BLACKSBURG – Beginning another two-game road trip, the No. 16/16 Virginia Tech men's basketball team will travel to Pitt and play on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET at the Peterson Events Center on RSN.
SERIES HISTORY
Tech (13-3, 7-2 ACC) has a slim 9-7 advantage in its all-time series with Pitt (8-5, 4-4), winning the last five contests in a row dating back to 2016. The Hokies are 3-4 at Pitt, but have won the last two.
The last time these two teams faced off, the Hokies shared the rock effectively, dishing out 21 assists in a 10-point win at home last February.
YOUNG'S TRACK RECORD
Tech coach Mike Young is 1-0 versus Pitt's Jeff Capel and is 1-2 all-time versus Pitt, losing a close one (63-60) in 2009 and double-digit loss in 2012 (81-63) when he was at Wofford.
ON THE CALL
The matchup will be broadcast on RSN (click here for more info), with Tom Werme (play-by-play) and Mike Gminski (analyst) on the call, while Jon Laaser (play-by-play) and Mike Burnop (analyst) will broadcast on Virginia Tech Sports Network.
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Outscoring No. 14/15 Virginia (11-3, 7-1) by 22 points in the second half thanks to a huge run, the Hokies snapped their four-game skid against their rival and won by 14 points, 65-51. Tech played fundamental D (only eight fouls) and held UVA in check shooting (36.5%).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Posting his second straight double-double, Keve Aluma shined when the lights were brighter on Saturday. The forward had a 29-point, 10-rebound performance against in-state rival Virginia and also dished out four assists.
Scoring 12 of his 15 points in the second half, Hunter Cattoor was the catalyst to get Tech on big scoring run in the second frame. The sophomore also had a team-high two blocks and owned a board and an assist in 30 minutes of action off the bench.
SCOUTING PITT
• Pitt is coming off a 26-point defeat at home to Notre Dame (6-9, 3-6) on Saturday, allowing the Fighting Irish to shoot 56.1 percent from the field and put down 13 triples. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List selection Justin Champagnie was the lone Panther to be in double figures scoring with 19 points.
• Capel enters his third season as the head coach in Pittsburgh, following a seven-year stint as an assistant at Duke where helped the Blue Devils to a national title in 2015. With the Panthers, Capel led Pitt to an eight-game win improvement his first year.
• The Panthers are paced by Champagnie, who ranks fifth in the country and first in the ACC in rebounds per game with 12.1 a contest. The sophomore is averaging 20.1 points per game and is shooting 53.1 percent and 40.0 percent from downtown.
• One of the better teams on the glass, Pitt ranks 12th in rebounds per game (41.1) and 14th in offensive rebounds a contest (13.6). It also distributes the rock well as a team, ranking 39th nationally and third in the conference with 16.2 assists per game.