamel Artis has topped the mark twice.
• The Panthers lead the ACC in bench scoring at 31.9 points per game. Sheldon Jeter and Chris Jones pace the attack at 7.5 points per game, apiece. Both players have recorded four double-figure scoring games off the bench.
• Pitt is averaging 87.5 points per game, while shooting 52.1 percent (177-of-340) from the field and 82.2 percent (134-of-163) from the foul line during its current six-game win streak.
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