Pitt vs Oregon State: Game Info, Odds, Three Storylines

The Pitt Panthers are eyeing a major bounceback against the Oregon State Beavers.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are fresh off of their first loss of the season and looking to bounce back against a middling Oregon State team in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center. 

Pitt is looking to respond to a tough loss against Florida and avoid losing consecutive games for the first time this season. They took it on the chin against the Gators and will have a good chance to bounce back a couple of days later. 

Game Info
Opponent: Oregon State (3-2 overall, 0-0 Pac 12)
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Barclays Center; New York, New York
Broadcast: ESPN2 and 93.7 The Fan 

Odds
The Panthers are 10-point favorites over the Beavers and -542 favorites on the moneyline, compared to +400 for their opponents. The point total line has been set at 144.5.

Three Storylines

First Chance to Bounce Back
The Panthers are in unfamiliar territory - coming off a loss. For the first time this season, they were punched in the mouth and that's not a feeling that they've had to deal with yet this season. It's easy to stay high when you win four in a row by wide margins against inferior opponents to open your season but how you respond after not meeting the moment in your first real test will pose a different challenge. 

We'll learn a lot about Pitt in this game and maybe get an early glimpse at whether or not this significantly younger group has the same mettle as last year's team, which lost consecutive games just three times all season. Pitt is better than the product they put on the floor against Florida but it needs to prove that today against the Beavers. 

Get Right Game
While the Beavers are still a high-major team with high-major talent and size, their resume more closely resembles that of a Florida Gulf Coast or Binghamton than it does a Florida. 

Oregon State ranks 169th in KenPom with the 186th-ranked offense and 166th-ranked defense. Their three wins this season have come against non-high-major teams and their only two games against Power 5 opponents have ended in two losses of 15 points or more. They block shots and shoot free throws well but don't have much else to hang their hats on. 

Pitt can't take them lightly but they have made a habit of running over opponents they are clearly better than this season. This is an opportunity to relieve some of the frustrations from two nights ago. They've watched the film and presumably fixed some mistakes, making this a golden opportunity to right the ship. 

Can the Bigs Respond?
Against Florida, Pitt's frontcourt faced a team with comparable size for the first time this season and wasn't ready to meet the task. Jorge and Guillermo Diaz Graham and Federiko Federiko combined for just seven points on 1-6 shooting from the field and 12 rebounds in 47 combined minutes. That's simply not good enough. 

Pitt's size has been one of its biggest advantages and the Gators neutralized it. When head coach Jeff Capel was critical of how his team handled physicality in their last game, the bigs were certainly some of the worst offenders and they'll need to demonstrate that they can have make an impact even when they do not own massive physical advantages. 

All three of their primary centers and power forwards made big weight gains that should manifest in a greater ability to rebound and defend. That came to fruition against some smaller teams but Oregon State has plenty of size themselves, meaning the Panthers will have an opportunity to prove themselves. 

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