With conference play coming around the corner, Pittsburgh basketball entertains McNeese State at home. Can the Panthers win this one comfortably?
TV schedule: Saturday, Dec. 16, 2:00 p.m. ET. ACC Network
Arena: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh Panthers (5-5) have been playing much better since the start of the season even though their record doesn’t show it. After winning a couple of easy games, they took on West Virginia in the renewal of the Backyard Brawl. There was a legitimate possibility of a blowout, especially given what happened against a less talented Penn State team, but the Panthers played better than expectations.
In what turned out to be a throwback to the old Big East days, Pittsburgh came as close as three points with minutes to go before succumbing to the Mountaineers. Even in the loss, it was another impressive performance by freshman point guard Marcus Carr, who seems to have shaken off his rough start to the year.
Carr is one of four players to average double figures, with senior Ryan Luther doing the best with 12.7 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Shamiel Stevenson and Jared Wilson-Frame are the other two main offensive threats.
The Panthers’ opponent is McNeese State (3-6) who recently lost on Thursday 77-71 to North Carolina Central. The Cowboys hail from the Southland Conference but haven’t been a good team for some time. In a unique circumstance, McNeese is led by a pair of twin brothers in Jalob and Kalob Ledoux, who scored 24 points combined in the most recent game. The post option for the Cowboys is 6’8 senior Quatorrius Wilson, averaging 8.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg.
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This is the first of a three-game home stretch for the Panthers of “easy” games before conference play begins. The West Virginia game has shown that the team can be competitive against quality competition. These next few games will be a good tune-up for what could be a long two-month stretch.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 83 – McNeese State 69