Pitt F Available for Mississippi State Matchup

PITTSBURGH -- The No. 18 Pitt Panthers will have one of their forwards return for their matchup vs. Mississippi State in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec. 4.

Jon Rothstein reported that Panthers junior forward Guillermo Diaz Graham will return ahead of their game vs. the Bulldogs.

Pitt's Guillermo Diaz Graham (undisclosed) will be available for tonight's game against Mississippi State, per a school spokesman.

Averages 7.8 PPG and 7.0 RPG.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 4, 2024

Diaz Graham suffered an injury early in the second half of the overtime road win vs. Ohio State on Nov. 29, which kept him out the rest of the game.

The Panthers relied heavily on redshirt freshman forward Papa Amadou Kante who had his best game of the season. He scored 12 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the floor and 6-for-9 shooting from the foul line, while also grabbing four offensive rebounds, all of which came after the first half.

Diaz Graham has had a solid season so far, starting in all eight games, averaging 25.1 minutes, 7.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 43.1% from the field, 83.3% from the foul line and 25.8% from 3-point range.

His best game this year came in the 86-62 blowout home win vs. rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl on Nov. 15. He dropped 10 points, making 4-of-5 shots from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the arc, while also grabbing 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

He scored a season-high 13 points in the 93-48 home win over VMI on Nov. 18, which saw sophomore guard Jaland Lowe record the sixth triple-double in Pitt history.

Diaz Graham had to play power forward and center a lot last season and even the season prior. He averaged 12 minutes, 3.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game, respectively, while shooting 44.7% from the field, 25.9% from 3-point range and 68.0% from the foul line, respectively, in 33 games played and three starts in the 2022-23 season.

He improved his numbers last season, averaging 17.9 minutes, 6.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 blocks per game, respectively. He also shot 49.1% from the field, 40.5% from 3-point range and 59.6% from the foul line, respectively.

Diaz Graham should start again for the Panthers, along with Lowe, senior guard Ish Leggett and fellow junior forward in Cameron Corhen. Freshman guard Amsal Delalić started vs. the Buckeyes, in place of graduate student guard Damian Dunn, who is out for five more weeks after getting surgery on his thumb.

Pitt and Mississippi State tip-off at 9:15 p.m. in Starkville, Miss. on the SEC Network.

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