Pitt vs Xavier: Game Info, Odds, Three Storylines
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GREENSBORO -- The Pitt Panthers are one win away from their first Sweet 16 since 2009 after emerging victorious from a pair of rock fights with Mississippi State and Iowa State.
All that stands between Pitt and the ranks of the elite in college basketball this March is a familiar postseason foil, coached by one of the best point guards in Panthers history.
Game Info
Opponent: No. 3 Xavier (26-9 overall, 15-5 Big East)
Time: 12:10 PM EST
Location: Greensboro Coliseum; Greensboro, North Carolina
Broadcast: CBS and 93.7 The Fan
Odds
Pitt is a five-point underdog to Xavier. The Musketeers are -210 favorites on the moneyline to the Panthers' +175. The point total line has been set at 152.5.
Three Storylines
Same Starters?
Guillermo Diaz Graham made his second start in a row as Federiko Federiko works his way back to 100% from a knee injury. He was excellent in both the First Four game against Mississippi State and the first round matchup with Iowa State. Diaz Graham is averaging 8.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game over the past three contests.
Against Xavier's 6'11, 245-pound center Jack Nunge - who can score at multiple levels, rebound and block shots with the best of them - the Panthers will need a strong and versatile defensive presence. Federiko has proven to be one of the best frontcourt defenders in the ACC but Diaz Graham has stood tall in what looked like unfavorable matchups with bigger post players against the Bulldogs and Cyclones
Familiar Faces
Former Pitt point guard - one of the best in program history - will be coaching against the Panthers for a familiar NCAA Tournament foe, Xavier. Five years ago, fans clamored for the former Arizona head coach to fill the vacant job at Pitt after Kevin Stallings was fired. Now he's coaching a team that stands between the Panthers and the Sweet 16.
Miller is from the area and played for the hometown team but said he was never really a candidate for the Pitt job all those years ago. He's coached on the other side of some classic games between these two programs and will do so again tonight.
Adjusting to Styles
Both Mississippi State and Iowa State are defensive-minded teams without much to offer on offense but Xavier is the polar opposite. The Musketeers own the nation's 12th-best scoring offense and eighth-most efficient offense in Division I. Five players average double-digit points, led by Souley Bourn at 16.5 per game.
This is a different challenge for the Panthers but they have proven that they can win in a variety of different ways. They locked down defensively in wins over Virginia and their two NCAA Tournament victories and won track meets against North Carolina and Miami. They are capable of responding to whatever style their opponent wants to play and win doing so.
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Former Pitt G Sean Miller Leads Old Enemy into Second Round
Gametime Announced for Pitt vs Xavier
Pitt Wins Rock Fight with Iowa State, Advances in NCAA Tournament
Pitt C Guillermo Diaz Graham to Start for Federiko Federiko vs Iowa State
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