The Pitt Panthers’ 2024-25 campaign is fading quickly. Pitt started out the year 12-2, but it has been a bumpy ride ever since. The Panthers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, and have dropped seven of their past nine games.
Tonight, Pitt will look to get back in the win column with a road contest against ACC newcomer SMU. The Panthers will be in Dallas for a 9:00 p.m. tip with coverage on the ACC Network.
SMU took the conference by storm with its performance in football, and quietly, the Mustangs are putting together a productive basketball season in their first year as members of the ACC. SMU will carry an 18-5 overall record into tonight’s game, with a 9-3 mark in ACC play.
The Mustangs are under the direction of first-year head coach Andy Enfield. The Shippensburg native made a name for himself with a magical NCAA Tournament run at Florida Gulf Coast before spending the past 11 seasons at USC. He guided the Trojans to five tournament berths, and an Elite 8 run in 2021, but found a fresh start at SMU.
This team can fill it up offensively, averaging 82.8 points per game, which tops the ACC. The Mustangs are also first in the league in three-point shooting, and this team has six players averaging at least 9.9 points per game, giving them multiple options on offense each night.
Boopie Miller tops the team in scoring (13.8) and assists (5.8) and should be a familiar name after serving as the Wake Forest point guard last season. His backcourt mate, Chuck Harris, is one of the most lethal outside shooters in the country, as he is shooting a red-hot 46% this year and has 251 career 3-pointers over five seasons in college hoops.
Naturally, there is very little history between the two programs, as this will be the second-ever meeting. SMU defeated Pitt back in 2016 at an event at Madison Square Garden when the Panthers were coached by Kevin Stallings.
Pitt will carry a 14-9 (5-7) record into tonight’s game. The Panthers are reeling, and really the only path forward for this team is to win every game left on their schedule. Currently, that proposition seems unlikely given the way the team has played of late.
Can Pitt stop the bleeding and carve out an upset victory in Dallas? The Panther-Lair.com staff gives their picks below.
Stephen Gertz (15-8, 8-15 ATS) – I think this one could go in favor of the Pittsburgh Panthers (14-9, 5-7). The SMU Mustangs (18-5, 9-3) have played a relatively easy schedule to this point. They have beaten teams worse than them and gotten blown out by the few that are better. Had Pitt beaten the Virginia Cavaliers at home last week, they would be in a similar boat to some degree. That said, SMU is best at the two things that the Panthers are terrible at defending, three-pointers and crashing the offensive glass. I expect the Mustangs to continue to do both of those things well tonight. But I am going with Pitt here because at some point they will win one of these road games, right? That is about as non-analytical of a pick as possible, but I think most of the other staff writers are going with SMU and I need to find some way to make a move in the standings.
Prediction: Pitt 80-77
Jim Hammett (17-6, 12-11 ATS) – I do not love this particular matchup for Pitt. Heading into this current road trip, I thought the Panthers might split the pair of games, but North Carolina seemed like the more winnable one, and as we know, they dropped a one-point heartbreaker there. To me, SMU likes to shoot (and make) a lot of three-pointers. That alone could have the Pitt defense guessing, plus then you factor in the ‘long shot, long rebound’ logic, and this might be one of those frustrating games where the Panthers allow a lot of offensive rebounds. The line here (Pitt +4.5) suggests it’ll be close, but on paper, you have two teams heading pretty clearly in opposite directions. SMU did not win 18 games on accident to this point, and this is a group playing at home. This does not feel like the night Pitt remedies all of its issues and pulls off a win.
Prediction: SMU 81-72
Matt Steinbrink (16-7, 7-16 ATS) – Pitt remains on the road for a late 9:00 tip tonight at SMU. It is the first matchup of the season for the two teams. SMU is very tough at home, but their three conference losses were all blowouts. Which is odd given the Mustangs roster. They have lost to Duke by 27, North Carolina by 15, and Louisville by 25. The strength is in the numbers for this team, with their balanced scoring and deep attack. They don’t rely on any one player to score, and they want to play a lot faster than Pitt does. The pace of this game is something to watch. Pitt cannot let this game be as frantic as SMU wants. Their only chance is to dictate the tempo and make shots in the half court. This is not something that I feel confident in on the road in a tough environment.
Prediction: SMU 80-70
Houston Wilson (16-7, 10-13 ATS) – Pitt has reached a point in the season where close to every game is a must-win if they hope to keep their NCAA Tournament chances alive. That urgency begins tonight at SMU, where they have a chance to secure a crucial Quad 1 road victory. However, the challenge is steep, especially with Damian Dunn likely out for the season. Others will need to step up, but on the road against SMU, it’s hard to see that happening tonight.
Prediction: SMU 81-72
Chris Peak (16-7, 10-13 ATS) – In a lot of cases, both this season and in years prior, I would have picked Pitt to win tonight. Eventually, the Panthers are going to get a game like this, right? But I can’t do it tonight. SMU is the best three-point team in the ACC, and Pitt’s defense beyond the arc leaves a whole lot to be desired. I would like to see more usage of Pitt’s bench, but I highly doubt it will actually happen, even in the wake of Damian Dunn’s likely season-ending surgery. The Mustangs have balanced scoring, the top offense in the conference, good rebounding and a guard – Boopie Miller – who knows Pitt pretty well, having faced the Panthers three times last year. Pitt will eventually win a few more games, but count me out for tonight.
Prediction: SMU 79-71
