Canisius @ Pittsburgh preview

Justin Champagnie seemed to have hit the freshman wall the past three games, but the 6-6 forward snapped back against Binghamton. With a return to ACC play full-time just around the corner, Champagnie and the Panthers hope to build upon the rout when Canisius visits Monday for their final non-conference tune-up.

Champagnie scored in double figures in six straight games, including a double-double, before combining for one point in consecutive games against Rutgers and Louisville and then he scored eight points against Northern Illinois on Dec. 16. Against Binghamton, the rookie scored 14 points in 6-of-11 shooting and added 10 rebounds (five offensive) in 30 minutes in the 79-53 rout. “I thought the (Northern Illinois game) was really big for him, but especially in the second half, to see the ball go into the basket. You know, he had had two games prior to that where he had no field goals and that's after winning the MVP down in Florida (Fort Myers Tip-Off),'' Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. "For any player, but especially a freshman, that can mess with you." The Golden Griffins have dropped four of their last five games following last Monday's 73-72 loss at Siena in the MAAC opener.

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ABOUT CANISIUS (5-6): Junior guard Majesty Brandon (12.6 points, 16 3-pointers), a junior college transfer from Monroe (NY) CC, scored a career-high 30 points against Siena - a school record for a player in his MAAC debut - with seven 3-pointers. Senior guard Malik Johnson (team highs of 13.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.7 steals), had seven points on 3-of-13 shooting but contributed eight assists. He starts the game at Pitt with 516 career assists, which ranks third in school history and ninth among all active Division I players.

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (9-3): Trey McGowens (11.9 points, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals), had 13 points and five assists in the latest win and Xavier Johnson (11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists) chipped in nine points and six assists. Capel has made a concerted effort to improve the defense since his arrival last season, and the Panthers rank No. 52 in the country in defensive efficiency (92.6) - its best mark since 2012-13 team that went 24-9 under Jamie Dixon. Pitt has held seven of its past eight opponents to 60 points or fewer while shooting 38.8 percent, including 30.9 percent from 3-point range

TIP-INS

1.Pitt ranks third in the ACC in offensive rebound percentage (34.7) and offensive rebounds per game (12.4). Eric Hamilton (2.0), Champagnie (2.0) and Au'Diese Toney (1.9) combine for 5.9 per game.

2. A win would give the Golden Griffins a winning record in non-league play for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.

3. Malik Johnson is one of four players in the country averaging at least 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 70, Canisius 56