Pitt Gets Redemption Shot vs. Ohio State

Current Matchup

Pitt's team this year looks a lot different than last year. Centers Cam Corhen and Papa Amadou Kante are likely the only Pitt players who played against Ohio State last year who will play in this upcoming game.

Sophmore guard Brandin Cummings also played last year, but is dealing with an ankle injury. He missed the recent game against Quinnipiac and one against Eastern Michigan earlier in the season.

Ohio State currently has an undefeated 6-0 record. Their toughest opponent so far has been another ACC opponent, Notre Dame. They won that game 64-63 after center Christoph Tilly hit a game winning layup.

Their upcoming matchup with Pitt will be the Buckeye's first away game of the season.

What to Watch on Defense

Ohio State currently averages 92.5 points per game, a lot more than Pitt's 72.1 points per game. Pitt's defense allows an impressive 66.6 opponent points per game. The defense will be having to work extra hard to stop Ohio State.

Sophmore guard John Mobley Jr. is somebody the Panthers should focus on slowing down. Mobley is coming off a career-high 26 points against Mount St. Mary's.

Mobley can score anywhere on the court. He can hit threes, the midrange, and drive to the basket.

Guarding the three point line in general is something the Panthers should work on. They allowed Quinnipiac to hit 11-17 from three, while Pitt went 9-28.

Buckeyes' senior guard Bruce Thornton is shooting an insane 60% from three on five attempts a game. Making sure he's covered will also be important.

Something the Buckeyes are good at in general is cutting to the basket. Whether it's a center or guard, anybody on the team can pass to someone else in the paint for easy points.

Advantages for Pitt

Despite Ohio State having the 7'0 Christoph Tilly and the 7'2 Ivan Njegovan, they average just 39 rebounds per game compared to Pitt's 38 per game.

Even at 6'10, Cam Corhen averages 9.6 rebounds, more than both of Ohio State's centers combined.

Freshman forward Roman Siulepa is coming off of a game where he had a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds. He used his physicality in the paint to get offensive boards and easy layups. This is something him and Corhen should focus on for the game.

Shooting Woes

Pitt's three point shooting needs a lot of work to pull out a victory. Nojus Indrusaitis and Barry Dunning Jr. combined for 5/18 from three. If those two can start knocking down their looks at a more consistent rate, things should go a lot better for the Panthers.