Toledo Rockets up next for tidy men’s hoops team

For the sixth consecutive season, the Pitt men’s basketball team will go into December… For the sixth consecutive season, the Pitt men’s basketball team will go into December undefeated.

It looks to stay undefeated on Saturday, when Pitt (6-0) welcomes the Toledo Rockets (1-5) to the Petersen Events Center for a game that starts at 2 p.m.

Toledo comes into the game as the owner of a five-game losing streak. But thanks to three teams without a win in the Mid-Atlantic Conference’s West Division, it sits in third place. The Rockets won the MAC last season.

It’s the second consecutive game against a one-win team for the Panthers. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said they are “focusing one game at a time” to make sure they don’t slip up against a team with a lesser record early in the season.

The Rockets are also a bit injury-plagued coming into the game, with only nine healthy players on their roster.

“They’re a very athletic team, and it looks like they’re going to have some guys doing things they’re not used to doing,” Dixon said of the shorthanded Rockets.

The Panthers should match up quite well with Toledo.

Out of the 12 teams in the MAC, Toledo ranks 11th in scoring margin, losing by an average of 13.2 points per game. The Panthers are second in the Big East with a 31.0 point per game margin of victory.

Pitt is 3rd in the Big East in shooting percentage, hitting 49.4 percent of its shots this year. The Panthers are also atop the Big East in rebounding, hauling in 13.5 rebounds per game more than their opponents.

The Rockets are shooting 39.0 percent from the field this year, placing them 10th in the MAC, and are being outrebounded by 9.4 rebounds per game, placing them last in their conference. This includes a game against Old Dominion earlier in the season when the Rockets shot 13-60, or 21.7 percent, from the field.

The biggest offensive threat for the Rockets is junior guard Tyrone Kent, who is second in the MAC averaging 18.6 points per game. The 6-6 guard can hurt the Panthers from either the perimeter or throw down a highlight-reel dunk.

“They’re very athletic and can get to the basket,” Dixon said.

Jonathan Amos is the team’s second leading scorer, as well as Toledo’s top defender. The 6-foot-3 guard is 3rd in the MAC in steals, averaging 2.40 steals per game. Kent ranks 4th with 2.20 steals per game.

Senior forward Jerrah Young is the Rockets predominant low post player. The 6-foot-7senior is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game. Joining him in the frontcourt is freshman Mohammed Lo.

Should the game Saturday follow the trends each team has set for themselves so far this year, the combination of Toledo’s poor shooting and rebounding should equate for a lot of Panther running. “We’re a deep team, so we’re going to try to wear them down,” junior forward Tyrell Biggs said.

Pitt has shown off its new, fast-paced offense all year long, a drastic change from previous years’ half-court setups. A key member of the early success of the offense is junior point guard Levance Fields.

Averaging 5.83 assists per game this year, Fields has led the Panthers to their 6-0 start. He’s also second in the Big East with a 5.83 assist-to-turnover ratio, a stat in which the Panthers lead all Big East teams with a 1.59 assist to turnover ratio.

Fields’ backcourt mate senior Ronald Ramon, who had his best game of the season shooting-wise this week against Boston University. Ramon scored a season-high 15 points, all coming on 3-point shots.

A popular target for Fields this season has been junior forward Sam Young, who leads the team in scoring with 18.2 points per game. Young has benefited from the up-tempo style of offense thanks to his superb athletic abilities.

Although the offense style of the Panthers has undergone a change this year, another staple of the Dixon-era club still remains – depth.

“Every guy deserves the minutes they’re getting right now, and they all have to continue to improve,” Dixon said. “The rotation is never going to be set.”

Keith Benjamin has produced for the Panthers off the bench this year. The senior is averaging eight points per game, dropping a career-high 17 against Buffalo.

Biggs has also seen an increase in playing time, backing up both Sam Young at the power forward position and DeJuan Blair as the center.

“He gives us that seventh starter along with [Benjamin],” Dixon said about Biggs, adding that he’s trying to get Biggs to be “more physical.”

Also coming off the bench are guards Gilbert Brown and Brad Wanamaker. Along with Blair, the three freshmen have helped the Panthers become a more athletic and youngerteam this year.

“As far as us being a young team, I don’t really see that because we have senior and junior leadership out there,” Brown said.

With teams like Duke and Oklahoma State looming in the near future for Pitt, it seems as though it’s not too worried about possibly overlooking any of the easier teams on the schedule either.

“It hasn’t been difficult to stay focused [on only the next opponent],” Brown said. “We’re ready to play every day.”