Panthers Head South to Face No. 20 Duke Tuesday Night

Pitt (5-2, 1-1 ACC) vs. [20/25] Duke (3-2, 1-0 ACC)
Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020 • 8:00 PM
ACC Network • 93.7 The Fan
Durham, N.C. • Cameron Indoor Stadium

THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt returns to action Tuesday, Dec. 29 against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Game time is set for 8 p.m. with the ACC Network televising the game.
• The Panthers are 2-0 on the road this season with wins over Northwestern and Miami. The victory at Miami snapped an eight-game conference road losing streak. Pitt has not won consecutive ACC road games since the 2013-14 season.
• Justin Champagnie is sidelined for 6-8 weeks after suffering a knee injury prior to the Louisville game. He currently leads the ACC (5th nationally) in rebounds (12.3 rpg.), while also ranking fifth in the conference in scoring (17.8 ppg.).
• Pitt's three returning starters - Justin Champagnie, Xavier Johnson and Au'Diese Toney - combine to average 48.4 points, 21.6 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game. The trio has registered for 17 of the team's 20 double-figure scoring games, including seven 20+ point games.
• Xavier Johnson is one of two players in the ACC averaging at least 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He enters Tuesday's game averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
• Au'Diese Toney has raised his scoring average by 6.7 points per game and ranks 10th in the ACC in scoring (16.2 ppg.). Toney missed Pitt's last game with an ankle injury.

BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt has dropped 21 consecutive road games against ranked opponents. The Panthers last road win over a ranked foe came at No. 17 Cincinnati Feb. 9, 2013.
• The Panthers are 9-7 all-time against teams ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll. Pitt topped Xavier, 60-55, March 26, 2009 to advance to the Elite Eight in its last meeting against the No. 20 team in the AP Poll.
• Pitt, ranked second in the ACC (39th nationally) in rebounds per game (41.9 rpg.), has outrebounded five of its first seven opponents. The Panthers have not averaged 40 or more rebounds per game since the 1993-94 season.
• The Panthers have held their past six opponents to 24.6 percent (32-of-131) shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Pitt leads the ACC (21st in the NCAA) in three-point field goal defense (.263) on the season.
• Pitt ranks second in the ACC in offensive rebounds (13.5 orpg.) and third in offensive rebound percentage (.351). The Panthers have a +54 scoring margin in second chance points.
• The Panthers are third in the ACC in assists (15.1 apg.) and are assisting on 57.9 percent (106-of-183) of their made field goals. Xavier Johnson (36) and Au'Diese Toney (16) have accounted for 52 of the team's 106 assists.
• Pitt has won its first two road games of the season and is looking for its first three-game road win streak since the 2013-14 season.
• Xavier Johnson is two points shy of becoming the 47th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Johnson is averaging 13.8 points with 56 double-figure scoring efforts in 73 career games.
• Au'Diese Toney ranks among the ACC leaders in scoring (11th - 16.2 ppg.), field goal percentage (5th - .525), offensive rebounds (12th - 2.3 orpg.) and minutes played (11th - 33.2 mpg.). He missed the Louisville game with a right ankle injury.
• Pitt will be without Justin Champagnie for an extended period due to a knee injury suffered just before the Louisville game. Champagnie ranks sixth in the NCAA in rebounding (12.3 rpg.) and is the only player in the country averaging better than 17.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.
• Xavier Johnson is averaging 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 12 career contests against ranked opponnets. He has scored in double figures in eight of the 12 contests.
• Au'Diese Toney scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium last season. He is averaging 22.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in three career contests in the 'Triangle' (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill). Toney is 27-of-42 (.643) from the field, including 7-of-10 (.700) from three-point range, in those games.
• Ithiel Horton has made four or more three-point field goals in a game twice this season and 12 times in his career. He has 90 three-point field goals and shoots 39.8 percent from beyond the arc for his career.
• Pitt's post trio - Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, John Hugley and Terrell Brown - combines to average 10.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Coulibaly is shooting a team-high 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the field, while Hugley is averaging 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in league play.
• Nike Sibande has appeared in two games for the Panthers after missing the first five games while awaiting the NCAA's immediate eligibility decision following his transfer from Miami [Ohio]. He has totaled 1,474 points, 495 rebounds and 188 three-point field goals in 99 career games. Sibande finished with eight points, three rebounds and two assists against Louisville in his first start as a Panther.

PANTHER SPOTLIGHTS
• Xavier Johnson is two points shy of becoming the 47th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. He is looking to become the 11th Pitt point guard to reach that mark.
• Au'Diese Toney has scored 15 or more points in five of six games played and is averaging 16.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.5 percent (32-of-61) from the field. Toney missed the Louisville game with an ankle injury.

Panthers Head South to Face No. 20 Duke Tuesday Night

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Players Mentioned

Terrell Brown

Justin Champagnie

Abdoul Karim Coulibaly

Ithiel Horton

John Hugley IV

Xavier Johnson

Nike Sibande

Au'Diese Toney