Panthers Face No. 15 NC State Saturday in Raleigh

Pitt (11-4, 1-1) at [15/16] NC State (13-2, 1-1)
Saturday, January 12, 2019 • 12:00 PM
Raycom (WTAE) • Pitt IMG Sports Radio Network
Raleigh, N.C. • PNC Arena

The Opening Tip
• Pitt travels to NC State Saturday, Jan. 12 for its first ACC road game of the season. Game time is set for 12 p.m. with Raycom (WTAE) broadcasting the contest.
• Saturday's contest marks Pitt's third game against a ranked opponent this season. The Panthers are 0-2 with losses at No. 14 Iowa and to No. 15 North Carolina.
• Nine different players have scored in double figures for Pitt this season with freshmen Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens leading the way with 15 and 11 double-digit scoring efforts.
• Four of Pitt's top five scorers are newcomers with first-year players accounting for 67.4 percent (779-of-1155) of the team's scoring on the season. Freshmen Xavier Johnson, Trey McGowens and Au'Diese Toney account for 51.8 percent (598-of-1155) of the team's scoring.
• A freshman has led the team in scoring in each of the past 11 games and 12 times overall on the year. Trey McGowens has led the offensive attack in each of the past four games and is averaging 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game in that span.

By The Numbers
• Pitt is 8-11 all-time, including an 0-1 mark this season, against the No. 15 ranked team in the AP Poll. The Panthers last win over No. 15 came Feb. 28, 2016 at home against Duke.
• The Panthers have dropped 12 consecutive road contests in ACC play dating back to an 83-72 win at Boston College Feb. 8, 2017.
• Pitt has lost 15 consecutive road contests against ranked opponents. The Panthers last road win over a ranked foe was a 62-52 decision at No. 17 Cincinnati Feb. 9, 2013.
• Pitt is averaging 81.6 points per game on 48.5 percent (307-of-633) shooting from the field in its 11 wins. In comparison, the Panthers have averaged just 64.2 points on 37.7 percent (86-of-228) shooting from the field in their four losses.
• The Panthers are tied for third in the ACC with 17.9 made free throws per game and have made 20 or more free throws in a game six times. Freshmen Xavier Johnson (4.7), Trey McGowens (4.5) and Au'Diese Toney (3.0) combine for 12.2 made free throws per game, while shooting 77.6 percent (184-of-237) from the charity stripe.
• Pitt currently ranks 12th in the NCAA in KenPom Raw Defensive Efficiency. Last season, the Panthers ranked 289th in that category.
• Pitt ranks fifth in the ACC and 17th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.384). The Panthers have held seven opponents below 40.0 percent shooting from the field.
• Pitt has drawn 39 offensive fouls through 14 games with Trey McGowens (13) and Xavier Johnson (10) leading the way.
• Pitt is averaging 36.5 points in the paint with a season-high 50 points in the paint against Central Arkansas and New Orleans. The Panthers have scored 40 or more points in the paint six times and have a +7.7 points in the paint margin.
• The Panthers are 9-1 on the season when scoring 70 or more points in a game. Jeff Capel-led teams are 127-24 (.841) when topping the 70-point plateau.
• Pitt has scored 20 or more fast break points in a game six times this season, including a season-high 27 fast break points in a season-opening win over Youngstown State. The Panthers average 16.3 fast break points per game on the season.
• Xavier Johnson ranks among the league leaders in scoring (10th - 16.5 ppg.) and assists (3rd - 5.1 apg.). Johnson, the only player in the ACC averaging at least 15.0 points and 5.0 assists per game, is the first Pitt freshman to score in double figures in 15 consecutive games.
• The Panthers have started three freshmen - Xavier Johnson, Trey McGowens and Au'Diese Toney - in each of the first 15 games of the season. The trio is averaging 39.9 points, 13.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 4.4 steals per game. They have combined for 33 double-figure scoring games with all three scoring 10 or more points in the same game five times.
• Trey McGowens is averaging 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game in conference play. He is 15-of-26 (.577) from the field, including 5-of-9 (.556) from three-point range, in his first two ACC contests. McGowens has also gotten to the free throw line 26 times in the past two games.
• Jared Wilson-Frame has made a three-point field goal in 26 consecutive games and in 41 of 46 games played at Pitt. He is on pace to set a Pitt record for three-point field goals per game (2.35 3pg.). Wilson-Frame ranks eighth in the ACC in three-point field goals (2.43 3pg.).
• Au'Diese Toney, a 6-6 guard, has grabbed eight or more rebounds in a game seven times and leads the Panthers in rebounding at 5.9 rpg. Toney is one of four players 6-6 or under in the ACC to rank in the top 20 in rebounding (T-19th).
• Terrell Brown has recorded two or more blocked shots in five of the past six contests. He is averaging 3.83 blocks per game over the past six contests and is now third in the ACC in blocked shots (2.27 bpg.) on the season.
• Trey McGowens has collected two or more steals in seven of the past eight games and is averaging 3.5 steals per game in that span. He leads the ACC in steals at 2.33 steals per game. McGowens is seven steals shy of moving into the top-5 of the Pitt freshman record books for steals in a season.
• Terrell Brown has scored in double figures in three of the past five games and is averaging 8.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game in that span. He is 16-of-28 (.571) from the field in the past five games and is shooting a team-high 51.7 percent (30-of-58) from the field for the year.

#H2P l Twitter l Instagram

Panthers Face No. 15 NC State Saturday in Raleigh

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Terrell Brown

Xavier Johnson

Trey McGowens

Au'Diese Toney

Jared Wilson-Frame