Pitt vs. Notre Dame Preview

Game Time: 8 p.m.
Opponent: Notre Dame
Head Coach: Mike Brey (22nd year)
Conference: ACC
Current Record: 6-5
Last Game: 83-73 win vs. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
2020-21 Season: 11-15 (7-11, 11th in ACC)

Pitt is set to face Notre Dame at the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday in a matchup of ACC cellar dwellers, and former Duke assistants Jeff Capel and Mike Brey will both be looking to build on recent momentum built by their teams after weak starts to the season.

For once, Pitt appears to be in a good position, as it has won three of its last four games, with victories over Colgate, St. John’s and Jacksonville all coming over the last few weeks. However, Notre Dame is in a similar position, as it has also won three of its last four, with those wins coming over Kentucky, Western Michigan and Texas A&M - Corpus Christi.

Jamarius Burton has been Pitt’s most consistent contributor over the past four games, as he has averaged 15.0 points per contest over that span. Meanwhile, Pitt’s top scorer, John Hugley, has been held to single-digit point totals in each of his last two outings. But Mouhamadou Gueye and Femi Odukale have helped fill the void during his lull in production, with Gueye scoring 15 points in each of the last two matchups and Odukale scoring 28 points against Jacksonville.

As for Notre Dame, the team is led by Dane Goodwin, who averages 15.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and he will have the help of Blake Wesley and Paul Atkinson, who are both averaging more than 10 points per game as well. That trio will look to guide Notre Dame to its third straight win over Pitt, which last topped the Fighting Irish on March 9, 2019.