Pitt at Miami: Panthers Seek Third Straight Win

The Pitt Panthers head down to South Florida looking to make it three wins in a row in ACC play.

PITTSBURGH -- The last time the Pitt Panthers visited Miami, they played for an ACC regular season title and fell just short and while the stakes aren't nearly as high this time around, there's plenty to play for in South Beach this weekend. 

Pitt is playing as well as it has all season and riding high after victories over then-No. 7 Duke and Georgia Tech, both on the road. But they'll face another massive test against Miami in the last of three straight road games. 

Game Info
Opponent: Miami (13-6 overall, 4-4 ACC)
Time: 2:15 p.m. EST
Location: Watsco Center; Miami, Florida
Broadcast: The CW and 93.7 The Fan

Odds
Pitt is a five-point underdog, with moneyline odds of +165 compared to -200 for Miami, according to Action Network. The point total line has been set at 150. 

Three Storylines

Tall Task in Frontcourt
The ACC is full of talented, dominating big men and Miami's Norchad Omier might be the best of the bunch. He's in the midst of far and away the best season of his career, averaging 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game whole making 64% of his field goals and 35.7% of his 3-point attempts, albeit on just 1.6 attempts per game. 

Federiko Federiko was outstanding in bottling up Duke's Kyle Filipowski and Guillermo Diaz Graham provided a much-needed offensive punch in the second half against Georgia Tech. The Panther frontcourt has been a mixed bag this season and who Capel will turn to as a starter will be anyone's guess. 

Either way, Pitt's bigs will need to make Omier pay with either a physical defensive presence or an exhaustive offensive one, making him defend all over the court and leave the paint to create lanes for drivers. It will be a tall order for a Panther frontcourt that has been anything but consistent this season. 

Who Will Take the Lead?
The Panthers have had six different players lead them in scoring this season, making them one of the deepest (or most volatile, depending upon how you look at it ) teams in America. It's become somewhat of a crapshoot guessing who will power their offense on any given night. 

Here are the power conference teams with the most different players who have led the team in scoring: pic.twitter.com/tzy3YkPwzd

— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) January 24, 2024

Over the past four games, the Panthers have had four different players lead them in scoring over the past four games. Recently, as the Panthers have won back-to-back ACC games, that's been viewed as a strength but their versatility has sometimes led to inconsistency on offense. Pitt will hope to find a go-to-guy early. 

Injury Concerns for Hurricanes
Matthew Cleveland, formerly of Florida State, was one of the biggest additions of the offseason for the Hurricanes, who added him through the transfer portal but his status is questionable for this game. Miami had appeared to finally be on the other side of some horrific injury luck but another ailment popped up in their game against Notre Dame. 

Just about all of Miami's core has dealt with injuries in the past couple of weeks. Star big man Norchad Omier just came back but he did drop 33 on Notre Dame.

Matthew Cleveland (14.8 ppg and 5.8 RPG) is questionable for today after getting hurt last game with a hip injury.

— Tristan Freeman (@hoopsnut351) January 27, 2024

Cleveland hasn't quite been the star for the Hurricanes that he was for the Seminoles but his length and speed make him a matchup nightmare for any team, including the Panthers. They'll hope he takes a day off to let that hip fully heal. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

How Mike Krzyzewski Helped Pitt Avoid Letdown

Pitt Extends Basketball Series With West Virginia

Damar Hamlin Named Comeback Player of the Year Finalist

Pitt-West Virginia Game Faces Potential Conflict

Report: Pitt Loses Long-Time Assistant Coach

Role Players Get Pitt Rolling in ACC Play

• Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt