Miami @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 14, 2017 ) Miami-Florida 72, Pittsburgh 46

Fresh off victories in their last non-conference affairs, No. 16 Miami and Pittsburgh get their ACC slates under way with a Saturday afternoon matchup at the Panthers home arena. The Hurricanes rebounded from their only loss of the season last time out, defeating Middle Tennessee 84-81 on Christmas Day in the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, while the Panthers come off a 63-59 victory over Towson that ran their winning streak to three.

Jim Larranaga's Hurricanes spent Christmas trying to shake off the effects of their loss to New Mexico State, but eventually got back on track although the trip to Hawaii proved far more challenging than expected as Miami trailed in the second half of each of its three games, the first time it trailed in any second half this season. "Every team can't go undefeated," Hurricanes senior Ja'Quan Newton told reporters. "When we lost, we took it as a learning experience, and just wanted to bounce back from it. For us to battle back like that and stay poised, I think it'll really get us ready for conference play." The Hurricanes are young, with its top three scorers - Dewan Huell (13.9), DJ Vasiljevic (11.5) and Bruce Brown, Jr. (11.1) - all sophomores, but the Panthers are even younger, starting four freshmen in each of their last three games, with guards Marcus Carr and Khameron Davis the only frosh to start all three. In the victory over Towson, freshmen accounted for 48 of the team's 63 points, led by Parker Stewart (13) and Terrell Brown (12), and as a group, Panthers freshmen have combined for 20 double-figure scoring games this season, topped by Carr (seven) and guard/forward Shamiel Stevenson (six).

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ACC Network

ABOUT MIAMI (11-1, 0-0 ACC): Huell was named to the Diamond Head Classic All-Tournament Team after he averaged 15.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in the three-game tournament, including a 21-point outing in the win over Middle Tennessee, the 10th time in 12 games that he scored in double figures. Brown Jr. added a season-high 20 points in the Christmas Day win after Larranaga asked the sophomore to play more aggressively. Miami hit a season-high 60 percent (30-for-50) against Middle Tennessee, its best shooting performance since Feb. 13, 2013, when the Hurricanes nailed 63.8 percent of its shots against Florida State.

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (8-5, 0-0): The Panthers enter ACC play with victories in seven of their last eight contests as the freshmen have been coming on strong. Carr averaged a team-high 13.8 points per game during that span and is averaging 11.8 points for the year, third on the team behind junior Jared Wilson-Frame (12.8) and senior Ryan Luther (12.7). Luther is averaging a double-double for the year (10.1 rebounds per game) but has missed the last three games with a foot injury, while Wilson-Frame is the only 13-game starter and gives the youthful team much-needed experience.

TIP-INS

1. Miami owns a 19-18 series edge, including a 3-1 advantage since the Panthers joined the ACC for the 2014-15 season.

2. Miami's 13-point deficit (19-6) in the first half against Middle Tennessee was its largest at any point this season.

3. Pittsburgh began conference play last year with a loss to Notre Dame and the Panthers are 2-2 overall in ACC openers.

PREDICTION: Miami 82, Pittsburgh 72