Tale of the Tape: Pitt vs. Virginia

James Robinson 6'3" JR  10.1 P/G   5.2 A/G   3.2  R/G

vs.

London Perrentes  6'2" SO    5.9 P/G  4.4 A/G  2.3 R/G

Do not let the numbers deceive you, London Perrentes is a good guard and runs this team very well. The sophomore guard is a winner, and has logged big minutes the past two seasons during Virginia's recent run of success.  Perrentes is a good ball handler and defender, and does a lot of the little things well to allow Virginia to be a top five team.  Although he is not a noted scorer, London can come up with some big scoring games when his teams needs him to have them.

James Robinson has had some really impressive games lately, and those games included out-dueling top ACC guards like Jerian Grant and Marcus Paige.  Robinson is like Perrentes in a lot of ways, but is a more capable scorer than his counterpart and will need to knock down some shots to take advantage of that.  Robinson's play is imperative for Pitt to have a chance to pull an upset. Virginia is the best defensive team Pitt will see all year, and Robinson will need to keep his team in their offensive sets and not caught up in their game.

Cameron Wright 6'5"  SR   9.4 P/G   3.1 R/G  3 A/G

vs.

Malcolm Brogdon 6'5"  JR   13.6 P/G  3.8 R/G  2.7 A/G

Pitt fans should not have fond memories of Malcolm Brogdon, as he was the guy to hit the game winner against the Panthers last season at The Pete. Brogdon is the Cavaliers go-to-guy this season, and even more so lately with Justin Anderson recovering from an injury.  Brogdon is in a bit of a shooting slump the past four games, and although he is still getting around his scoring average -  he is taking a lot of shots to get there. Like all Virginia players, he is a good defender and can put up numbers in other ways beyond just scoring.

Cameron Wright is coming off a great game against North Carolina on Saturday. The senior guard posted a career high 10 assists to go along with 15 points. Wright has had an injury-plagued season, but he is still Pitt's only senior that regularly plays and is important to their success. Wright has definitely struggled in big games like this in the past, but he is a good defender himself and maybe his good passing will carry over into this game.

Sheldon Jeter 6'8" SO  4.5 P/G   2.3 R/G

vs.

Evan Nolte  6'8"  JR  2.5 P/G   1.2 R/G

Evan Nolte's season is remarkably similar to that of Sheldon Jeter. The junior forward has played sporadic minutes all year long, but in the last three games Nolte is averaging 26 minutes a game. Nolte has been inserted into the starting lineup the past two games with Anderson's absence. The junior forward has not been much of a scoring threat and really isn't posting many stats at all despite all those minutes.  He is however, another long 6'8" defender added to that tough Cavalier defense.

Sheldon Jeter has started the past two games, and is on quite a run the past three games overall.  After averaging only a few minutes and points per game, Jeter has totally transformed himself.  Jeter is coming off a career high 22 points, in which he shot 10-14 from the field.  He is like a new man lately, and Pitt needs for this recent trend continue if they are looking to pull off the upset.

Jamel Artis 6'7" SO    12.8 P/G   5.8  R/G   2.2 A/G

vs.

Anthony Gill 6'8"  JR    11.2  P/G   6.8  R/G

Anthony Gill just had a big game last time out as he went for 19 points and 6 rebounds.  Gill has been the team's third leading scorer this year and has improved from last year with the increased minutes.  He does most of his work inside as he has attempted just one three-pointer all year long.  Gill is the team's leading rebounder and will be a difficult matchup for Pitt to contain inside.

Jamel Artis has become the team's jack of all trades type player. Artis is a good passer, he can stick his nose in there and rebound, and he can most certainly score. Artis had a tough game with foul trouble last week, but still posted 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.  The way he has been playing lately, that was actually a down game for him.  He is the one guy for this team that can create offense for himself, and the Panthers will likely need him to have a good scoring game against Virginia, because points will be at a premium.

Mike Young 6'9"  SO   13.3 P/G    7.6  R/G   1.1 A/G

vs.

Darion Atkins 6'8"  SR   6.9  P/G   6.1 R/G

Atkins has gone from a role player to a part-time starter this season.  He is obviously a big body with experience, but he is not a big time offensive threat. Atkins can pull down boards and play defense, but he is not expected to do much offensively for this team.

Michael Young is Pitt's leading scorer and rebounder. Young has been good, but not great in the past few games. The sophomore forward posted 13 points on Saturday against Carolina, and played tough in the post. Young has played out of position most of the year, and has got caught defending some bigger and stronger players.  Virginia does not have a big and powerful offensive force at center like a Rakeem Christmas or Jahlil Okafor, and it could allow Young to focus some more on his scoring.

Chris Jones 6'6" SO  8.9 P/G
Josh Newkirk 6'1" SO  6.7 P/G
Derrick Randall 6'9" SR  1.6 P/G

vs.

Mike Tobey 6'11" JR 7.8 P/G
Devon Hall 6'5" FR  1.5 P/G
Marial Shayok 6'6" FR  3.5 P/G
Isiaiah Wilkins 6'8" FR 1.9 R/G

The battle of the benches likely favors Pitt in terms of offensive production. Chris Jones started the majority of the season, and still logs starter's minutes. He is liable to go off for big scoring games every now and again, and is a player to watch in this one.  Josh Newkirk has talent, but played sparingly last game. Still, Newkirk is a guy that may be able to push the tempo and help in this game against Virginia.  Beyond that, it's a guessing game between Derrick Randall, Joe Uchebo, and Ryan Luther and which guy will get the minutes.

Virginia brings Mike Tobey off the bench, but he has started in the past, and may start tonight. Tobey plays a good bit of minutes, and is a big body that could give Pitt trouble. They also get some scoring from Marial Shayok as well. Remmber, this bench is a tad bit shorter with Justin Anderson's injury.