Pittsburgh Panthers (4-0) v #3 Texas Longhorns (3-0)
The No. 3 Texas Longhorns will be shooting for their second CBE Classic crown when they hit the hardwood against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the title game tonight at the Sprint Center in Kansas City Missouri.
The Panthers lead the all-time series between these two schools winning the only previous meeting back in 1991-92, capturing the Preseason NIT title by a score of 91-87 at Madison Square Garden.
The Longhorns beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 85-60 on Monday night in the semifinals of the CBE Classic to reach tonight’s finals. Texas had five players in double figures, and shot 55 percent. Jordan Hamilton led the Longhorns with 16 points, followed by J’Covan Brown with 14 and Damion James with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Texas is averaging less than 16 fouls as a team, netting them twice as many tips to the stripe than the opposition (76-to-38) and is outscoring those teams by a staggering 34.6 ppg.
Pittsburgh shot 55 percent in the second half of their semifinal game against Wichita State on Monday, and pulled away with a 68-55 win. Freshman Travon Woodall led the team with 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Ashton Gibbs added 18 points behind Woodall. Gibbs is the top scorer for the Panthers offense with his 17.0 ppg, accounting for almost one-fourth of the team’s 68.2 ppg in the early going. Gibbs is shooting not only 50 percent from the floor, but also 42.9 percent behind the three-point line.
The odds makers currently have the Longhorns as–8-point favorites.
Even though the Panthers have managed to navigate their way to the finals in this one, the way they struggled against Wofford in the opener may be an indication that this team is not ready to compete against a program like Texas. Look for the Longhorns to repeat and take this one with a double-digit victory.
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