Pittsburgh at BC Preview
By Ben Meisenzahl
The Pitt Panthers (12-11, 1-9 ACC) travel to Conte Forum on Wednesday night to take on the BC Eagles (9-15, 2-9 ACC). The Panthers, after starting off strong in non-conference play, have only won a single ACC game and have lost 8 games in a row. The Eagles haven’t been much better lately, as Jim Christian’s squad has dropped 7 consecutive games, putting them one spot ahead of the last place Panthers in the ACC. This is a major opportunity for both teams to end their respective losing streaks, and a tough, gritty game is to be expected. Let’s take a closer look at each of these teams and what they bring to the table.
Pittsburgh Panthers
Pitt clearly has experience in their favor, as they are led by seniors Michael Young, Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter, and Chris Jones. Combine that with a dangerous shooter in Cameron Johnson and the Panthers look very tough on paper. However, this season has gone off the rails for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which has to do with the head coach. Longtime coach Jamie Dixon left after last season to coach at TCU, his alma mater. This experienced Pitt team suddenly was thrown into the chaos that is the ACC with new head coach Kevin Stallings, and it has not gone well. To their credit, they have been a very tough team to put away. After losing at home to Louisville in January by over 50 points, the Panthers lost their next 3 against Clemson, North Carolina, and Duke by 8 points or less in each game. They only give up about 77 points per game, while scoring 76 themselves. Artis and Young are each averaging over 20 points per game, while Young and Jeter each average over 7 rebounds per game. While Johnson and Artis are shooting over 40% from behind the arc, Pitt does not rely heavily on the three-pointer, only making about 36% of shots taken from there. This team leans more towards interior play, with Jeter and Young playing major roles. Expect Rozelle Nix, the team’s only true center, to chip in with a few baskets in the paint as well. These guys will attack the likes of Connar Tava, Mo Jeffers, and Nik Popovic early and often.
Boston College Eagles
The Eagles on the other hand rely heavily on the guard play of Jerome Robinson and Ky Bowman. They are respectively averaging about 19 and 14 points per game, leading the team. Sophomore guard Jordan Chatman cooled off a bit in Saturday’s loss to Louisville, but remains on the rise after helping the team make 12 three-pointers in back to back games against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. On the interior, Tava, Jeffers, and Popovic each average about 6 points or less per game, and this where the Eagles are often exploited. Tava and Jeffers struggle to finish at the rim, and even though Popovic (6’11”) is the best offensively out of this trio, he is just a freshman. Speaking of the freshman aspect, turnovers have plagued BC all year. They’ve turned the ball over 60 more times than their opponents have. Sloppy basketball leads to fast break points and more fouls, which further hurt the lack of depth at center that the Eagles have.
Prediction
Both teams have struggled a great deal this year, and both will work hard to get a win to right the ship. Robinson and Bowman have explosive potential, but expect the experience of the Panthers to slow things down and take over the game with baskets in the paint on offense, and on defense doubling Bowman and Robinson on screens in order to force Jeffers, Tava, and Popovic to make baskets. This dogfight goes to Pitt in the end.
Pittsburgh 79, BC 70