University of Pittsburgh Athletics
GAME NOTES: Pitt Opens ACC Play Saturday Against Notre Dame
12/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Press Conferences: Stallings l Young l Artis
Game Notes (PDF)
ACC Network - Where to Watch
Pitt (11-2, 0-0) vs. [24/24] Notre Dame (11-2, 0-0)
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 • 2:00 p.m. • ACC Network
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center (12,508)
THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt opens ACC play Saturday, Dec. 31 with a home contest against No. 24 Notre Dame. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. with the ACC Network broadcasting the contest.
• The Panthers are 11-7 all-time on New Year’s Eve, including a 1-2 mark against ranked opponents on the final day of the year.
• Pitt has won six consecutive December home games and is 21-2 at the Petersen Events Center since the start of 2012-13 season in the month of December.
• Michael Young (22.8 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.8 ppg.) are both averaging over 20 points per game this season. Either Young or Artis has led the Panthers in scoring in all 13 games.
LAST TIME OUT
• Pitt returned from the holiday break to record a 112-106 win over Marshall Wednesday, Dec. 28. The senior trio of Michael Young, Jamel Artis and Sheldon Jeter combined for 81 points in the contest.
• Young and Artis each tallied 30 points in the win, becoming the first set of teammates to top the 30-point mark in a game in program history. The tandem went 18-of-34 from the field and 19-of-28 from the foul line in the win.
• Jeter scored a season-high 21 points and added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year, while Cameron Johnson added 16 points for his ninth straight double-digit efforts.
• Justice Kithcart made his first career start and finished with career-highs in points (6), assists (8) and minutes played (34).
• Pitt shot 50 percent or better from the field in each half of play and has now accomplished that feat in six straight halves of action.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt is ranked 24th 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 54th in the NCAA.
• Pitt is 2-1 in ACC openers, including a 1-0 mark at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers began conference play a year ago with a 72-61 home win over Syracuse.
• The Panthers are averaging 90.8 points per game on 53.2 percent (156-of-293) shooting from the field over the past five games. Pitt has shot 50 percent or better from the field in eight of the past 10 halves of play.
• Pitt is 2-5 all-time against teams ranked 24th in the AP Poll, including a 1-1 mark at the Petersen Events Center.
• 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 40 of the past 46 games, including all 13 games this season.
• Michael Young is one of four players in the NCAA averaging over 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He is joined on the list by Evan Bradds (Belmont), Patrick Cole (NC Central) and Dedric Lawson (Memphis).
• Michael Young (22.8 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.8 ppg.) rank first and second in the ACC in scoring. The duo has combined for 45 or more points in a game five times, while both players have topped the 20-point mark in the same game an NCAA-best six times. The tandem combined for a career-best 60 points in Pitt’s win over Marshall.
• Pitt has four rotation players - Sheldon Jeter, Cameron Johnson, Ryan Luther and Michael Young - from the Greater Pittsburgh area. The quartet combines to average 49.7 points and 24.0 rebounds per game. The quartet has combined for 50 or more points on six occasions, including a season-high 67 points against Marshall.
• Michael Young (22.8 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (20.8 ppg.) form the fourth-leading scoring tandem in the NCAA at 42.2 points per game. The duo has delivered 51.0 percent (546-of-1070) of the team’s scoring through 13 games.
• Cameron Johnson has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games and is averaging 13.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in that span. He has made 22 three-point field goals and is 21-of-25 (.840) from the foul line in that span.
• Michael Young ranks second in the ACC and 12th in the country in KenPom.com offensive rating at 118.9 points per 100 possessions (minimum 28 percent of possessions used).
• Seniors - Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter, Chris Jones and Michael Young - have accounted for 67.8 percent (725-of-1070) of Pitt’s scoring through 12 games. The group has combined for 33 double-figure scoring games, 17 games with 20 or more points and four 30-point efforts.
• Jamel Artis has scored in double figures in 15 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the ACC, and in 37 of the past 45 games for the Panthers.
• Michael Young is the only ACC player to rank in the top 10 in scoring (1st - 22.8 ppg.), rebounds (T-9th - 7.8 rpg.), field goal percentage (8th - .519) and free throw percentage (7th - .832).
• Jamel Artis is averaging 11.0 points per game on 61.8 percent (47-of-76) shooting from the field in the opening half of play. He is 21-of-35 (.600) from three-point range before intermission. Artis has scored 10 or more points in the first half of play in seven of the past eight contests, including a season-best 17 points in the first half against Marshall.
• The Panthers are shooting 50.8 percent (201-of-396) from the field, including 44.5 percent (69-of-155) from three-point range, in the opening half of play. Those numbers slip to 46.0 percent (159-of-346) from the field and 29.4 percent (32-of-109) from three-point range after intermission.
• Pitt has registered 20 or more assists in three of the past five games and is averaging 19.4 assists per game in that span.
