Preview: Pitt Concludes 2024 Against Sam Houston

PITTSBURGH -- With the fall semester wrapped up and a nice break since their last contest, the Pitt Panthers finish 2024 with a game against Sam Houston on Dec. 21.

Pitt has only suffered two losses this season, coming against then ranked No. 19 Wisconsin at the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Nov. 24 and a blowout on the road vs. Mississippi State in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

If the Panthers can take care of business against the Bearkats, those two losses would serve as the fewest suffered before constant in-conference games for the program since 2015-16 (excluding the 2020-21 season which had several games rescheduled and postponed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

There are plenty of reasons to believe the Panthers will. They haven't found their way back into the AP Top 25, but they received the ninth most votes of unranked teams.

Another reason is the Panthers are coming off a 40-point blowout in their return to the Petersen Events Center on Dec. 11 vs. the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, where first-year guard Brandin "Beebah" Cummings scored a career-high 30 points and earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors.

Pitt vs. Sam Houston Preview

The Bearkats spent two years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), but moved to Conference USA (C-USA) ahead of last season.

First-year head coach Chris Mudge led Sam Houston to a 13-3 conference record last season, winning Conference USA Coach of the Year honors. He rosters an experienced group this season with eight seniors or redshirt seniors and has Sam Houston playing competitive basketball.

The Bearkats have already challenged themselves with some tough opponents; they have played and lost to three quality Quad 1 opponents. Sam Houston opened their season with a 91-75 loss at Nevada, a 104-67 loss at Baylor two games later, and a 97-71 loss at Indiana at the start of December.

Sam Houston suffered great losses in the transfer portal at the end of last season. Forward Davon Barnes scored the most total points and averaged 13.5 per game, but transferred to Mississippi for his senior year.

The Bearkats almost lost their top scorer guard Lamar Wilkerson when he entered the transfer portal as well. But after two years of consideration, Wilkerson exited the portal and returned to Sam Houston for his senior season.

Wilkerson came back and has improved upon last season, where he averaged 13.8 points per game. This season, Wilkerson is an even 20 points per game—tied for the 20th most for a player in the country.

He has led Sam Houston in scoring in all but three games this season. Notably, Wilkerson scored 19 against Baylor, 18 against Indiana, and a season-high 28 against a university he shares a name with in Lamar.

Wilkerson is the guy the Panthers have to contain. He's shooting an unbelievable 49.7% from deep on 7.9 attempts per game. He has also made 12 three-pointers on 63.16% efficiency in the past two games.

He takes and makes many of the Bearkats' shots, but he's not the only option. The Bearkats also roster senior forward Cameron Huefner and junior guard Dorian Finister, who shoot 35.6% and 37.1% from deep, respectively. Huefner is the Bearkats' second-leading scorer with 12.8 points per game and Finister adds 11.7 points per game himself.

Sam Houston likely faces Pitt without senior guard Marcus Boykin, who recorded a team-leading six assists per game through the first six games of the season.

Boykin suffered a shoulder injury late against Appalachian State at the end of November and has yet to return to the lineup. Senior guard Brennen Burns has since stepped up and now leads the Bearkats with 3.5 assists per game.

Sam Houston lacks real depth in the frontcourt. They play four different forwards over 10 minutes per game, but Huefner is the only one who averages double-digit points.

Senior forwards Kian Scroggins and Kalifa Sakho each grab over five rebounds per game and average almost twenty minutes per game.

Since graduate student guard Damian Dunn went down with an injury following the loss to the Badgers, the Panthers offense hasn't looked the same.

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel continues searching for the answer to get the offense back to its earlier efficiency ratings. After Cummings' 30-point outing, the answer may be clear.

Sam Houston should serve as a solid enough opponent for Pitt and Cummings to put together a great offensive performance ahead of ACC play.

How to Watch: Pitt vs. Sam Houston

Pitt hosts Sam Houston at 1:00 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center on Dec. 21. The game is viewable on ACC Network Extra or ESPN+.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt