Virginia at No. 18 Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m. Sunday ESPNU
With Duke's loss at Syracuse in overtime on Saturday, Virginia's game against Pittsburgh is now officially for second place behind the Orange in the ACC standings. It is a huge game for the Cavaliers and a big opportunity, but luckily, Virginia has set up itself well thus far in the league schedule and a loss would not be that detrimental. Hopefully, the Wahoos can just keep it close. But, I think they have a good chance to win. The Panthers have lost just about all their tough games to Cincinnati, Syracuse, and Duke. The loss to the Orange was a hard-fought close loss on the road, though.
Here is some more about the Panthers:
Record: 18-3, 6-2 ACC
Scorers in double figures: Senior forward Lamar Patterson (17.3), senior forward Talib Zanna (13.5), junior guard Cameron Wright (10.8)
Leading rebounders: Zanna (8.0), freshman forward Michael Young (4.9), Patterson (4.8)
Assist leaders: Patterson (4.5), sophomore guard James Robinson (4.2)
Other notable players: sophomore forward Durand Johnson (8.8 ppg)
Best win: Pitt crushed Clemson at home, 76-43; also, recent 83-79 road win over Maryland looks good
Other wins: Savannah State, Fresno State, Howard, Lehigh, Texas Tech, Stanford, Duquesne, Penn State, Loyola Marymount, Youngstown State, Cal Poly, Albany, N.C. State, Maryland at home, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech
Best loss: The Panthers lost to the Orange at Syracuse by just five points, 59-54
Worst loss: Duke beat Pittsburgh by 15 in Pittsburgh, 80-65
Other losses: 44-43 neutral court loss to Cincinnati
What Pittsburgh does well: Lamar Patterson does a lot well. He can shoot, bang down low, get rebounds, assist others and he is accurate from 3 (41.7 percent) and the free throw line (80 percent). The Panthers rank in the top 100 in scoring (81st), rebounds (84th), assists (11th), and field goal percentage (22nd). They rank fifth in the ACC in scoring defense (61.1 ppg) and free throw percentage (72.3 percent). They rank fourth in the league in steals per game (6.9) and offensive rebounds per game. They also rank first in the ACC in rebounding margin and assists.
What Pittsburgh does poorly: There aren't a lot of weaknesses for the Panthers. They rank 13th in the ACC in 3-pointers made per game and blocked shots. They also are eighth in the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage defense. The Panthers are also near the middle of the conference in field goal shooting and 3-point shooting.
Why Virginia should not be worried: Pittsburgh appears to be pretty vulnerable. Virginia is not a top-25 team in the polls but has been playing like one the past couple weeks. Pittsburgh has lost all of its games to ranked teams. Duke is playing very well right now but a 15-point home loss to Duke makes Pitt look like it could have some holes. UVa is playing really well and playing with house money because the pressure is on Pitt in this game. Virginia is still a bit of an unknown team (although I am sure the 'Hoos are on Pitt coach Jamie Dixon's radar). UVa will still be sitting pretty in this game even with a loss, especially if it is a hard-fought loss. Tony Bennett and the coaching staff has been able to prepare for this game since late night Tuesday.
Why Virginia should be worried: Pittsburgh is a tough place to play. The "Oakland Zoo" is the name of the student section and can get pretty crazy (the neighborhood of Pittsburgh that the university if located in is named Oakland). Pittsburgh just lost its last home contest to Duke and will be looking to get back on track and is unlikely to drop a second home game in a row. And although Pitt has lost its games vs. ranked teams, so has UVa.
All in all, this should be a fantastic game. I really think we will be looking at a good game no matter which team wins. Both teams are solid ball clubs but Virginia might actually be playing better. Pittsburgh will be looking to right the ship and is back at home, where it rarely loses. If the Wahoos can slow down Patterson -- and it is usually tough for one player to beat the 'Hoos' defense -- then UVa has a definite shot in this game because he is obviously the motor that moves Pitt along since he just about does it all. If Virginia limits him below his averages, lets no other players go off, and plays a probably slightly-above-average offensive game, the Cavs will be in it at the end at the very least.
With Duke's loss at Syracuse in overtime on Saturday, Virginia's game against Pittsburgh is now officially for second place behind the Orange in the ACC standings. It is a huge game for the Cavaliers and a big opportunity, but luckily, Virginia has set up itself well thus far in the league schedule and a loss would not be that detrimental. Hopefully, the Wahoos can just keep it close. But, I think they have a good chance to win. The Panthers have lost just about all their tough games to Cincinnati, Syracuse, and Duke. The loss to the Orange was a hard-fought close loss on the road, though.
Here is some more about the Panthers:
Record: 18-3, 6-2 ACC
Scorers in double figures: Senior forward Lamar Patterson (17.3), senior forward Talib Zanna (13.5), junior guard Cameron Wright (10.8)
Leading rebounders: Zanna (8.0), freshman forward Michael Young (4.9), Patterson (4.8)
Assist leaders: Patterson (4.5), sophomore guard James Robinson (4.2)
Other notable players: sophomore forward Durand Johnson (8.8 ppg)
Best win: Pitt crushed Clemson at home, 76-43; also, recent 83-79 road win over Maryland looks good
Other wins: Savannah State, Fresno State, Howard, Lehigh, Texas Tech, Stanford, Duquesne, Penn State, Loyola Marymount, Youngstown State, Cal Poly, Albany, N.C. State, Maryland at home, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech
Best loss: The Panthers lost to the Orange at Syracuse by just five points, 59-54
Worst loss: Duke beat Pittsburgh by 15 in Pittsburgh, 80-65
Other losses: 44-43 neutral court loss to Cincinnati
What Pittsburgh does poorly: There aren't a lot of weaknesses for the Panthers. They rank 13th in the ACC in 3-pointers made per game and blocked shots. They also are eighth in the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage defense. The Panthers are also near the middle of the conference in field goal shooting and 3-point shooting.
Why Virginia should not be worried: Pittsburgh appears to be pretty vulnerable. Virginia is not a top-25 team in the polls but has been playing like one the past couple weeks. Pittsburgh has lost all of its games to ranked teams. Duke is playing very well right now but a 15-point home loss to Duke makes Pitt look like it could have some holes. UVa is playing really well and playing with house money because the pressure is on Pitt in this game. Virginia is still a bit of an unknown team (although I am sure the 'Hoos are on Pitt coach Jamie Dixon's radar). UVa will still be sitting pretty in this game even with a loss, especially if it is a hard-fought loss. Tony Bennett and the coaching staff has been able to prepare for this game since late night Tuesday.
Why Virginia should be worried: Pittsburgh is a tough place to play. The "Oakland Zoo" is the name of the student section and can get pretty crazy (the neighborhood of Pittsburgh that the university if located in is named Oakland). Pittsburgh just lost its last home contest to Duke and will be looking to get back on track and is unlikely to drop a second home game in a row. And although Pitt has lost its games vs. ranked teams, so has UVa.
All in all, this should be a fantastic game. I really think we will be looking at a good game no matter which team wins. Both teams are solid ball clubs but Virginia might actually be playing better. Pittsburgh will be looking to right the ship and is back at home, where it rarely loses. If the Wahoos can slow down Patterson -- and it is usually tough for one player to beat the 'Hoos' defense -- then UVa has a definite shot in this game because he is obviously the motor that moves Pitt along since he just about does it all. If Virginia limits him below his averages, lets no other players go off, and plays a probably slightly-above-average offensive game, the Cavs will be in it at the end at the very least.
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