GAME NOTES: Panthers Play Penn State Saturday in Newark
12/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF)
Press Conference: Stallings l Johnson l Young
Pitt (7-2, 0-0 ACC) vs. Penn State (6-4, 0-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016 • 2:30 p.m. • CBS Sports Network
Newark, N.J. • Prudential Center (18,711)
The Opening Tip
• Pitt faces Penn State in the inaugural Never Forget Tribute Classic Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. with CBS Sports Network televising the contest.
• The event, also featuring a matchup between Notre Dame and Villanova, is partnered with the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which helps support the education of children of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
• Michael Young has led Pitt in scoring in each of the past eight contests and enters Saturday's game tied for 17th in the country in scoring at 22.3 points per game.
Last Time Out
• Pitt jumped out to a 26-point lead in the first half before holding on for an 84-79 win over Buffalo Wednesday night.
• The Panthers shot 58.6 percent (17-of-29) and had runs of 15-0 and 10-0 in the opening half of play. Pitt led 49-37 at intermission.
• Michael Young and Cameron Johnson led six double-figure scorers with 17 points, apiece. Young added seven rebounds, while Johnson had four rebounds and a career-high five assists.
• Jamel Artis (16), Chris Jones (12), Sheldon Jeter (11) and Ryan Luther (11) also scored in double figures for the Panthers. Pitt's six double-figure scorers were the most since Nov. 8, 2013.
• Pitt recorded 20 assists on 30 made field goals, while shooting a season-high 54.5 percent (30-of-55) from the field in the game.
• The Panthers improved to 5-0 at the Petersen Events Center and have now won 10 consecutive non-conference contests at the venue.
By the Numbers
• Pitt is 1-2 on the year in neutral site games and will be playing away from home for the fifth time in 10 games. The Panthers will play five consecutive home contests following Saturday's tilt with Penn State.
• The Panthers are 1-0 on the year and 156-177 all-time against teams currently in the Big Ten. Pitt posted a 73-59 win at Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
• Pitt's 392 wins since the start of the 2001-02 season are the 10th-most in the NCAA. The Panthers have 14 seasons with 20 or more wins in that span.
• 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 (22.3 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (19.3 ppg.) rank first and fourth in the ACC in scoring. The duo has combined for 50 or more points in a game twice and both players have topped the 20-point mark in the same game five times.
• Either Jamel Artis or Michael Young have led the Panthers in scoring in 36 of the past 42 games, including all eight games this season. Young has led the team or shared the team lead in scoring in each of the past eight games.
• Pitt has four rotation players - Sheldon Jeter, Cameron Johnson, Ryan Luther and Michael Young - from the Greater Pittsburgh area. The quartet combines to average 47.3 points and 24.1 rebounds per game.
• Michael Young (22.3 ppg.) and Jamel Artis (19.3 ppg.) comprise the leading scoring tandem in the ACC at 41.6 points per game. The duo has delivered 50.7 percent (355-of-700) of the team's scoring through nine games.
• Cameron Johnson has scored in double figures in five consecutive games and is averaging 14.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in that span. He has made 13 three-point field goals and is 14-of-16 from the foul line over the past five games.
• Michael Young ranks second in the ACC and 20th in the country in KenPom.com offensive rating at 118.5 points per 100 possessions (minimum 28 percent of possessions used).
• Seniors - Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter, Chris Jones and Michael Young - have accounted for 68.7 percent (481-of-700) of Pitt's scoring through five games. The group has combined for 24 double-figure scoring games.
• Chris Jones is third in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.22:1). He has recorded 29 assists with just nine turnovers through the first nine games of the season. He entered the year with a career 1.76:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Ryan Luther had a season-high 11 points to go along with seven rebounds in Wednesday's win over Buffalo. He is averaging 7.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game over the past four contests.
• Michael Young is the only player in the ACC to rank in the top 10 in scoring (1st - 22.3 ppg.), rebounds (9th - 7.9 rpg.), field goal percentage (8th - .527) and free throw percentage (9th - .836).
• Jamel Artis is averaging 9.6 points per game on 57.1 percent (28-of-49) shooting from the field in the opening half of play this season. He is 12-of-20 from three-point range before intermission.
• Pitt is 4-0 in games decided by five points or less. The Panthers were 4-4 in such games a year ago.
• The Panthers are averaging 18.2 made free throws per game and have made more free throws (164) than their opponents have attempted (140) on the year. Pitt is 4-1 when making more free throws than its opponents attempt in a game.
• Pitt has a +23.0 scoring margin during its current six-game win streak against Penn State. The Panthers have won four of the six contests by 20 or more points.
• The Panthers are shooting 49.6 percent (102-of-238) from the field, including 41.7 percent (43-of-103) from three-point range, in the opening half of play. Those numbers slip to 42.9 percent (102-of-238) from the field and 25.0 percent (19-of-76) from three-point range after intermission.