Wednesday, January 6
Syracuse, NY
4:30 PM
Pitt
at
Syracuse
Panthers Face Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Wednesday
1/5/2021 8:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Pitt (5-2, 1-1 ACC) at Syracuse (6-1, 1-0 ACC)
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 • 4:30 PM
ACC Network • 93.7 The Fan
Syracuse, N.Y. • Carrier Dome
The Opening TIp
• Pitt returns to action Wednesday, Jan. 6 against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. with the ACC Network televising the game.
• The Panthers' past two games - Tuesday, Dec. 29 at Duke and Saturday, Jan. 2 against Notre Dame - were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. Pitt has not played since Dec. 22, a span of 14 days.
• 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 one of two players in the ACC averaging at least 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
• Justin Champagnie is sidelined for 6-8 weeks after suffering a knee injury prior to the Louisville game. He currently leads the ACC (4th 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.
• Au'Diese Toney has raised his scoring average by 6.7 points per game and ranks 11th in the ACC in scoring (16.2 ppg.). Toney missed Pitt's last game with an ankle injury.
By The Numbers
• Pitt, ranked second in the ACC (29th 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 (18th 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 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 ranks 26th in defensive effective field goal percentage (.444) and 34th in adjusted defensive efficiency (90.3) according to KenPom.
• The Panthers are 37-of-127 (.291) from three-point range in their past five meetings with Syracuse. Pitt has shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc in just one of those contests.
• Pitt ranks 320 out of 340 teams playing this season in KenPom's experience rankings. Nine of the Panthers' 13 scholarship players are underclassman.
• Xavier Johnson is two points shy of becoming the 47th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Johnson is averaging 13.7 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 (6th - .525), offensive rebounds (T-9th - 2.3 orpg.) and minutes played (12th - 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 fourth 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.
• 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.
• Femi Odukale is averaging 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in just under 23 minutes per game over the past three contests. He is coming off a season-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field against Louisville.
• Pitt will be without Justin Champagnie (injury) and at least two additional scholarship players (COVID contract tracing protocols) for Wednesday's game at Syracuse. The Panthers were without head coach Jeff Capel along with Champagnie and Au'Diese Toney for their Dec. 22 contest against Louisville.
Late Change to the Schedule
• The Pitt-Syracuse game Wednesday, Jan. 6 was added to each team's schedule Sunday after Syracuse's original game on that date was postponed due to positive COVID-19 results within the Florida State program.
• Pitt was orginally scheduled to play Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Saturday, Feb. 13.
• The Panthers are currently slated to host Syracuse at the Petersen Events Center Saturday, Jan. 16.
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 • 4:30 PM
ACC Network • 93.7 The Fan
Syracuse, N.Y. • Carrier Dome
The Opening TIp
• Pitt returns to action Wednesday, Jan. 6 against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. with the ACC Network televising the game.
• The Panthers' past two games - Tuesday, Dec. 29 at Duke and Saturday, Jan. 2 against Notre Dame - were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. Pitt has not played since Dec. 22, a span of 14 days.
• 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 one of two players in the ACC averaging at least 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
• Justin Champagnie is sidelined for 6-8 weeks after suffering a knee injury prior to the Louisville game. He currently leads the ACC (4th 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.
• Au'Diese Toney has raised his scoring average by 6.7 points per game and ranks 11th in the ACC in scoring (16.2 ppg.). Toney missed Pitt's last game with an ankle injury.
By The Numbers
• Pitt, ranked second in the ACC (29th 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 (18th 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 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 ranks 26th in defensive effective field goal percentage (.444) and 34th in adjusted defensive efficiency (90.3) according to KenPom.
• The Panthers are 37-of-127 (.291) from three-point range in their past five meetings with Syracuse. Pitt has shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc in just one of those contests.
• Pitt ranks 320 out of 340 teams playing this season in KenPom's experience rankings. Nine of the Panthers' 13 scholarship players are underclassman.
• Xavier Johnson is two points shy of becoming the 47th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Johnson is averaging 13.7 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 (6th - .525), offensive rebounds (T-9th - 2.3 orpg.) and minutes played (12th - 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 fourth 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.
• 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.
• Femi Odukale is averaging 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in just under 23 minutes per game over the past three contests. He is coming off a season-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field against Louisville.
• Pitt will be without Justin Champagnie (injury) and at least two additional scholarship players (COVID contract tracing protocols) for Wednesday's game at Syracuse. The Panthers were without head coach Jeff Capel along with Champagnie and Au'Diese Toney for their Dec. 22 contest against Louisville.
Late Change to the Schedule
• The Pitt-Syracuse game Wednesday, Jan. 6 was added to each team's schedule Sunday after Syracuse's original game on that date was postponed due to positive COVID-19 results within the Florida State program.
• Pitt was orginally scheduled to play Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Saturday, Feb. 13.
• The Panthers are currently slated to host Syracuse at the Petersen Events Center Saturday, Jan. 16.
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's BasketballUnscripted | Episode 1 | NBA 2K26 Summer League
Tuesday, September 02
Unscripted | Coming 9/2/2025 | Pitt Men's Basketball
Tuesday, September 02
Unscripted Trailer
Monday, September 01
Barry's Bites I Episode 3 | Pitt Basketball
Friday, August 08