Pitt vs Notre Dame: Can Panthers Stay Hot?
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are riding high after knocking off Wake Forest at home and earning a fourth win from their last five games.
And with the Fighting Irish in time, Pitt will look to keep their hot streak alive and continue climbing a crowded middle of the ACC standings as the home stretch of the regular season nears
Game Info
Opponent: Notre Dame (7-14 overall, 2-8 ACC)
Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Location: Petersen Events Center; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: ACC Network and 93.7 The Fan
Odds
Pitt is a 10.5-point favorite over the Fighting Irish, with moneyline odds of -579 compared to +423 for Notre Dame, according to Action Network. The point total line has been set at 127.5.
Three Storylines
Slugfest On Deck
The Fighting Irish have struggled to stack wins this season but they've been consistently competitive despite it all thanks mostly to a defense that ranks as the 50th-most efficient unit in all of Division I basketball. They are stingy inside, allowing a 2-point field goal percentage that is 5% below the national average and limit second chances with a strong defensive rebounding rate that is ranked among the top 50 in the sport.
“They play very good defense, elite defense," Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said. "They’re together, they’re connected, they’re physical. Coach Shrewsberry is a really good coach. So the gameplan for each game — they’re very good defensively.”
Similarly, Pitt has been ranked in the top 75 of KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric for the entire season. Their defense is especially important because of how the Panthers turn it quickly into offense. Oddsmakers give this game a low point total and for good reason - these two strong defenses are likely to dictate the evening.
Who Draws Markus Burton?
The Irish offense is spearheaded by standout 5'11 freshman Markus Burton, who leads the team in scoring at 16 points per game and assists with 4.1 per contest.
Over the past few weeks, Pitt has developed some versatility on the defensive perimeter and that's a well-timed phenomenon with Burton visiting town this weekend. Ishmael Leggett has always been a relentless defender, Bub Carrington has complemented his natural tools with increased intensity on the defensive end, Zack Austin adds some length and so does Will Jeffress, who has taken to roughing up forwards more recently but possesses the agility to stick with guards.
The Panthers have options to throw at Burton. The only question is whether any of them are capable of slowing him down.
Get Back Game
One of, if not the, most devastating losses of the wildly successful 2022-23 campaign for Pitt was the penultimate game of the regular season, an 88-81 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana in early March.
Having finally cracked the AP top 25 for the first time in seven years and on the verge of claiming the first regular season ACC title in program history, Pitt laid a complete egg. They shot just 31% from 3-point range and 55.6% from the free throw line while allowing two Irish players to score 20 points and three more to crack double figures.
That was the last time the Panthers saw the Irish and the loss kept a five-game losing streak alive in the series. Pitt has a chance to earn some payback and earn this program's first win over Notre Dame since Senior Day of Capel's inaugural season tonight at the Petersen Events Center.
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