Pittsburgh @ Northwestern preview
Suncoast Credit Union Arena
Pittsburgh hopes to build off one of its best wins of the season when it faces Northwestern in the Fort Myers Tip-Off championship game on Wednesday. The Panthers beat Kansas State 63-59 on Monday to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season while extending their own winning streak to three games, and they hope to take another step in the right direction by knocking off a Big Ten opponent for the first time since Dec. 10, 2016.
"We're starting to play together more and just starting to play for each other more," Pitt forward Eric Hamilton told reporters. "We realized if we play together then everyone is going to accomplish what they want to accomplish which is to win." Northwestern put together its most consistent performance of the season as it routed Bradley 78-51 on Monday. The Wildcats dropped games to Merrimack and Radford during their four-game homestand to start the campaign, but took care of business against the Braves to put themselves in position to win their first in-season tournament under seventh-year coach Chris Collins. "We've had some tough nights and tough losses early in the season and a lot of people counted us out but certainly Monday was a step forward for us," Collins told reporters. "It was really fun to see them have a night like that and see them be what they're working towards."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (3-2): Pat Spencer posted a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and dished out a personal-best eight assists as the Wildcats shot a season-high 52.6 percent in the win against Bradley. Miller Kopp added 13 points to finish in double figures for the fifth time in as many games while Ryan Young also scored 13 points to help Northwestern set a new season high with 78 points against the Braves. A.J. Turner tallied nine points while Anthony Gaines corralled a season-high nine rebounds, which is tied for the second-most ever in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
ABOUT PITTSBURGH (5-2): Hamilton provided a big spark off the bench as he scored 13 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds to post his second career double-double in the win against Kansas State. Ryan Murphy added 13 points and Xavier Johnson tallied 12 points, including four in the final 12 seconds, to go along with six rebounds to help the Panthers earn their second win over a major conference opponent this season despite turning the ball over 21 times. Justin Champagnie registered 12 points, six rebounds and a season-high three blocked shot against the Wildcats to finish in double figures for the fifth straight game.
TIP-INS
1. Pitt has held its last three opponents to fewer than 60 points.
2. Northwestern is 10-8 all-time against the Panthers.
3. Johnson has scored in double figures in 33 of his 40 career games.
PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 66, Northwestern 60