Panthers Play No. 19 Wisconsin Sunday for Greenbrier Tip-Off Title

Sunday, November 24

White Sulpher Springs, WV

5:30 PM

Pitt

Wisconsin

Photo by: Pitt Athletics

Panthers Play No. 19 Wisconsin Sunday for Greenbrier Tip-Off Title

11/23/2024 2:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

[rv/rv] Pitt (6-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. [19/25] Wisconsin (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

Sunday, November 24, 2024 • 5:30 PM

White Sulphur Springs, W.V. • Greenbrier Resort (Colonial Hall)

CBS Sports Network • 93.7 The Fan

THE OPENING TIP

Pitt (6-0) faces No. 19 Wisconsin (6-0) Sunday, Nov. 24 in the championship game of the Greenbrier Tip-Off. Opening tip is set for 5:30 p.m. from Colonial Hall at the Greenbrier Resort with Jack Benjamin and Matt McCall calling the action on CBS Sports Network.
The Panthers, ranked 13th in the latest KenPom ratings (+23.03), are looking for their first 7-0 start since the 2013-14 season when they won the first 10 games of the season.
Pitt has a +25.6 points per game scoring margin and has won each of the first six games by double-figures. The six-game stretch of 10+ point wins is the longest since winning the first seven games of the 2013-14 season in such fashion.
Pitt is averaging 85.8 points per game, while shooting 50.3 percent (181-of-360) from the field. The Panthers rank 21st nationally (third in the ACC) in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency at 116.1 points per 100 possessions.
The Panthers are led by backcourt tandem of Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe. Leggett and Lowe are off to a strong start to the 2024-25 season combining to average 33.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 4.5 steals per game. The duo delivered 43 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and eight steals in Friday's win over LSU.
Pitt ranks 11th in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency allowing just 93.1 points per 100 possessions. The Panthers are allowing just 60.2 points per game through six contests.

BY THE NUMBERS

Pitt's starting backcourt of Ishmael Leggett, Damian Dunn, and Jaland Lowe combines to average 46.2 points per game on 49.7 percent (93-of-187) shooting from the field. The trio has 15 double-figure scoring games and six games with 20 or more points scored on the season.
Ishmael Leggett is averaging a team-high 18.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while also ranking second in the ACC in field goal percentage (.603). He has scored 15 or more points in five of Pitt's six games, including a pair of 20-point efforts.
Jaland Lowe is filling the stat sheet this season averaging 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. He is one the only player in the NCAA averaging at least 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game on the season.
Cameron Corhen has scored in double figures in all six games and is averaging 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, while shooting an ACC-leading 68.0 percent (34-of-50) from the field. He has scored 12 or more points and grabbed at least five rebounds, while making five or more made field goals and shooting at least 60.0 percent from the field in all six games.
Damian Dunn is averaging 13.0 points and 2.5 assists per game, while shooting 50.0 percent (25-of-50) from the field for the Panthers. He scored in double figures in the first five games of the season before being limited to just 12 minutes of action due to foul trouble in the win over LSU.
Guillermo Diaz Graham is averaging 8.7 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in four games, while also grabbing seven or more rebounds three times this season. Diaz Graham had a season-high four blocks in Friday's win over LSU.
Zack Austin has been an impact player off the Pitt bench through five games averaging 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and an ACC-leading 2.5 blocks in 22.3 minutes per game. He is six rejections away from reaching 200 blocks for his career.
Sunday's game is the second in a stretch of five consecutive contests away from home against power conference opponents for the Panthers. Pitt will go 22 days (Nov. 18-Dec. 11) between home games and will have just two more home games before the start of the new year.
The Panthers have won the rebounding battle in five of its first six games. Pitt is averaging 41.2 rebounds per game and have four players averaging at least 6.0 rebounds per game.
Pitt has five players 6-10 or taller on the roster for the first time in program history. The Panthers starting frontcourt Cameron Corhen (6-10) and Guillermo Diaz Graham (7-0) combines to average 21.5 points and 13.7 rebounds per game.
Pitt is averaging 36.7 points in the paint to go along with 16.5 points per game from the foul line through six games. The Panthers have topped a combined 50 points in the paint and at the foul line in five contests with the lone outlier at 49-point effort against LSU.
The Panthers are shooting 60.8 percent (127-of-209) on its two-point field goal attempts this season with Ishmael Leggett (32-of-46) and Cameron Corhen (33-of-46) combining to go 65-of-92 (.707) from inside the three-point arc.
Sunday's contest is the first of back-to-back games for the Panthers against Big Ten opponents. Pitt travels to Columbus, Ohio to play Ohio State Friday, Nov. 29. The Panthers are 162-191 all-time against teams currently in the Big Ten.

PANTHER SPOTLIGHT – JALAND LOWE

Jaland Lowe is averaging 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.0 steals through two games of the Greenbrier Tip-Off. He is 10-of-21 (.476) from the field, including 5-of-10 from three, and 8-of-9 (.889) from the foul line in wins over VMI and LSU.
Lowe has topped the 20-point mark in three of Pitt's six games this season, including a career-best 22 points in Friday's win over LSU.