This season will mark numerous milestones for the Pitt basketball team. Most of the team participated in their first D-I games in the season opener against Navy. The team has already played its first road game and, on Wednesday, picked up its first win.
On Monday, most guys will be facing their first ever opponent from a power conference in Penn State.
The Nittany Lions have typically been an easy opponent. Pitt hasn’t lost to Penn State since 2000 and has won the last seven. Even when the Panthers haven’t been very good (like last year), they’ve come away with wins over generally weak Nittany Lions teams.
This year looks to be a different story, though. Pitt has turned over almost its entire roster and is playing a team comprised largely of freshmen and new transfers. As you would expect, they’ve struggled badly, sitting at 1-2 with losses to Navy and Montana. Penn State is off to a 3-0 start and will have the chance to move to 4-0 tonight against Columbia.
The Nittany Lions are led by Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens, a pair of four-star recruits that were part of a strong recruiting class in 2016. Both had numerous quality offers, including from Pitt. Carr leads the team in scoring with 20 points a game and Pitt will have its hands full trying to slow down that duo.
The game is part of the Legends Classic and Pitt’s next opponent will be dependent on the outcome of this game. The Panthers will face either Oklahoma State or Texas A&M the next night in another tough matchup.
Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.
