Panthers Host Northern Illinois Saturday at the Pete

Pitt (1-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Northern Illinois (0-2, 0-0 MAC)
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 • 7:00 PM
ACC Network Extra • 93.7 The Fan
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center

The Opening Tip
• Pitt hosts Northern Illinois at the Petersen Events Center Saturday, Dec. 5 (7 p.m. - ACC Network Extra). Kevin Wheeler and Julius Page will call the action on ACCNX.
• The Panthers are 158-11 all-time at the Petersen Events Center in non-conference play, including a 1-1 mark this season.
• Pitt is 22-6 against teams outside the Atlantic Coast Conference under head coach Jeff Capel with a 5-1 mark following non-conference losses.
• Pitt returns three starters from a year ago in Justin Champagnie, Xavier Johnson and Au'Diese Toney. The trio is combining to average 53.5 points, 18.0 rebounds. 13.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game through two contests.
• The Panthers scored 70 or more points in each of the first two games of the season and are averaging 76.5 points per game. Pitt has not topped the 70-point mark in each of the first three games of the year since the 2015-16 season.
• Pitt is shooting 62.7 percent (47-of-75) from inside the three-point arc through two games. The Panthers shot 83.9 percent (26-of-31) on its two-point field goal attempts against Drexel, the best shooting performance from inside the arc in program history.
• The Panthers have won seven consecutive non-conference home games in the month of December. Pitt's last December non-conference home loss was to West Virginia (12/8/18).

By The Numbers
• Pitt is one of three schools, joined by Georgia Tech and Syracuse, with three players ranked in the top 15 in scoring in the ACC. The Panther trio of Au'Diese Toney, Xavier Johnson and Justin Champagnie combines for 53.5 points per game, 69.9 percent of Pitt's scoring output.
• Au'Diese Toney topped the 20-point mark in each of the first two games of the season, becoming the first Panther to accomplish that feat since Ashton Gibbs scored 20 or more points in each of the first three games of the 2011-12 season.
• Xavier Johnson is 67 points shy of becoming the 47th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Johnson is averaging 13.6 points with 52 double-figure scoring efforts in 68 career games.
• Justin Champagnie has scored in double figures in 25 of 35 career games and is averaging 12.9 points and 7.0 rebounds for his career. He has scored 12 or more points and grabbed seven or more rebounds in a game twice this season and 12 times in his career.
• Terrell Brown ranks fourth at Pitt with 158 career blocks and is 12 shy of tying Sam Clancy for third overall in the Panther record books. He is averaging 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.61 blocks in 98 career games (45 starts).
• Au'Diese Toney leads the ACC in field goal percentage after going a combined 15-of-22 (.682) from the field over the first two games. He is 11-of-13 (.846) on his two-point attempts and 4-of-9 (.444) from three-point range.
• Xavier Johnson is tied for ninth in the ACC in scoring (18.0 ppg.) and second in assists (9.0 apg.). He is also one of four players (joined by Jose Alvarado - Georgia Tech, Carlik Jones - Louisville and Marek Dolejaz - Syracuse) in the ACC averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
• Sophomore Abdoul Karim Coulibaly made his first career start against Drexel. He finished with four points (2-of-2 shooting from the field), three rebounds, two steals and a career-best three blocks in the win over the Dragons.
• Transfer Nike Sibande is averaging 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in three career games against Northern Illinois. His waiver for immediate eligibility is still in process as the Panthers enter Saturday's contest. Sibande averaged 15.1 points and 5.1 rebounds, while making 186 three-point field goals in 97 career games at Miami [Ohio].
• William Jeffress is the second youngest player in the NCAA to appear in a game this season and the youngest ACC player to play in a game since Brad Daugherty made his debut for North Carolina in the 1982-83 season opener. He is averaging 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game.
• Pitt's post trio - Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, John Hugley and Terrell Brown - combines to average 13.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
• Redshirt sophomore Ithiel Horton has made a three-point field goal in each of the first two games, but is just 2-of-6 (.333) from beyond the arc. He made 79 threes and shot over 40 percent from long range as a freshman at Delaware during the 2018-19 season.
• The Panthers rank second in the ACC in three-point percentage defense, holding its first two opponents to a combined 12-of-44 (.273) shooting from beyond the arc. Pitt held Drexel to just 3-of-19 (.158) shooting from deep, including 1-of-10 in the second half, in its last outing.
• Pitt is averaging 76.5 points per game despite struggling with turnovers in the opening two games of the season. The Panthers have committed 36 turnovers and have been outscored, 40-19, in points off turnovers.

Panthers Host Northern Illinois Saturday at the Pete

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Players Mentioned

Terrell Brown

Justin Champagnie

Abdoul Karim Coulibaly

Ithiel Horton

John Hugley IV

William Jeffress

Xavier Johnson

Nike Sibande

Au'Diese Toney