Preview: Pitt Can Start Road Trip With Upset

The Pitt Panthers get a chance to upset Ohio State on the road.

Conor Hutchison | 4 Hours Ago

Nov 15, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jaland Lowe (15) drives to the basket against West Virginia Mountaineers center Eduardo Andre (0) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

In this story:

Pittsburgh Panthers

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt men's basketball looks to bounce back after a close neutral site loss to Wisconsin, who moved up to No. 15 in the latest AP Poll, as they travel to Columbus, Ohio to face Ohio State in first true road test.

Pitt vs. Ohio State Preview

The Panthers will play their first whole game without graduate student guard Damian Dunn, who averaged 13 points per game before injuring his hand and foot against Wisconsin.

Dunn's absence leaves the fifth starter unknown heading into the matchup against Ohio State. The key for the Panthers is likely for first-year guards Brandin "Beebah" Cummings or Amsal Delalić to step up and fill Dunn's minutes and scoring at the guard position.

Despite the loss to the Badgers, the Panthers still sit at No. 14 in the Pomeroy Basketball Rankings. The Panthers still have yet to crack the top 25 of the AP Poll this season, but did receive the second most votes of unranked teams.

Pitt did not receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament last season, but with their performance so far, they are currently an eighth seed in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.

The Buckeyes get scoring from all across the court, with all five starters averaging over 10 points per game.

Notably, first-year guard John Mobley Jr. scores 15.2 points on an incredible 59.4% from three-point range on 5.3 attempts per game.

Junior guard Bruce Thornton also averages 15.2 points per game on a slightly worse, but still remarkable 52.2% from deep on 3.8 attempts per game. Thornton is a threat to shake off defenders on the perimeter and get to the rim, while also leading the Buckeyes with 5.8 assists per game, over a third of thier assists.

The guard duo doesn't matchup great with the Panthers starting guards height-wise, as Mobley Jr. stands at six-foot-one and Thornton stands at six-foot-two, while sophomore guard Jaland Lowe, graduate student guard Ish Legeett and Cummings stand at 6-foot-3 and Delalić stands at 6-foot-8.

Ohio State's frontcourt stars sophomore forward Devin Royal, who leads the Buckeyes with 8.2 rebounds per game while adding 11.5 points. Royal stands at six-foot-six but still has a nose for the boards.

Junior guard Evan Mahaffey holds down the defensive end as the Cincinnati native averages 1.7 blocks per game while standing at six-foot-six. Mahaffey spent his first year at Penn State but didn't see the floor often, but after transferring to Ohio State last season, he found a much-increased role and started in 35 of 36 games he played.

Rounding out Ohio State's starting lineup is fifth-year senior guard Meechie Johnson Jr., who transferred to South Carolina for two seasons after his first year at Ohio State. Now that he's back as a Buckeye, the All-SEC second-team selection brings a high level of experience and is shooting the best he ever has from deep (42.1%).

Fifth-year senior guard Micah Parrish is a defensive-minded guard who records a team-leading 1.3 steals per game. Standing at six-foot-six, Parrish can hound ball handlers and jump into passing lanes effectively while also filling up the stat sheet on offense.

Ohio State won't have sophomore forward Aaron Bradshaw, as the university is investigating a possible domestic incident at his off-campus apartment. He hasn't played in the past two games with the team and isn't practicing with them either.

Pitt redshirt senior forward Zach Austin, one of the best shot blockers in basketball, averages 2.1 blocks per game and will have to do his best to make up for Dunn's absence.

With Dunn out for the foreseeable future, the Panthers will need Lowe and Leggett to fill the void.

If one or either guard has an off-shooting night against the Buckeyes, Cummings or Delalić have to make a big jump in responsibility and scoring production.

Mostly behind the efficiency of Mobley Jr. and Thornton, the Buckeyes shoot a remarkable 43.4% from deep as a team. The Panthers need to avoid the first-half shooting struggles that have become common this season and/or defend the Buckeyes on the outside if they want to keep this game close while on the road.