No. 11 UVa (10-2, 2-1) at Pittsburgh (10-4, 3-0)

9 p.m., ACC Network

Winners of two straight, the 11th-ranked Cavaliers have a lot on the line tonight when they travel to the Steel City to take on a surging Pitt Panthers team.

Virginia took care of Albany last week before winning its second ACC game of the campaign in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Now, the Hoos head out on the road to take on a Pitt team that remains unbeaten in ACC play before a pair of home games at JPJ in the next week.

For the Panthers, Tuesday’s game is another opportunity for them to prove themselves, and stay hot. They have now won four straight and nine of their last 10 after a 1-3 start that included ugly losses to WVU, Michigan, and VCU. Pitt’s hot streak has included wins over NC State, Northwestern, and recently Syracuse and UNC to move to 3-0 in conference play; the only loss came by one point at Vanderbilt. Jeff Capel’s team is still looking for a breakthrough season under his watch, and it seems like 2022-23 could be their chance.

A win for Virginia, meanwhile, keeps the Cavaliers just off the pace in ACC play at 3-1, while a win for the Panthers would keep them unbeaten in league play, joining current unbeatens Miami (4-0) and Pitt’s next opponent Clemson (3-0).

KenPom’s numbers would seem to like UVa in this game, simply because the Wahoos are 55 spots higher in efficiency. Pitt sits at No. 55 overall in the rankings after starting the season at 84 and dropping as low as 123rd before the sudden resurgence. But the Panthers improving 18 spots from their preseason ranking after a rough start does demonstrate some proof that they are headed towards a respectable season.

With the basketball, Pitt ranks 45th in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Panthers do a nice job scoring inside the arc, making 53.9 percent of their two-point field goals. They have also been a handful on the offensive glass, ranking 59th nationally in offensive rebound rate. Pitt does shoot quite a few 3s, with just under 44 percent of all shots coming from beyond the arc, but the Panthers only make 34.2 percent of them, which isn’t terrible but is far from elite.

On defense, they rank 92nd nationally in efficiency. They have closed out well on shooters and forced a lot of errant outside shots, allowing opponents to make just 29.1 percent of their 3-pointers. Pitt is also top-100 nationally in block rate and does a decent job preventing offensive boards. The Panthers don’t force many turnovers, though, ranking 277th in turnover rate and 260th in steal rate.

Pitt’s opponents have missed quite a few free throws, too, which certainly hasn’t hurt its ability to win close games. Syracuse missed nine in its two-point loss to Pitt last month.

Pitt’s hopes for this season rested on the ability to get productivity from the transfer portal. And so far, the Panthers have had just that.

All four of their top scorers were once at another school, with three joining them for this season.

Forward Blake Hinson is the team’s leading scorer after transferring in from Ole Miss. He is scoring 17.1 points per game and grabs 7.3 boards per contest, pacing the Panthers in both categories. The 6-foot-7 Floridian has recorded four double-doubles this season, all of them in wins, including a 25-point, 13-board effort in the recent win over Syracuse.

Senior guard Jamarius Burton is in his second year at Pitt and is on his third school after stops at Wichita State and Texas Tech. Burton was a key contributor for Pitt last year averaging over 12 points per game, but he has upped his play even more this season. He isn’t a volume outside shooter but still scores 15.8 points per contest and put up 31 points in Friday’s win over No. 25 UNC, going 14-for-17 from the floor.

Fellow guard Nelly Cummings is also a transfer on his third school in three years after stops at Bowling Green and Colgate. Cummings is running the show at the point guard spot, averaging 11.1 points and 4.9 assists per game. He isn’t afraid to pull from deep either, attempting 11 shots from long range against Syracuse and 12 against Sacred Heart, making six in each game.

Finally, fifth-year guard Greg Elliott is also making the most of his new surroundings at Pitt. Elliott spent four years at Marquette before transferring in, and he now averages 10.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Elliott had a stretch of four straight double-figure scoring performances, snapped with a 7-point effort against UNC. Elliott is one of the team’s best 3-point shooters, making 39.5 percent of his tries, attempting more than five per game.

This game may not have looked too tricky a few weeks ago but make no mistake: This is a dangerous Panthers team.

Pitt’s roster has gone through a complete overhaul and it seems that the new additions are getting more comfortable with each passing game. On top of all that, this is another road test for the Hoos after a win at Georgia Tech.

Still, UVa might be the best team Pitt has played all season, with all due respect to the previous 14 opponents. Virginia has had quite a bit of success against Pitt since Capel took over, too, winning all five of those head-to-head meetings. Pitt’s opponents don’t make many 3s and struggle at the line. If UVa can buck those trends, the Hoos will have a great chance to win this one. If they don’t and Pitt’s capable shooters knock down a decent amount of their many attempts, they can find an edge and pull an upset.

Regardless, this has the makings of a close game that UVa will have to find a way to win in the second half.

We trust the Cavaliers a bit more than Pitt at this point given the team’s experience and the fact that the Panthers still have to prove that they’re for real, and not a flash in the pan headed towards a regression.