The Pittsburgh Panthers (2-0) will have their chance to beat the nation’s top team when they take on the Cornell Big Red (3-2) at Petersen Events Center. Action gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and can be seen on ES3.
The Panthers beat Detroit 95-79 in their last matchup. Michael Young led all scorers on the team with 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting. The Big Red, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-47 win against Penn State-Harrisburg in their last game. Matt Morgan had a good game for Cornell, recording 12 points, three assists, and two steals.
Pittsburgh is a big 21-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 143 points. While the Panthers are 2-0 Straight Up (SU) so far, they’ve fallen short Against The Spread (ATS) so far with a 0-1 record. The Panthers have no trouble scoring as they rank 21st in the nation in offense with 89.5 points per game. The Panthers have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the sixth-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 50.0 per game, while the Big Red rank 175th in the nation with 38.0 per game. Pittsburgh is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.77. Turning to the defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Panthers. The 61.0 points that Pittsburgh’s defense allows per game makes them the 41st-ranked defense in the country. The Panthers have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking first in the country with a .328 opponent field-goal percentage.
On the other side, the Big Red haven’t been a good bet ATS so far with a record of 0-2 to go along with a 3-2 SU record. The Big Red rank 35th in the country in road scoring, averaging 81.3 points per game. Cornell’s defense has set the standard for nation, with opponents shooting a Division I-low .438 from the field.
This game will be the first meeting for Pittsburgh and Cornell in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pitt, ATS Winner – Pitt, O/U – Over
Notes
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Pittsburgh is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 89.5 points per game (ranked 21st). Cornell, on the other hand, allows 81.4 points per game (ranked 307th).
Pittsburgh scores 89.5 points per home game (ranked 63rd). Cornell ranks a poor 344th in points allowed on the road, allowing 100.3 points.
Cornell won its last game by a 29-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Pittsburgh is 1-0. Cornell is 1-2 in blowouts this season.
The Pittsburgh Panthers have the nation’s top defense, with a defensive rating of 84.8. The Cornell Big Red have an offensive rating of 103.6 (ranked 201st).
The Pittsburgh Panthers average a field goal percentage of 48.2% this season. The Cornell Big Red are a winless 0-1 when opponents have a FG% of 48.2% or greater.
The Pittsburgh Panthers rank higher based on their field goal percentage (71st) than their effective field goal percentage (95th). The Cornell Big Red rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (86th) than their field goal percentage (123rd).
Ranked 16th in the nation, Pittsburgh has an average of 19.5 assists per game. Cornell ranks lower at 233rd with 12.4.
The Pittsburgh Panthers earn the most blocks per game with an average of 9.5. The Cornell Big Red rank 63rd with 5.0 blocks per game.
Pittsburgh is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 13th. Cornell ranks just 111th in defensive rebounds.
The Pittsburgh Panthers average 4.0 steals per game. When allowing 4 or more steals, the Cornell Big Red are an even 2-2 this season.
