9pm
ESPNU.
Pitt has yet to win a conference road game and it now stretches back to February 8, 2017 at Boston College. That’s 15 straight conference road losses. 1-21 over the last 2+ seasons.
No pressure.
Okay, I’m going to call it now. This game is going to be a slog.
While Pitt is fairly up-tempo, Clemson is not. And it isn’t because it is a methodical offense. No, it’s because it plays a solid defense that makes opposing teams have to use clock before getting shots.
That’s not the only reason that this game may be a bit of a slow-go. We all know that Pitt isn’t great on outside shooting. Well, Clemson is even worse. They are among the 40 worst teams in college basketball in terms of team 3-point shooting percentage and as a percentage of their total scoring.
While Clemson isn’t top-10 nationally in percentage of scoring in a game coming from the free throw line like Pitt, they are in the upper-half. Of course, Clemson’s primary advantage comes from having a good frontcourt.
…But then you knew that was coming because compared to Pitt, every team has at least a decent frontcourt.
Like Pitt, though, Clemson is not particularly deep. Foul trouble is going to be something for both teams to manage.
Oh, and added stress for Pitt. Au’Diese Toney is out for the game with a hand injury. Toney has been a struggle at times on offense, but has arguably been Pitt’s best wing defender this season.