Preview: Pitt Faces Florida State, Looks to Avoid Skid

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will head down south, as they face Florida State in Tallahassee, where they'll look to avoid a losing-skid.

Pitt suffered two of their four losses this season last week, which marks the first time they've suffered consecutive defeats this campaign.

There was no shame in the first. The Panthers traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., took on the then ranked No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on Jan. 7 and suffered a blowout, 76-47.

It's possible Duke beat Pitt twice, as just five days later, Pitt played poorly late on and lost to Louisville, 82-78 at home.

The Panthers haven't lost three straight games since November 2022, more than two years ago, before they would start their winning later on in the season.

Before the loss to Duke, Pitt received the most votes of unranked teams in the AP Poll. Even a competitive showing, let alone a win, against Duke could've allowed Pitt to breach the top 25. But Pitt stood no chacne against them.

Then, a close home loss to Louisville, a team the Panthers should've handled, made voters waver. Pitt received zero votes in this week's AP Poll.

Preview: Pitt vs Florida State

Pitt travels to Florida State to get back on track and avoid that third-straight loss, with the two teams sharing a connection to one important player.

Junior forward Cameron Corhen transferred from Florida State after two seasons to Pitt this offseason.

Corhen averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in his 21.5 minutes per game ast year with the Seminoles, His unofficial tryout for the Panthers went well. When the Seminoles traveled to Pitt last year on Mar. 5, 2024, he recorded 25 points and eight rebounds.

Now, he's a full-time starter and a major contributor for the Panthers. He leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game and 63.2% shooting from the field, ranks second with 14 blocks, third with 29.7 minutes per game and fourth with 10.9 points per game.

Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton is in his 23rd year with the Seminoles and 37th season coaching at the Division I level.

Hamilton has led the Seminoles to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in his time but is looking to get Florida State its first invitation since the 2020-21 season.

Redshirt senior guard Jamir Watkins leads the Seminoles, ranking as one of the nation's top scorers with 18.2 points per game.

Watkins has started every game he played for Florida State since transferring from VCU after his sophomore season, 2022-23, and led Florida State with 15.6 points per game last season.

Standing at six-foot-seven, Watkins can do a little of everything on offense. He's a solid passer and ball-handler. He is also a good defender. Considering his stature, Watkins can bring problems to opposing offenses.

Watkins is shooting around his career average of 32.9% on 4.9 attempts per game from deep this season. He's most adept at getting to the free-throw line as he's attempted the fifth most free throws in the nation with 138.

Florida State's most important game so far was an 87-74 home loss to cross-state rival then ranked No. 20 Florida on No. 15. Watkins led the team with 19 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

Starring in the frontcourt for the Seminoles is junior forward Malique Ewin. Standing at six-foot-11, Ewin grabs a team-leading 7.6 rebounds and adds 13.8 points per game.

Ewin has accelerated his scoring as of late, recording a team-high 20 points in a win at Miami and 15 points in a loss against Clemson, while also grabbing 10 boards in each game.

He started his collegiate career at Ole Miss but only averaged 5.9 minutes per game. Ewin did not play college basketball in the 2023-24 season, but now has found a home at Florida State and has a major role.

First-year guard Daquan Davis leads the Seminoles with 2.8 assists and adds 8.9 points in his 24.2 minutes per game. Davis hasn't shot great in his subset of collegiate games but has led the Seminoles in scoring with 19 points against Western Carolina and 18 points against Syracuse.

Florida State's most efficient 3-point shooter is junior guard Justin Thomas. After Louisville's Reyne Smith hit seven three-pointers in the win against Pitt, they will certainly make note of opposing sharpshooters such as Thomas, who shoots 43.6% from deep on 2.4 attempts per game.

The Panthers need to play better in every aspect of the game, especially in rebounding, which has hurt them in all four of its losses.

Louisville grabbed 12 more offensive rebounds than Pitt which led to 15 more second-chance points than Pitt scored, playing a crucial role in the slim defeat.

Better rebounding doesn't always come down to exerting more effort, but that could be a good start. Graduate student guard Damian Dunn, who stands at six-foot-five, led Pittwith eight rebounds against Louisville.

The Panthers also have to continue producing offense more easily. Sophomore guard Jaland Lowe, who is gaining traction in several NBA mock drafts, scored a team-high 24 points against the Cardinals and has overtaken senior guard Ishmael Leggett as the Panthers' scoring leader with 17.2 points per game.

It's possible Lowe or Leggett will have to match Watkins' scoring output, as Watkins is capable of scoring in the high 20s or 30, but they'll need others to add to the overall scoring production.

How to Watch: Pitt vs. Florida State

Pitt vs Florida State tips off at 9 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Tucker Center. ESPNU will broadcast the game.

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