Pitt Hosts No. 15 North Carolina Saturday in ACC Opener

Pitt (10-3, 0-0) vs. [15/15] North Carolina (10-3, 0-0)
Saturday, January 5, 2019 • 12:00 PM
Raycom (WTAE) • Pitt IMG Sports Radio Network
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center

The Opening Tip
• Pitt opens ACC play Saturday, Jan. 5 at the Petersen Events Center against [15/15] North Carolina. Tipoff is set for noon with Raycom (WTAE) televising the contest.
• Nine different players have scored in double figures for Pitt this season with freshmen Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens leading the way with 13 and nine double-digit scoring efforts.
• Four of Pitt's top five scorers are newcomers with first-year players accounting for 66.9 percent (673-of-1006) of the team's scoring on the season.
• Pitt is tied for seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense (.373). The Panthers have held seven opponents below 40.0 percent shooting from the field.
• A freshman has led the team in scoring in each of the past nine games and 10 times overall on the year. Xavier Johnson has led the offensive attack in six of the past nine contests.
• Pitt is 2-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference openers with wins at NC State (Jan. 4, 2014) and against Syracuse (Dec. 30, 2015).
• The Panthers have dropped 10 consecutive ACC contests at the Petersen Events Center.

By The Numbers
• Pitt has dropped 22 consecutive ACC regular season contests. The Panthers last conference win was an 80-66 decision over No. 17 Florida State Feb. 18, 2017.
• Pitt is 23-21 (.523) at the Petersen Events Center against teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll. The Panthers have dropped seven consecutive home games against ranked opponents dating back to the Feb. 18, 2017 win over Florida State.
• Pitt is 8-10 all-time, including a 1-2 mark at the Petersen Events Center, against teams ranked 15th in the AP Poll. The Panthers are 4-4 in the past eight meetings against the No. 15 team in the country.
• The Panthers' 248 overall home wins since the start of the 2002-03 season is tied for the fifth most in the NCAA in that span.
• Pitt is averaging 36.6 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 five times and have a +9.5 points in the paint margin.
• Pitt is tied for 14th in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage defense (.275). The Panthers have held their past four opponents to a combined 15-of-80 (.188) shooting from beyond the arc.
• The Panthers rank third in the ACC with 17.8 made free throws per game. Freshmen Xavier Johnson (4.8), Trey McGowens (4.1) and Au'Diese Toney (3.1) combine for 12.0 made free throws per game, while shooting 82.0 percent (155-of-189) from the charity stripe.
• Pitt currently ranks eighth in the NCAA in KenPom Raw Defensive Efficiency. Last season, the Panthers ranked 289th in that category.
• The Panthers are 8-1 on the season when scoring 70 or more points in a game. Jeff Capel-led teams are 126-24 (.840) when topping the 70-point plateau.
• Xavier Johnson ranks among the league leaders in scoring (11th - 16.3 ppg.) and assists (3rd - 5.0 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 13 consecutive games.
• The Panthers have started three freshmen - Xavier Johnson, Trey McGowens and Au'Diese Toney - in each of the first 13 games of the season. The trio is averaging 38.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 4.3 steals per game. They have combined for 29 double-figure scoring games with all three scoring 10 or more points in the same game five times.
• Jared Wilson-Frame has made a three-point field goal in 24 consecutive games and in 39 of 44 games played at Pitt. He is on pace to set a Pitt record for three-point field goals per game (2.39 3pg.). Wilson-Frame ranks eighth in the ACC in three-point percentage (.408) and tied for fourth in three-point field goals (2.58 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 6.2 rpg. Toney is one of four players 6-6 or under in the ACC to rank in the top 20 in rebounding (18th).
• Terrell Brown is averaging 8.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in 21.0 minutes per game over the past three contests. He recorded a school record nine blocks in the Panthers win over Colgate.
• Saturday's game is an anticipated sellout, the first at the Petersen Events Center since Pitt posted a 76-62 win over No. 15 Duke Feb. 28, 2016.

Panther Spotlight – Trey McGowens
• Trey McGowens was named ACC Freshman of the Week following a 16-point, five-rebound and four-steal effort in a Dec. 29 win over Colgate. ACC weekly honors are determined by a vote of a 15-member media panel and are announced on Mondays throughout the regular season.
• McGowens becomes the first Pitt freshman to earn ACC Freshman of the Week honors.
• The Pendleton, S.C., native went 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from the foul line against the Raiders for his ninth double-figure scoring game of the season. He is averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game, while going 15-of-20 (.750) from the field over the past two games.
• McGowens ranks among the ACC leaders in free throw percentage (6th - .828) and steals per game (4th - 2.15 spg.), while also averaging 12.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
• McGowens has scored in double figures in six of the past seven games and nine times overall on the season.
• McGowens has drawn a team-high 12 offensive fouls as Pitt has drawn 36 offensive fouls through 13 games.

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Pitt Hosts No. 15 North Carolina Saturday in ACC Opener

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Players Mentioned

Terrell Brown

Xavier Johnson

Trey McGowens

Au'Diese Toney

Jared Wilson-Frame