Panthers Back Home to Face NC State Saturday Afternoon

Pitt (9-16, 4-10 ACC) vs. NC State (10-15, 3-11 ACC)
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022 • 3:00 PM
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center
ACC Network • 93.7 The Fan

The Opening Tip
• Pitt returns home to face NC State Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. with Wes Durham and Dan Bonner calling the game on the ACC Network.
• The Panthers have dropped 12 consecutive games to NC State dating back to a 74-62 on Jan. 4, 2014 in their first conference game as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Eight of the losses have been by nine points or fewer with seven of the past eight games decided by six points or fewer.
• Pitt dropped both games to NC State last season by a combined four points, including a hard fought 74-73 loss at the Petersen Events Center last February.
• Pitt leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally in free throw attempts (535). The Panthers have shot more free throws than their opponent in 19 of 25 games. Pitt also leads the ACC (18th NCAA) in made free throws (367).
• Jamarius Burton has scored 10 or more points in 13 league games and is averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game in ACC play. He is shooting 46.4 percent (71-of-153) from the field, including 40.0 percent (14-of-35) from three-point range in conference action.
• Mouhamadou Gueye is averaging 10.8 points and 3.8 blocks per game over the past four games. He matched a career high with eight blocks in Wednesday's win at Florida State.

By The Numbers
• Jamarius Burton leads the Panthers with 18 double-figure scoring games. He has topped the 20-point mark five times and scored 15 or more points eight times this season.
• John Hugley has scored in double figures 16 times, including a team-high six games with 20 or more points. He leads Pitt in scoring (13.9 ppg.), rebounds (8.1 rpg.), offensive rebounds (67), field goals (110), free throws made (123), free throw attempts (174) and double-doubles (7).
• Mouhamadou Gueye leads the Panthers in three-point field goals (32) and blocked shots (55). He is the only player in the ACC to lead his team in both categories and is attempting to become the first Pitt player to lead the team in both categories in a season.
• John Hugley ranks 15th in the NCAA in free throw rate (69.0 pct.) and is 20th in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (6.7).
• John Hugley (174) and Femi Odukale (137) have combined for 311 of the team's 535 free throw attempts (58.1 pct.). The tandem has combined to shoot 15 or more free throws in a game 10 times.
• Mouhamadou Gueye is averaging 10.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 20 games when playing 25 minutes or more. He has scored in double figures 12 times and blocked two or more shots in 14 of those games.
• Femi Odukale is averaging 16.0 points per game when he makes at least one three-point field goal. He has scored in double figures in 13 of the 14 games this season when he has made a three.
• John Hugley leads the league in free throw attempts (7.0 ftapg.) and free throws made (4.9 ftmpg.), while shooting 70.7 percent (123-of-174) from the charity stripe. He is just 7-of-17 (.412) from the foul line over the past five contests, including consecutive games with no free throw attempts against Virginia Tech.
• Femi Odukale has recorded at least one assist in 31 consecutive games dating back to last season. He has recorded three or more assists in a game 19 times this season, including a season-high six assists in Wednesday's win at Florida State.
• Mouhamadou Gueye is 15 blocked shots shy of 200 career blocks. He has blocked at least one shot in nine consecutive games and has 30 blocks (3.3 bpg.) in that span. Gueye has blocked two or more shots in 10 of Pitt's 14 league games.
• Jamarius Burton is averaging 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, while going 67-of-141 (.475) from the field, including 13-of-33 (.394) from three-point range over the past 13 contests.
• Pitt is averaging 22.6 points in the paint and 14.7 points from the foul line per game. Interior scoring and foul shots have accounted for 60.8 percent (937-of-1540) of the team's points. The Panthers have scored just 109 of their 249 points (43.8 percent) in the paint and from the free throw line over the past four games.
• The Panthers rank second in the NCAA in free throw rate (42.5 percent) and fourth in points distribution from the foul line (23.8 percent). Pitt is tied for 21st the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (21.4 ftapg.) and have outscored the opposition by 85 points from the free throw line.
• Pitt has held the opposition to 28.7 percent (62-of-216) shooting from three-point range in its nine wins. By contrast, the opposition has shot 39.3 percent (151-of-384) from beyond the arc in wins over the Panthers.
• Pitt is averaging 41.3 points per game, while shooting 57.4 percent (58-of-101) from the field, including 55.3 percent (21-of-38) from three-point range, in the second half of the past four games.
• The Panthers play four of their next five games at home beginning Saturday.

Panther Spotlights
• John Hugley is averaging 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in 15 home games. He is 76-of-164 (.483) from the field and 88-of-122 (.721) from the foul line at the Petersen Events Center.
• Ithiel Horton is averaging 2.3 three-point field goals per game, while shooting 45.2 percent (14-of-31) from three-point range. He has made three or more threes in three of his six games played.

Panthers Back Home to Face NC State Saturday Afternoon

Players Mentioned

Jamarius Burton

Mouhamadou Gueye

Ithiel Horton

John Hugley IV

Femi Odukale