It was a rough non-con campaign for the Pittsburgh Panthers, going 7-6 overall and including home losses to Hofstra and Quinnipiac. But recent wins over Binghamton and Penn State have given the team some momentum heading into ACC play.
Pitt’s first opponent is Miami (11-2), which has won six straight games, including over Georgetown and Ole Miss. They’ve looked good under first-year head coach Jai Lucas and host the Panthers for a chance to win their first ACC game.
Here are some keys to the game for Pitt to pull off the upset.
1. Cam Corhen’s likely 40 minutes against Miami’s frontcourt
The non-con MVP for the Panthers has to be Corhen, who led the team with 13.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg. He also plays 33.5 mpg, leading the entire ACC in overall minutes played (436) to this point. But he can get worn down and has to face one of the better frontcourts in the ACC in Miami, including 6’11 center Ernest Udeh (6.8 ppg and 9.8 rpg), 7’1 freshman Timotej Malovec, and star forward Malik Reneau whenever he plays at the five.
With Papa Kante having missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, freshman Kieran Mullen has been getting some minutes when Corhen needs a break. Expect the senior big man to play as much as possible, and if he plays poorly, Pitt’s odds of winning will be slim.
2. 15+ combined points between Siulepa and Witherspoon
Miami averages around 90 ppg, and while most of that came against lower-level competition, Pitt will need to find ways to keep up with them at their place. What can help is the freshmen playing well, with consistency holding them back. In the big win over Penn State, Roman Siulepa had a season-high 28 points, while Omari Witherspoon tied his with 15 off the bench.
While 43 points is too much to ask for, Pitt also can’t get 5-10 total points either, which has happened several times versus high-major foes. Both players will need to be impactful and help the Panthers get a collective effort to stay in the mix for a potential upset on Tuesday.
3. Defending Shelton Henderson of Miami
Miami has four players averaging at least 13.7 ppg. But no one else is putting up over 7.0 ppg, putting a lot of the scoring task on a few players. Among them, the most likely to slow down may be Henderson, a former five-star prospect putting up 13.7 ppg on 62% FG shooting.
The 6’6 forward is mainly a slasher, taking just 13 three-point attempts (made 4). But he's remained difficult to stop, including 18 points against Ole Miss and a season-high 30 against Florida International. Barry Dunning will be important for Pitt, having to slow down Henderson without fouling, while also providing 10+ points as well on the wings.