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The Pittsburgh Panthers (2-3) will clash with the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (3-3) at the Petersen Events Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday. FDU beat VMI in the JK54 Classic last Sunday. The Knights won four games last season, their second-worst mark over the program's 58 years. The basketball program went through a complete off-season makeover, hiring St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tobin Anderson. The former Division II bench boss brought a trio of senior guards with him to help replenish the roster. Demetre Roberts (18.8) and Grant Singleton (15.7) lead the squad in points per game, while Sean Moore is the team leader in rebounds. Nearly all of the Knights have been newcomers via the transfer portal this season.
Pittsburgh vs. FDU Betting Odds
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Pittsburgh is still working its way back to the glory days of the Big East. A member of the ACC since 2013, the Panthers have gone six straight seasons under .500. They beat the breaks off of Alabama State last time out, 73-54. Blake Hinson, a former Ole Miss standout before missing the previous two seasons with injury, is averaging a team-best 16.8 points and six rebounds. A fifth-year senior and a holdover from last season's team, Jamarius Burton, is posting 13.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He is questionable for Tuesday's game against FDU. John Hugley, last season's leading scorer, returned to action last week after missing the team's first three games with an injury.
ShotQuality Tale of the Tape
The 2022-23 ShotQuality data paints an ugly picture for FDU's defense against the Pitt offense. The Panthers aren't a menacing offensive unit, but they are a versatile bunch that does well in almost every key stat and shot type. They are best in spacing and shot selection, ranking in the 78th or better percentile. Meanwhile, the Knights are one of the worst defenses in the country in both those key stat categories.
Pittsburgh is best in transition, midrange, and finishing at the rim from an SQ PPP standpoint, yet frequency percentages show a team that would instead shoot threes and run a lot of screens in the halfcourt. It's a shame because the Knights are so flawed with shots around the basket and in transition.
The FDU offense is light years better than the defense, but they are in for a tough matchup against Pittsburgh. Although the Panthers aren't a good defensive team, they are respectable in spacing and elite in shot-making. Meanwhile, the only two offensive stats the Knights execute well are in those two categories. FDU runs isolation 11% of the time, the 31st highest frequency percentage in the country. Conversely, Pittsburgh has defended isolation 11% of the time, the 20th-highest mark amongst Division I teams. Although the Knights shoot well in transition, the Panthers defend that shot type well.
Pittsburgh vs. FDU Prediction
The play is the under, with FDU matching up poorly against Pitt. The Panthers should have their way, but nothing is inevitable, given their recent stretch of play under the tutelage of Jeff Capel. Either way, the Knights cannot do enough offensively to push the total over in this contest.
Prediction: Under 153 (-110)
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