With contests at North Carolina and Duke looming next week, Pitt will look to snap a six-game losing streak and get a much-needed win today against Clemson.
Matchup: Pitt (12-8, 1-6 ACC) vs. Clemson (11-8, 1-6), noon, today, Petersen Events Center
TV, Radio, Internet: Root Sports, KDKA-FM (93.7), Pitt IMG Sports Network, Sirius Ch. 137, XM Ch. 203, WatchESPN.com.
Pitt: Coming off 106-51 loss last Tuesday against Louisville. The loss was the most lopsided in program history since 1906. ... Went just three of 22 from 3-point range after entering the game with the ACC lead in 3s per game. ... A defeat Saturday would extend the team's losing streak to six games, its longest such drought since the 2011-12 season. ... Has lost its previous two home games by a combined 81 points. ... Is the sixth-worst team in Division I at creating turnovers, forcing them on only 14.5 percent of opponents' possessions. ... F Michael Young uses 31.1 percent of the team's possessions while on the court, the 31st-highest mark of any Division I player. ... Is 46th in the current RPI, with a strength of schedule that's rated as the seventh-toughest in Division I. ... Is 1-5 since walk-on Ryan Seelye left the team.
Clemson: Coming off 82-81 loss last Sunday against Virginia Tech. The loss was its sixth in a row, four of which have come by five points or fewer. ... Has won its past two meetings against Pitt, including a 73-60 victory at home last season. ... F Jaron Blossomgame is seventh in the ACC in scoring at 18.1 points per game. He needs eight more points to become the 11th player in Clemson history with at least 1,500 points over the course of his career. ... Sophomore G Marcquise Reed, a Robert Morris transfer, is third on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game. ... Is shooting 45 percent as a team, putting it on pace for the program's highest mark since the 2009-10 season. ... Is 3-3 on the road this season.
Hidden stat: Clemson has a turnover on 15.8 percent of its possessions, the 19th-best mark in Division I.
All-time series: Pitt leads, 3-2.
Current streak: Clemson has won the past two.
Last meeting: Clemson won, 73-60, on Jan. 27, 2016 in Greenville, S.C.
Let's remember some dudes:
Milton Jennings
Andre Young (not Dr. Dre)
Demontez Stitt
K.C. Rivers
* This section is reserved for memorable players who made an impact at the school in question and left some kind of impression (good or bad) on opposing fans, but whose time at the school is remembered more than their accomplishments away from it. It's a completely arbitrary and nonsensical list.
KenPom prediction: Clemson 76, Pitt 74.
Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG
First Published: January 28, 2017, 3:07 p.m.
