Thursday, November 19th, 7:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Petersen Events Center (12,500) -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Television: None. Home Record: EKU 1-0, Pitt 2-0. Away Record: EKU 0-0, Pitt 0-0. Neutral Record: EKU 0-0, Pitt 0-0. Conference Record: EKU 0-0, Pitt 0-0. Series Record: Pittsburgh leads, 2-0.

GAME NOTES: The Pittsburgh Panthers put their 23-game home winning streak on the line tonight, as they host the Eastern Kentucky Colonels as part of the CBE Classic.

The Panthers' home win streak ranks as the third-longest in school history and includes a pair of victories to kick off the 2009-10 campaign. Pitt started its season with a narrow 63-60 win over Wofford before capturing a much more convincing victory over Binghamton, 71-46, on Tuesday. Those two triumphs added to the Panthers' other home winning streak of 40 straight against non- conference opponents.

As for EKU, it has participated in just one game thus far and that resulted in a 102-71 triumph of West Virginia Wesleyan, a Division II school. The Colonels return four starters from last year's 18-win club, so they should be competitive, although they did lose their top scorer.

EKU and Pitt have met twice previously, with the Panthers winning each meeting in 1980 and 1981.

The Colonels shot a blistering 63.3 percent from the floor, their best mark since 2007, as they dismantled West Virginia Wesleyan in their opener last Saturday. EKU also had its way from behind the arc, where it finished an impressive 17-of-26. Justin Stommes went 10-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-7 from downtown on his way to a career-high 28 points in the win. It was obviously a terrific start for Stommes, who averaged 10.1 ppg as a starter last season. Josh Taylor also averaged just over 10 ppg a season ago and he added 19 points and six boards to the season-opening win.

The Panthers, for the second game in a row, featured a starting lineup of five players that combined for just one career start prior to entering the season. That, however, didn't stop them from breezing past Binghamton, 71-46, on Tuesday. Pitt connected on 50.0 percent of its attempts from the floor and 10- of-23 from long distance, as it cruised to victory after building a 37-17 halftime lead. Ashton Gibbs drained 6-of-10 long-range buckets en route to a career-best 22 points, and that was a nice rebound after going 0-of-5 from three-point land in the opener. Brad Wanamaker, who led the squad with 15 points in the opener, added 14 points on Tuesday, while Travon Woodall notched a double-double with 10 points and 13 assists.

Pitt may not be as talented as in years past, but there is still plenty of highly-skilled players on the roster. Expect the Panthers to continue their home dominance with a win tonight.

Predicted Outcome

Pittsburgh 70, Eastern Kentucky 60