By Danielle Daniels

GAME NOTES

https://pittsburghpanthers.com/documents/2024/11/27/8_at_Ohio_State_11.29.24.pdf

[rv/25] Pitt (6-1, 0-0 ACC)  at [rv/rv] Ohio State (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten)

Friday, November 29, 2024  •  2:30 PM

Columbus, Ohio  •  Value City Arena

Peacock  •  93.7 The Fan

THE OPENING TIP

• Pitt (6-1) travels to Columbus, Ohio to play Ohio State (5-1) Friday, Nov. 29 at the Schottenstein Center. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. with Steve Schlanger and Jess Settles calling the action on Peacock.
• Pitt joined the USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time this season coming in at No. 25 in the fourth week of rankings. The Panthers are also just outside the top 25 in the AP Poll. Ohio State is receiving votes in both the Coaches and AP Polls.
• The Panthers are playing the third game of a five-game stretch away from home against power conference opponents. Pitt will go 22 days (Nov. 18-Dec. 11) between home games and will have just two more home games before the start of the new year.
• Friday’s contest features a pair of teams ranked in the top 20 of KenPom. The Panthers are ranked 15th in the latest KenPom ratings (+22.21), while Ohio State checks in at No. 16 (+22.10).
• Pitt’s starting backcourt of Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe combines to average 33.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 3.9 steals per game. The duo has combined for 12 double-figure scoring games, including five games with 20 or more points scored on the season.
• The Panthers are averaging 84.3 points per game, while shooting 50.2 percent (211-of-420) from the field. Pitt ranks 21st nationally (fourth in the ACC) in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency at 116.8 points per 100 possessions. Ohio State is ranked 20th (117.2) in KenPom offensive rating.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Ishmael Leggett ranks among the ACC leaders in scoring (7th – 18.0 ppg.), rebounds (19th – 6.4 rpg.), defensive rebounds (12th – 5.29 drpg.), field goal percentage (4th – .566), steals (T-9th – 1.86 spg.), and minutes (10th – 32.93 mpg.). He has scored 15 or more points in six of Pitt’s seven games, including a pair of 20-point efforts.
• Jaland Lowe is filling the stat sheet this season averaging 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He is the only player in the NCAA averaging at least 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game on the season.
• Cameron Corhen has scored in double figures in all seven games and is averaging 13.3 points and 5.6 rebounds, while shooting an ACC-leading 70.7 percent (41-of-58) from the field. He has made at least five field goals and shot over 60 percent from the field in every game this season.
• Damian Dunn will miss the next six weeks of action after suffering a thumb injury in the opening minutes of the Wisconsin game. He scored in double figures in the first five games of the season and is averaging 11.1 points per game, while shooting a team-best 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from three-point range.
• Freshmen Amsal Delalic and Brandin Cummings will look to help fill the void left by Dunn’s absence in the lineup. The duo combines to average 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. Delalic missed the first three games of the season with a hand injury but is coming off his best game as a Panther with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field against No. 19 Wisconsin.
• Guillermo Diaz Graham is averaging 8.6 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in four games, while also grabbing seven or more rebounds four times this season.
• Zack Austin came off the bench in the first seven games of the season and is averaging 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game. He is six rejections away from reaching 200 blocks for his career.
• Pitt has five players 6-10 or taller on the roster for the first time in program history. The Panthers starting frontcourt Cameron Corhen (6-10) and Guillermo Diaz Graham (7-0) combines to average 21.9 points and 13.0 rebounds per game.
• Pitt won its first six games of the season by double figures and ranks second in the ACC (26th nationally) with a +21.1 scoring margin.
• Pitt is averaging 37.7 points in the paint to go along with 15.6 points per game from the foul line through seven games. The Panthers have topped a combined 50 points in the paint and at the foul line in six contests with the lone outlier a 49-point effort against LSU.
• The Panthers are shooting 61.8 percent (152-of-246) on its two-point field goal attempts this season with Cameron Corhen (40-of-54, .741) and Ishmael Leggett (38-of-57, .667) and combining to go 78-of-111 (.703) from inside the three-point arc.
• Pitt opponents are shooting just 26.5 percent (40-of-151) from three-point range, while making only 5.7 threes per game. Ohio State enters Friday’s contest averaging 11.0 three-pointers per game, while shooting 43.4 percent (66-of-152) from long range.
• The Panthers have been one of the top road teams in the NCAA over the past two seasons. Pitt’s 14 wins in true road games during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons was tied for fourth most among power conference teams. Friday’s contest is the first of three consecutive road games for the Panthers.

PANTHER SPOTLIGHTS

• Cameron Corhen is averaging 14.0 points per game, while going 19-of-24 (.792) from the field with 11 dunks over the past three games. He leads the ACC and ranks 11th nationally with a .707 field goal percentage.
• Ishmael Leggett is one of seven guards in the NCAA and the only guard from a power conference team averaging at least 18.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the season.

COURTESY PITT ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS