GAME NOTES: Pitt Back in Action Wednesday Versus Marshall
12/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF)
Pitt (10-2, 0-0 ACC) vs. Marshall (7-5, 0-0 Conference USA)
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016 • 7:00 p.m. • ACC Network Extra
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center (12,508)
THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt returns to action following a six-day layoff to host Marshall Wednesday, Dec. 28. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
• The Panthers are 7-0 at the Petersen Events Center this season and have won 16 consecutive non-conference home games against unranked opponents.
• Pitt has won five consecutive December home games and is 20-2 at the Petersen Events Center since the start of 2012-13 season in the month of December.
• Michael Young (22.2 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.0 ppg.) are both averaging over 20 points per game this season. Either Young or Artis has led the Panthers in scoring in all 12 games.
LAST TIME OUT
• Pitt posted a 94-75 win over Omaha Wednesday, Dec. 21 at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers shot a blistering 63.0 percent (17-of-27) from the field in the opening half of play.
• Michael Young continued his outstanding play with a 24-point, 11-rebound, six-assist effort. He recorded his eighth 20-point game and third double-double of the year, while leading the Panthers in points, rebounds and assists.
• Ryan Luther made his first five shots of the game to set a school record with 15 consecutive made field goals. He finished with 11 points and three rebounds.
• Jamel Artis (19) and Cameron Johnson (16) also scored in double figures. Artis has reached double figures in all 11 games played, while Johnson has posted eight straight double-digit efforts.
• Pitt finished with 23 assists and registered an assist on 71.9 percent of its made field goals.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt is ranked 27th in the most recent RPI with a 5-1 record overall against teams listed in the top 100. The Panthers’ strength of schedule currently sits at 47th in the NCAA.
• The Panthers are averaging 85.5 points per game on 53.6 percent (118-of-220) shooting from the field over the past four games. Pitt has shot 50 percent or better from the field in six of the past eight halves of play.
• Ryan Luther is averaging 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 77.3 percent (17-of-22) from the field, including 5-of-5 from three-poiont range, over the past four contests.
• Jamel Artis is nine points shy of passing former Panther Jerry McCullough for 19th on the all-time scoring list. Artis enters Wednesday’s game with 1,334 points in 114 career games (11.7 ppg.).
• Michael Young (22.2 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.0 ppg.) are both averaging over 20 points per game on the season. Davidson and St. Bonaventure are the only other schools 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 39 of the past 45 games, including all 12 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 (22.2 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.0 ppg.) rank first and fourth 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 an NCAA-best 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 48.3 points and 24.0 rebounds per game. The quartet has combined for 50 or more points on five occasions.
• Michael Young (22.2 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.0 ppg.) form the fourth-leading scoring tandem in the NCAA at 42.2 points per game. The duo has delivered 50.7 percent (486-of-958) of the team’s scoring through 12 games.
• Cameron Johnson has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games and is averaging 13.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in that span. He has made 19 three-point field goals and is 20-of-23 (.870) from the foul line in that span.
• Michael Young ranks second in the ACC and 14th in the country in KenPom.com offensive rating at 118.7 points per 100 possessions (minimum 28 percent of possessions used).
• Seniors - Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter, Chris Jones and Michael Young - have accounted for 67.1 percent (643-of-958) of Pitt’s scoring through 12 games. The group has combined for 30 double-figure scoring games.
• Jamel Artis has scored in double figures in 14 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the ACC, and in 36 of the past 44 games for the Panthers.
• Michael Young is the only ACC player to rank in the top 10 in scoring (1st - 22.2 ppg.), rebounds (T-9th - 7.9 rpg.), field goal percentage (7th - .527) and free throw percentage (T-7th - .841).
• Jamel Artis is averaging 10.5 points per game on 61.2 percent (41-of-67) shooting from the field in the opening half of play. He is 18-of-29 (.621) from three-point range before intermission. Artis has scored 10 or more points in the first half of play in six of the past seven contests.
• The Panthers are shooting 50.6 percent (179-of-354) from the field, including 43.5 percent (60-of-138) from three-point range, in the opening half of play. Those numbers slip to 45.4 percent (143-of-315) from the field and 30.4 percent (31-of-102) from three-point range after intermission.
• Wednesday’s game marks the third game of a season-long five-game homestand. The Panthers do not hit the road until Jan. 7, 2017.
• Pitt has registered 20 or more assists in two of the past four games and is averaging 18.8 assists per game in that span.