GAME NOTES: The Pittsburgh Panthers will host the George Washington Colonials in first-round action of the 2015 NIT on Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center.

The winner of this game will move into the second round and take on either Temple or Bucknell next week.

Jamie Dixon's Panthers picked up a four-seed in this tournament after finishing the year with a 19-14 overall record, which included an 8-10 mark in the ACC. Pittsburgh is making its ninth NIT appearance with a 6-8 tournament record. This is the Panthers' first appearance since 2001.

Mike Lonergan's Colonials are a five-seed after eclipsing the 20-win mark for the second straight season. Last year, the team went 24-9 and earned an at- large bid to the NCAA Tournament. This season's 21-12 mark lands George Washington in the NIT. The Colonials finished with a solid 10-8 record in the Atlantic-10 this season. George Washington is making its fifth appearance in the NIT and has never won a tournament game (0-4).

This marks the 27th all-time meeting between these two teams. Pittsburgh holds a 17-9 record against George Washington, with wins in six of the last seven meetings. However, the last matchup between these two teams took place back in 1982. These two schools were former members of the Eastern Eight Conference (1978-82).

The Colonials aren't the most explosive offensive squad around, but they are fairly efficient, averaging 67.2 ppg on a steady .441 shooting. The team has had success at the defensive end of the floor as well, limiting foes to just 61.4 ppg and holding them just under 40 percent shooting (.399).

Junior Patricio Garino leads the way for George Washington with his play at both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-6 swingman is shooting a healthy .533 from the field this year and tops the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg. He also leads GW in steals (55) and ranks fourth in rebounding (5.3 rpg). Three other players come into this tournament with scoring averages in double figures, giving George Washington solid depth. Junior Kethan Savage ranks second on the team with 11.2 ppg and he is followed closely by fellow juniors Kevin Larsen and Joe McDonald, with 10.7 and 10.2 ppg, respectively.

Pittsburgh is eyeing up its 20th win of the season and while the team has had some success offensively, averaging 67.4 ppg on .446 shooting, the usually gritty defensive play has often been missing this season. Opponents are shooting .452 from the field against Pittsburgh, while putting up just under 66 points per game (65.8).

Sophomore forward Jamel Artis has stepped up over the second half of the season to put himself atop the scoring chart for Pitt, netting 13.8 ppg on a solid .470 shooting percentage. Fellow sophomore forward Michael Young isn't far behind, putting up 13.5 ppg on a team-best .526 shooting. Young also tops the team in terms of rebounding, grabbing 7.3 caroms per contest. Senior guard Cameron Wright (9.2 ppg), junior guard James Robinson (8.8 ppg) and sophomore swingman Chris Jones (8.5 ppg) provide some offensive support. Robinson is the team's top distributor, doling out 5.1 apg.

The Petersen Events Center gives the Panthers a distinct advantage against most opponents, including the Colonials.