Pitt opens up ACC play today and while they're not exactly facing the league's toughest team, the Wolfpack will present a challenge.

For one thing, the Panthers will not only be on the road, but it's the first game they've played away from The Pete in more than a month. Pitt had some good road challenges earlier this year, including the game against Hawaii, the game against Indiana, and the neutral site games in the Maui Invitational. But having to travel for your first conference game with that much of a break from road games is difficult.

And while North Carolina State isn't Duke, they're no pushover, either. The Wolfpack are 10-4, already have an ACC win over Wake Forest, and also beat Tennessee in the non-conference.

After an 8-1 start, though, North Carolina State is on a bit of a slide, losing three out of their past five. Those losses weren't terrible ones, however, as the Wolfpack lost to a ranked West Virginia team, Cincinnati, and 9-4 Wofford (the Wofford loss was by a single point).

For me, there's a lot of similarities between these two teams. Each has a decent non-conference win, but no statement victories so far. This game should tell us a lot going forward.

Game time is at noon and locally, it will be on WTAE/ABC. If you're watching out of the area, you can catch it on your ACC Network affiliate or ESPN3. No matter how you're watching, join us here to comment live during the game.

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