Minnesota looks to remain unbeaten on the season and faces a depleted Pittsburgh roster. Can the Gophers prevail on the road?
TV schedule: Tuesday, November 30th, 7:00 pm. ET. ESPNU
Arena: Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coming into the season, there were a few power conference programs projected to be some of the worst. Boston College, Georgia, California, DePaul, and Washington were some of the few, along with both Minnesota and Pittsburgh. The Gophers were particularly in danger of being a bottom-dweller, considering that they had to turn over its entire and hire a new coach after last season’s disappointment.
Yet first-year head coach Ben Johnson and this new-look roster has been very impressive so far, starting out the season with a 5-0 record, including a pair of close wins over Western Kentucky and Princeton. Production wise, they’re led by George Washington transfer Jamison Battle (17.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg) and College of College transfer guard Payton Willis, who spent two years with this program before and has started out very strong, averaging a career-high 16.6 ppg and 3.4 apg through five games.
Minnesota runs a 7-man rotation but is very top-heavy, with four players currently averaging over 35 mpg. That includes the previously mentioned Battle and Willis, along with EJ Stephens and Luke Loewe. 6’9 forward Eric Curry is the only rotation player that is taller than 6’8 but what the Gophers lack in size, makes up for in versatility and balance.
The Big Ten team now travels on the road to take on Pittsburgh (2-4) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Panthers have lost two straight, both at home to Vanderbilt and most recently, UMBC. It was a poor defensive effort for Pitt, giving up 87 points and 14 made three-pointers in the loss. Center John Hugley and point guard Femi Odukale scored a combined 40 points in the loss and are the lone double-digit scorers for the team overall.
Injuries and suspensions have depleted the Panthers‘ backcourt overall, leaving role players Nate Santos and William Jefress into larger than anticipated roles. If they don’t play well and give some kind of offense, it’s hard for Pittsburgh to win.
Although the homecourt advantage is on Pitt’s side, they’ve already lost three times at home this season, including to three teams that isn’t as good as Minnesota. The ACC program has yet to beat a power conference opponent this season and I predict that remains the same after Tuesday night.
Prediction: Minnesota 75, Pittsburgh 60