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Pittsburgh vs. Iowa: Key storylines for 2018 ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: The Iowa Hawkeyes huddle before the championship game against the Connecticut Huskies during the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: The Iowa Hawkeyes huddle before the championship game against the Connecticut Huskies during the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 06: Shamiel Stevenson #23 of the Pittsburgh Panthers takes a shot against Bonzie Colson #35 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half during the first round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 6, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 06: Shamiel Stevenson #23 of the Pittsburgh Panthers takes a shot against Bonzie Colson #35 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half during the first round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 6, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

How Pittsburgh deals with a quality frontcourt

While Pittsburgh has played well in the team’s 6-0 start, they have yet to play against a team with the kind of bigs that Iowa has. Even Saint Louis lacks the true size of the Hawkeyes.

That’ll be a huge problem for Coach Capel and the Panthers. At just 6’6, Toney is an undersized forward compared to power conference teams, while Terrell Brown and Kene Chukwa are rotation players who splits time at the center position. The Panthers are a guard-oriented offense that’ll struggle all season long against bigger teams.

That plays right into Iowa’s hands, having one of the best starting frontcourts in the Big Ten. Luka Garza and Tyler Cook leads the team in scoring, combined to average 32.2 ppg and 11.4 rpg. These two guys are at least 6’9 and 240 pounds, with 6’9 Ryan Kriener and 6’7 Nicholas Baer backing them up. These two could start or receive more minutes if they played for Pittsburgh.

Iowa loves to operate through their bigs, based on the stats. The team makes 60% of their two-point shots (20th in the country), while ranking in the top five in free throw attempts and makes. Pittsburgh doesn’t have much frontcourt depth as it is, so the Hawkeyes could force them to go small, which will allow both Cook and Garza to have a big night.

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