Panthers Back in Action Saturday Against Syracuse

Pitt (6-2, 2-1 ACC) vs. Syracuse (7-3, 1-2 ACC)
Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 • 12:00 PM
AT&T Sportsnet (RSN) • 93.7 The Fan
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center

The Opening Tip
• Pitt returns to action Saturday, Jan. 16 against Syracuse at the Petersen Events Center. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m. with the AT&T Sportsnet televising the game.
• The Panthers had games scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 9 against Florida State and Wednesday, Jan. 13 against Georgia Tech postponed due to COVID protocols in both programs. Syracuse added its game against North Carolina (Jan. 13) following the postponement of its game against Florida State.
• Pitt is playing a conference opponent in consecutive games for the second time since joining the ACC. The Panthers faced Notre Dame in their final two games of the 2017-18 season.
• Saturday's contest marks the second time Pitt has played consecutive regular season games against a conference foe, joining back-to-back games against Connecticut to close out the 1988-89 regular season.
• Pitt's three returning starters - Justin Champagnie, Xavier Johnson and Au'Diese Toney - combine to average 47.5 points, 22.9 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game. The trio has registered 19 double-figure scoring games, including seven 20+ point games.
• Justin Champagnie, sidelined with a knee injury since Dec. 20, leads the ACC (2nd nationally) in rebounds (12.3 rpg.), while also ranking third in the conference in scoring (17.8 ppg.).

By The Numbers
• Pitt is playing for just the second time in 25 days as the Panthers have had four games postponed due to COVID protocols. Pitt's games against Florida State (Jan. 9) and Georgia Tech (Jan. 12) were postponed due to COVID protocols within those two programs.
• The Panthers are facing Syracuse in consecutive games for the second time in series history. Pitt closed out the 1992-93 regular season against the Orange before facing them in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
• The Pitt-Syracuse rivalry is the fourth most played series in Panther history. The two teams have squared off in each of the past 39 seasons, dating back to Pitt's inaugural season in the Big East Conference (1982-83)
• Pitt, ranked second in the ACC (seventh nationally) in rebounds per game (42.8 rpg.), has outrebounded six of its first eight opponents. The Panthers have not averaged 40 or more rebounds per game since the 1993-94 season.
• The Panthers have held their past seven opponents to 26.0 percent (44-of-169) shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Pitt leads the ACC (16th in the NCAA) in three-point field goal defense (.273). Syracuse was 12-of-38 (.316) from three-point range in the first meeting between the two schools.
• Pitt ranks second in the ACC (13th nationally) in offensive rebounds (14.3 orpg.) and offensive rebound percentage (.365). The Panthers have a +72 scoring margin in second chance points.
• Pitt ranks 18th in defensive effective field goal percentage (.447) and 22nd in raw defensive efficiency (90.2) according to KenPom.
• The Panthers are 44-of-155 (.284) from three-point range in their past six meetings with Syracuse. Pitt went 7-of-28 (.250) from three in the Jan. 6 meeting and has shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc in one of the past six contests.
• Xavier Johnson has a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (34/17) in six games against Syracuse. He is averaging 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game against the Orange.
• Au'Diese Toney has scored in double figures in six of his seven games played and 29 times in his career. The Panthers are 19-10 over the past three seasons when Toney scores 10 or more points.
• Justin Champagnie ranks second 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. He has been sidelined since Dec. 20 with a knee injury.
• Ithiel Horton has made four or more three-point field goals in a game three times this season and 13 times in his career. He has 94 three-point field goals and shoots 39.7 percent (94-of-237) from beyond the arc for his career.
• Pitt's post trio - Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, John Hugley and Terrell Brown - combines to average 11.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Coulibaly is shooting a team-high 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from the field, while Hugley is averaging 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in league play. Brown is coming off his best game of the season with eight points and four rebounds in 17 minutes at Syracuse.
• Femi Odukale is averaging 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in just under 24 minutes per game over the past four contests. He has scored in double figures in each of the past two contests with his averages jumping to 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in that stretch.
• Noah Collier, John Hugley and Nike Sibande are set to return to action for the Panthers after missing the Jan. 6 matchup against Syracuse. Collier missed the game due to non-COVID related illness, while Hugley and Sibande were sidelined due to COVID-related contact tracing protocols.

Never Too Late
• Pitt has recorded a pair of road wins in the closing seconds of games this season. The Panthers took their first lead of the game in the final 10 seconds of play against Syracuse and Northwestern.
• Pitt's win against Syracuse after trailing for 39:06 marked the most consecutive minutes trailing before winning a game, while the 38:13 trailing at Northwestern is the second longest span in program history.

Panthers Back in Action Saturday Against Syracuse

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Players Mentioned

Terrell Brown

Justin Champagnie

Noah Collier

Abdoul Karim Coulibaly

Ithiel Horton

John Hugley IV

Xavier Johnson

Femi Odukale

Nike Sibande

Au'Diese Toney