McNeese St. @ Pittsburgh preview

McNeese St. at Pittsburgh

With just about an entire new roster, Pittsburgh coach Kevin Stallings could have understood if his young team would have just rolled over after a poor first half against then-No. 16 West Virginia on Dec. 9. The Panthers fought back though, cutting an 18-point deficit to two before falling to the Mountaineers, but their task a week later must be to get ready and remain focused when struggling McNeese visits Saturday.

“After the game, I told our guys what allowed us to play this way tonight is the way that they come out and try to prepare every day,” Stallings said after the game. “Hopefully, this team will do nothing but continue to get better and I think that they will because I trust who they are as people and they want to be coached and they let me coach them and they listen. I hate that we are 5-5, but I love going to practice every day because I work with a great group of kids.” Pitt, which had its four-game winning streak snapped, committed only 14 turnovers against the vaunted Mountaineers' full-court pressure and outrebounded them by six, but missed its last six shots with two turnovers after drawing within two. Senior forward Ryan Luther battled foul problems but led the way with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while freshmen Shamiel Stevenson and Marcus Carr added 12 points apiece. McNeese, which has seven of its top nine scorers returning from 7-22 team, dropped its third straight game 77-71 at North Carolina Central on Thursday.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra

ABOUT MCNEESE (2-6): James Harvey scored 16 points and Jacob Ledoux added 14 off the bench in the Thursday loss. Twin brother Kalob Ledoux, a 6-3 guard who last season became the first freshman since Joe Dumars in 1981-82 to lead the team in scoring (11.9 points per game), is matching his average from a season but shooting only 35.6 percent from the floor and 27.5 beyond the arc. Coach Dave Simons was hoping that 6-7 forward Stephen Ugochukwu would be a solid source of double-doubles after averaging 10.9 points and eight boards a season ago, but he is contributing just 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds.

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (5-5): Luther leads the team in scoring (12.7) and rebounding (10.1) and has led the team in boards in each of the last nine games. Carr (12.0 points, 3.8 assists) - part of a seven-man freshmen class that accounted for 38 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists against West Virginia - has scored in double figures in four straight games. Jared Wilson-Frame (12.5 points), a 6-5 forward, scored in double figures in each of the first five games but just twice in the last five contests.

TIP-INS

1. Pitt started three freshmen – Carr, Khameron Davis and Stevenson – in a game for the second time this season and the 13th time in program history. Carr, Davis and Terrell Brown started the home opener against Montana.

2. Panthers senior G Jonathan Milligan has made 14 consecutive free throws and is 20-of-24 for the season.

3. Luther is in select company, joining North Carolina’s Luke Maye and Duke’s Marvin Bagley III as the only ACC players averaging a double-double.

PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 73, McNeese 53