Panthers Travel to Brooklyn to Face No. 20 Michigan in Legends Classic

Wednesday, November 16

Brooklyn, NY

6 PM

Pitt

[20/21] Michigan

Panthers Travel to Brooklyn to Face No. 20 Michigan in Legends Classic

11/15/2022 10:38:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes Media Availability Watch

Pitt (1-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. [20/21] Michigan (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 • 6:00 PM
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center
ESPNU • 93.7 The Fan

THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt returns to action Wednesday, Nov. 16 against [20/21] Michigan in the opening round of the Vivid Seats Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. with Kevin Brown and Jon Crispin calling the game for ESPNU.
• The Panthers are 9-7 all-time against teams ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll. Pitt has won three of the past five such meetings with the last game a 60-55 win over Xavier March 26, 2009 to advance the Panthers to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
• Pitt and Michigan met 10 times between 1952 and 1963 but have played just two times since. Each of the past three games in the series have been neutral site contests, including the last meeting in the 2012 NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.
• Pitt returns its top two scorers from a season ago in John Hugley IV (14.8 ppg.) and Jamarius Burton (12.4 ppg.). The tandem combined for 42.9 percent (845-of-1969) of the Panthers' scoring a year ago.
• Newcomers have accounted for 96 of Pitt's 136 points through the first two games of the season. Blake Hinson leads the team in scoring at 16.0 points per game, while Greg Elliott is third on the team at 11.5 points per game.
• John Hugley IV earned Honorable Mention All-ACC honors last season after averaging 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He finished the year with 23 double-figure scoring games, eight games with 20+ points and nine double-doubles. Hugley IV returned to practice Nov. 10 after missing six weeks of action.

BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt is 4-4 in eight previous meetings at the Barclays Center. The Panthers are playing at the venue for the third time in five seasons.
• The Panthers have dropped three consecutive games against ranked opponents with the last victory an 83-72 win over No. 16 Virginia Tech Feb. 3, 2021.
• Pitt has its most experienced roster in five seasons under Jeff Capel and one of the most experienced teams in the ACC. This year's roster entered the season with 631 games played, 159 more than Capel's previous most experienced roster and 300 total games more than his first season at Pitt. The Panthers started two sixth-year players (Nelly Cummings and Greg Elliott) and two fifth-year players (Jamarius Burton and Blake Hinson) in the season opener.
• The Panthers' starting backcourt of Nelly Cummings and Jamarius Burton has combined for 2,157 points, 636 rebounds, 565 assists, and 193 steals in 233 career games. The tandem was limited to just 48 of a possible 80 minutes of action against West Virginia due to foul trouble for both players.
• Pitt's roster features five players who have averaged double figures for a season at the NCAA Division I level. Nelly Cummings (3x), Nike Sibande (3x), Jamarius Burton (2x), John Hugley IV (1x) and Blake Hinson (1x) have combined for 10 double-figure scoring seasons.
• Pitt has five players with 70 or more career three-point field goals, including Nike Sibande (205), Nelly Cummings (150) and Greg Elliott (100) who have combined for 455 career threes. Blake Hinson (96) is four three-point field goals shy of reaching the 100 made threes mark.
• John Hugley IV is one of two returning ACC players (along with North Carolina's Armando Bacot) to average 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds or better per game last season. Hugley IV has missed six weeks of action with a knee injury.
• Jamarius Burton has scored in double figures in both games this season and in 25 of his 32 games played as a Panther. He is averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game for the season.
• Blake Hinson leads the Panthers in scoring (16.0 ppg.) and rebounding (8.0 rpg.). He totaled 27 points and 13 rebounds with four three-point field goals in his Pitt debut against UT Martin.
• Federiko Federiko is averaging 9.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in a Pitt uniform (includes exhibition play). He is 17-of-18 (.944) from the field with 17 offensive rebounds over four contests.
• Greg Elliott made his 100th career three-point field goal against West Virginia and is 6-of-14 (.429) from deep on the season. He is now 100-of-244 (.410) from beyond the arc in his career. Elliott has scored in double figures in both games this season and is third on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game.
• John Hugley IV (knee) and William Jeffress (foot) each missed both of Pitt's exhibition games and the first two games of the season due to injuries suffered in the preseason.
• The Panthers are averaging 8.0 made threes per game despite not finding their shooting stroke from beyond the arc on the young season. Pitt is 16-of-64 (.250) from three-point range through two games, including a school record 41 three-point attempts in the win over UT Martin.
• The Panthers are 156-180 against teams currently in the Big Ten, including a 3-2 mark under head coach Jeff Capel. Pitt is also scheduled to play Northwestern in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Nov. 28 in Evanston, Ill.
• Head coaches Jeff Capel and Juwan Howard met once on the hardwood during their collegiate playing days with Capel's Duke squad posting a 73-63 win over the Wolverines at Crisler Arena Dec. 11, 1993.