Hokie Hoops Central: Pitt (7-2) at Virginia Tech (3-5) 2pm 12/7 ESPNU

Pitt (7-2)
at
Virginia Tech (3-5)
2pm 12/6
ESPNU

TV | ESPNU
Jay Alter, PxP
Perry Clark, Analyst

RADIO | VT Sports Network
Zach Mackey, PxP
Mike Burnop, Analyst

VIDEO STREAM
@HokiesMBB ESPN.com and ESPN app

LIVE STATS
stats.hokiesports.com

ACC Can Opener
Hokies come in on their first five game non-conference losing streak in over ONE HUNDRED YEARS. Now we get a first glimpse of how painful the ACC season may be.

It was another difficult game against Vanderbilt. Fifteen Hokie turnovers turned into 28 points for the Commodores.

Another game of the Hokies shooting less than 40% overall and less than 30% from the perimeter.

Pitt comes in 7-2 and had risen to 18th in the polls but that was short lived as they will certainly drop after a 90-57 loss to Mississippi St. Pitt's other loss was 81-75 to #19 Wisconsin. They have wins over Ohio St, LSU, and WVU of P4 opponents.

Pitt once again built on their portal success. Two current starters are in their second seasons with Pitt and that's been complemented with two additional starters in Cameron Corhen from FSU and Damian Dunn after a year in Houston. Dunn is in his 6th year after four years at Temple.

The Panthers' offense is built on versatility and teamwork. Guards Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe are literally driving the Panthers to success. They emphasize ball movement to create open shots for players on the perimeter. So far this season the perimeter shooting has been a bit weak though at 33%. Their focus on many plays is on pick-and-roll opportunities to exploit defenses and create mismatches inside.

Spacing is crucial. The Panthers aim to stretch defenses, which allows driving lanes for attacking players. This strategy can lead to high-percentage shots both at the rim and from three-point range.

Defensively, the Panthers are aggressive using man-to-man defense. They prioritize ball pressure and aim to create turnovers, which can lead to fast-break opportunities.

They are holding opponents to 41% shooting and only 30% from the perimeter. They are forcing 13 turnovers per game and convert that to 20 points a game.

This is not an ideal team to open conference play against.

Hokies Starting Five
Toibu Lawal
1 JR F 6-8 200
11.4 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 0.4 Ast

Mylyjael Poteat
34 SR F 6-9 260
11.4 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 1.8 Ast

Jaden Schutt
2 SO G 6-5 185
9.4 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 2.1 Ast

Tyler Johnson
10 FR G 6-5 215
6.1 Pts, 4.9 Reb, 0.8 Ast

Brandon Rechsteiner
7 SO G 6-1 185
8.6 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 3.3 Ast

Key Bench Players
Jaydon Young
3 SO G 6-4 205
9.1 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 1.5 Ast

Ben Burnham
13 SR F 6-7 200
5.3 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 1.1 Ast

Patrick Wessler
5 SO C 7-0 245
3.4 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 0.0 Ast

Ben Hammond
11 FR G 5-11 170
3.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 1.3 Ast

Pitt Starting Five
Ishmael Leggett
5 SR G 6-2 180
17.0 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 2.4 Ast

Jaland Lowe
15 SO G 6-2 170
16.9 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 5.2 Ast

Cameron Corhen
2 JR F 6-10 225
11.0 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 1.0 Ast

Damian Dunn
1 JR G 6-5 165
11.1 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 1.9 Ast

Guillermo Diaz Graham
25 JR F 7-0 205
7.1 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 1.2 Ast

Key Bench Players
Zack Austin
55 SR F 6-4 175
7.8 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast

Brandin Cummings
3 FR G 6-3 170
5.6 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.9 Ast

Papa Amadou Kante
4 FR F 6-10 235
4.0 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.5 Ast

Amsal Delalić
52 FR G 6-7 210
4.0 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 1.2 Ast