GAME NOTES: Pitt Homestand Continues Wednesday Against Omaha
12/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF)
Pitt (9-2, 0-0 ACC) vs. Omaha (7-5, 0-0 Summit League)
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016 • 7:00 p.m. • ACC Network Extra
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center (12,508)
The Opening Tip
• Pitt hosts Omaha Wednesday, Dec. 21 at the Petersen Events Center. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
• The Panthers are 6-0 at the Petersen Events Center this season and have won 15 consecutive non-conference home games against unranked opponents.
• Pitt has won four consecutive December home games and is 19-2 at the Petersen Events Center since the start of 2012-13 season in the month of December.
• Michael Young (22.0 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.1 ppg.) are both averaging over 20 points per game this season. Either Young or Artis has led the Panthers in scoring in all 11 games this season.
Last Time Out
• Pitt shot a season-high 64.4 percent from the field en route to an 83-73 win over Rice last Saturday.
• The Panthers went 14-of-18 (.778) from the field in the second half of play. Pitt’s .778 field goal percentage was the fifth-best shooting half in program history.
• Jamel Artis scored a season-high 31 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. He was 10-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range.
• Ryan Luther came off the bench to post a career-high 20 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line. He also had a game-high seven rebounds and four assists.
• Michael Young (12) and Cameron Johnson (10) also scored in the double figures. Young has reached double figures in all 11 games, while Johnson has posted seven straight double-digit efforts.
By The Numbers
• Pitt is ranked 26th in the most recent RPI with a 3-1 record overall against teams listed in the top 100. The Panthers’ strength of schedule currently sits at 44th in the NCAA.
• Ryan Luther went 8-of-8 from the field and scored 20 points in Saturday’s win over Rice. He is averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game over the past three contests. Luther is 12-of-15 (.800) from the field, including 4-of-4 (1.000) from three-point range, in that span.
• Michael Young is 11 points shy of passing former Panther great Brandin Knight for 16th on the all-time scoring list. Young enters Wednesday’s game with 1,429 points in 114 career games (12.5 ppg.).
• Michael Young (22.0 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.1 ppg.) are both averaging over 20 points per game on the season. Davidson is the only other school in the NCAA with two players scoring 20 or more points per game.
• Either Jamel Artis or Michael Young have led the Panthers in scoring in 38 of the past 44 games, including all 11 games this season.
• Michael Young is one of four players in the NCAA averaging over 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He is joined on the list by Evan Bradds (Belmont), Patrick Cole (NC Central) and Dedric Lawson (Memphis).
• Michael Young (22.0 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.1 ppg.) rank first and third in the ACC in scoring. The duo has combined for 45 or more points in a game four times, while both players have topped the 20-point mark in the same game five times.
• Pitt has four rotation players - Sheldon Jeter, Cameron Johnson, Ryan Luther and Michael Young - from the Greater Pittsburgh area. The quartet combines to average 46.4 points and 24.1 rebounds per game. The quartet has combined for 50 or more points on four occasions.
• Michael Young (22.0 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.1 ppg.) form the fourth-leading scoring tandem in the NCAA at 42.1 points per game. The duo has delivered 51.3 percent (443-of-864) of the team’s scoring through 11 games.
• Ryan Luther has made 10 consecutive field goals entering Wednesday’s contest, tied for the sixth-longest stretch in Panther history.
• Cameron Johnson has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games and is averaging 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in that span. He has made 17 three-point field goals and is 14-of-17 from the foul line in that span.
• Michael Young ranks second in the ACC and 17th in the country in KenPom.com offensive rating at 117.9 points per 100 possessions (minimum 28 percent of possessions used).
• Seniors - Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter, Chris Jones and Michael Young - have accounted for 68.3 percent (590-of-864) of Pitt’s scoring through 11 games. The group has combined for 28 double-figure scoring games.
• Jamel Artis has scored in double figures in 13 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the ACC, and in 35 of the past 43 games for the Panthers.
• Michael Young is the only player in the ACC to rank in the top 10 in scoring (1st - 22.0 ppg.), rebounds (10th - 7.6 rpg.), field goal percentage (8th - .519) and free throw percentage (8th - .835).
• Jamel Artis is averaging 10.4 points per game on 58.7 percent (37-of-63) shooting from the field in the opening half of play. He is 16-of-27 (.593) from three-point range before intermission. Artis has scored 10 or more points in the first half of play in five of the past six contests.
• The Panthers are averaging 17.9 made free throws per game and have made more free throws (197) than their opponents have attempted (185) on the year. Pitt is 4-1 when making more free throws than its opponents attempt in a game.
• The Panthers are shooting 49.5 percent (162-of-327) from the field, including 42.2 percent (54-of-128) from three-point range, in the opening half of play. Those numbers slip to 44.9 percent (128-of-285) from the field and 29.7 percent (27-of-91) from three-point range after intermission.
• Wednesday’s game marks the second game of a season-long five-game homestand. The Panthers do not hit the road until Jan. 7, 2017.