No. 18 Pitt on the Road to Play Mississippi State Wednesday in ACC/SEC Challenge

[18/19] Pitt (7-1, 0-0 ACC) at [rv/rv] Mississippi State (6-1, 0-0 SEC)

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 • 9:15 PM ET

Starkville, Mississippi • Humphrey Coliseum

SEC Network • 93.7 The Fan

THE OPENING TIP

Pitt (7-1) continues its stretch of five consecutive games away from home with a road contest at Mississippi State (6-1) Wednesday, Dec. 4 in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Tipoff at Humphrey Coliseum is set for 9:15 p.m. [ET] with Dave Neal and Pat Bradley calling the action on the SEC Network.
The Panthers are playing the fourth 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.
Pitt is fifth in the first NET Rankings of the season. The Panthers are 2-1 in Quad 1 games with wins over West Virginia and Ohio State on the young season.
Wednesday's contest features a pair of teams ranked in the top 30 of KenPom. The Panthers are ranked 13th in the latest KenPom ratings (+23.35), while Mississippi State checks in at No. 28 (+19.55).
Pitt is ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll for its highest ranking in the poll since week 12 (No. 18) of the 2013-14 season. The Panthers are also No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Mississippi State is receiving votes in both polls.
Pitt's starting backcourt of Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe combines to average 35.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 3.6 steals per game. The duo has combined for 14 double-figure scoring games, including seven games with 20 or more points scored. Both players have topped the 20-point mark in two of the past three games.

BY THE NUMBERS

Ishmael Leggett ranks among the ACC leaders in scoring (4th - 18.4 ppg.), rebounds (14th - 6.9 rpg.), defensive rebounds (9th - 5.63 drpg.), field goal percentage (3rd - .533), steals (T-6th - 1.88 spg.), and minutes (8th - 34.10 mpg.). He has scored 15 or more points in seven of Pitt's eight games, including three 20+ point efforts.
Jaland Lowe is filling the stat sheet this season averaging 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He is the only player in the NCAA averaging at least 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists per game on the season.
Cameron Corhen scored in double figures in the first seven games of the season and is averaging 12.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting an ACC-leading 68.9 percent (42-of-61) from the field.
Zack Austin is averaging 7.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game off the Pitt bench. He is six rejections away from reaching 200 blocks for his career. Austin is one of just nine players in NCAA history to register over 1,000 points, 575 rebounds, 175 blocks, and 150 threes in a career.
Ishmael Leggett is averaging 19.7 points and 8.0 rebounds over the past three games for the Panthers. He is one of only nine guards in the NCAA averaging at least 18.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the season.
Guillermo Diaz Graham is averaging 7.8 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in four games, while also grabbing seven or more rebounds four times this season.
Jaland Lowe has scored 15 or more points in each of the past three games and is averaging 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in that span. He is coming off a career-best 28 points in an overtime win at Ohio State.
Amsal Delalic made his first career start at Ohio State and is averaging 4.8 points per game in five appearances. He has made a three-point field goal in all five games played this season.
Damian Dunn is sidelined until January 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.
The Panthers are shooting 60.2 percent (174-of-289) on its two-point field goal attempts this season with Cameron Corhen (41-of-57, .719) and Ishmael Leggett (46-of-74, .622) and combining to go 87-of-131 (.664) from inside the three-point arc. Pitt ranks 17th in country in two-point field goal percentage.
Pitt is averaging 37.5 points in the paint to go along with 16.5 points per game from the foul line through eight games. The Panthers have topped a combined 50 points in the paint and at the foul line in seven contests with the lone outlier a 49-point effort against LSU.
The Panthers are averaging 85.1 points per game, while shooting 49.5 percent (241-of-487) from the field. Pitt ranks 13th nationally (second in the ACC) in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency at 118.9 points per 100 possessions.
Pitt is 7-0 on the season when winning or tying the rebounding battle. The Panthers enter Wednesday's game with a +6.0 rebounding margin per game. Mississippi State is one of the top offensive rebounding power conference teams at 13.7 orpg.
The Panthers have been one of the top road teams in the NCAA over the past three seasons. Pitt's 15 wins in true road games since the start of the 2022-23 season is tied for third most among power conference teams.

PANTHER SPOTLIGHTS

Zack Austin is averaging 12.0 points per game, while going 7-of-12 (.583) from three-point range, over the past two games. He matched his career-high with five made threes, including the game-winner in overtime, last Friday at Ohio State.
Papa Amadou Kante went 6-of-9 from the foul line and finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and a block in a season-high 17:18 of action before fouling out in overtime at Ohio State. He entered the contest with 17:01 of game action over his first four games played.

No. 18 Pitt on the Road to Play Mississippi State Wednesday in ACC/SEC Challenge

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Players Mentioned

Papa Amadou Kante

Zack Austin

Cameron Corhen

Guillermo Diaz Graham

Damian Dunn

Ishmael Leggett

Jaland Lowe

No. 18 Pitt on the Road to Play Mississippi State Wednesday in ACC/SEC Challenge

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Papa Amadou Kante

Zack Austin

Cameron Corhen

Guillermo Diaz Graham

Damian Dunn

Ishmael Leggett

Jaland Lowe

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