Pittsburgh @ Georgia Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 13, 2018 ) Georgia Tech 69, Pittsburgh 54

Neither Pittsburgh nor Georgia Tech will enter the ACC tournament in three weeks with realistic chances of a championship run, considering the Panthers bring a nine-game losing streak into Wednesday’s matchup at the Yellow Jackets, who have dropped seven in a row. But Wednesday constitutes a chance for one of the struggling teams to at least experience a victory while trying to build something positive entering the final games of league play.

The Panthers lost by six points or fewer for the third time in four games Saturday, falling 70-64 at home to No. 18 Virginia Tech as freshman guard Xavier Johnson scored 18 points, but the Panthers were unable to get over the hump after pulling close to the Hokies several times in the second half. “I understand how hard this is going to be, and it’s not a quick fix,” Pittsburgh coach Jeff Capel told reporters after the game, citing how the Panthers’ surprising 2-2 start to ACC play may have altered some expectations about his program’s potential this season. “It’s frustrating. We want to be better and we’re getting better.” It’s a similar story in Atlanta, where the Yellow Jackets sat at 3-3 in conference action before the current losing streak that continued with Saturday’s 69-47 home loss to No. 17 Florida State. “Our guys give everything they have on the defensive end,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner told the media postgame. “We have just had a real issue with scoring.”

TV: 9 p.m. ET, AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh, FS South (Atlanta)

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (12-14, 2-11 ACC): Johnson begins the week ninth in the ACC in scoring at 16.7 points per game, rebounding nicely from a 3-of-19 shooting performance against Boston College to hit 5-of-9 attempts against the Hokies. Senior guard Jared Wilson-Frame ranks fourth in the ACC in 3-point percentage at 38.4 percent, but is 5-of-21 from long range in his past two games after hitting 9-of-17 attempts in his previous two contests. The Panthers average 72.5 points per game, but they have failed to surpass that mark seven times during their losing streak.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (11-15, 3-10): The Yellow Jackets remain one of the toughest teams in the nation to score on, holding opponents to 39.2 percent shooting from the field – 13th nationally – but offense is a huge problem. Sophomore guard and leading scorer Jose Alvarado (11.6 points per game) scored 17 points Saturday, but Georgia Tech shot 27.1 percent from the field and scored a season low in points. Junior forward James Banks III ranks second in the ACC in blocked shots per game (2.4) and leads the Yellow Jackets in scoring in league games at 11.6 points per game.

TIP-INS

1. The Panthers average 14 turnovers per game, 14th in the ACC and one spot ahead of last-place Georgia Tech (15.1 per game).

2. The Yellow Jackets are averaging just 53.1 points during their losing streak, failing to reach 50 points three times.

3. Pittsburgh has lost 18 consecutive ACC road games and 21 in a row overall.

PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 63, Pittsburgh 60