Pitt at Florida State: Game Info, Odds, Three Storylines
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are back on the road and will have revenge on their minds against Florida State - the last team to hand them a loss before rattling off four victories in a row.
The Seminoles won't wow you with their KenPom or NET ranking but they are talented and athletic. While the depth has taken a hit, the Panthers know all too well that this is a dangerous squad capable of pulling an upset at any moment.
Game Info
Opponent: Florida State (18-17 overall, 6-8 ACC)
Time: 12:00 PM EST
Location: Donald L. Tucker Center; Tallahassee, Flordia
Broadcast: ESPNU and 93.7 The Fan
Odds
Pitt is a 4.5-point favorite over Florida State. The Panthers are -200 on the moneyline and the Seminoles can be had for +165. The point total over/under has been set at 144.5.
Three Storylines
Revenge Game
For the first time this season, the Panthers will face a team that had already beaten them. The Seminoles handed Pitt's worst loss of the season - a Quad 4 defeat at home last month that sunk them down to the NCAA Tournament bubble. They have won their way solidly back into the field but another loss at the hands of the Seminoles this late in the year won't get this home stretch off to a good start. To that end, the Panthers enter this game with extra motivation.
"I certainly hope so," Jeff Capel said when asked if his team will be more eager to exact some revenge. "Anything this time of year that you can use as motivation is helpful. We should be [motivated]."
Cleaning Up Defense
In their first matchup, the Seminoles shot 51% from the floor and 50% from deep. They beat the Panthers off the dribble easily and Darin Green Jr. lit it up from beyond the arc - making seven of 12 3-point attempts.
After watching the tape from their last matchup, Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said he wants his team to clean up its defense in particular. He said following the game and during his pregame press conference from earlier in the week that the Panthers needed to be better at defending the ball individually in the half court and as a team in transition.
Chasing Hardware
Pitt - who was picked 14th in the ACC preseason poll - is in a three-way tie atop the league standings with a 10-3 record. A regular season title is not only within their grasp but almost entirely up to them. The Panthers have a favorable schedule remaining while their competition faces a tougher end to the season.
Bartovik favors Pitt to win five of it's last seven games. The two games in which they are expected to be underdogs are road contests at Virginia Tech - who's lost nine of their last 12 conference games - and Miami - whom the Panthers have already beaten. Meanwhile, Virginia and Clemson, the other two frontrunners, face much more difficult schedules. The Cavaliers still have Duke and North Carolina on the schedule while the Tigers will have to face Florida State and North Carolina State before Pitt's roommates at No. 1 have to play each other in the penultimate game of the season.
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