PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – If the Panthers do end up turning the corner, they may look back to a game in late November that swung it. Pitt is now taking a five-game winning streak to Vanderbilt Wednesday night at 9p on 93.7 The Fan.
A Monday night game most may not remember happening because it was played at the same time as the Steelers-Colts game. If you missed it Pitt not only shot 48% FG (64% from 3), but it was more about how they got the 26 field goals. They assisted on 22 of them in a 29-point blowout of one-loss Northwestern on their home floor.
They took that momentum to their ACC opener and beat NC State on the road and now another Power Five game away from the Pete.
“We are just moving the ball and the ball has energy,” said senior guard Jamarius Burton. “The guys are taking advantage of the shots and opportunities.”
Last year they relied on Burton and John Hugley primarily to score, now they have five players who are averaging at least 8.7 points a game.
“That’s the beautiful thing about this group,” Burton said. “We have a bunch of threats. A bunch of guys that’s capable of putting the ball in the basket. I think we’ve started to develop a rhythm. Guys understanding where they are going to be getting their shots in a game. We are executing at a higher clip now.”
It’s also been a pair of wins against Power Five schools getting a combined two points from Hugley. During those struggles, and earlier when he wasn’t on the court because of his injured knee, others stepped up. Sophomore transfer Federiko Federiko and freshman 7-foot twins Jorge and Guillermo Diaz Graham-each have had their moments.
“John’s limited minutes and his absence has done nothing but help the younger guys,” Burton said. “Fede getting more minutes, more time, gaining more experience, so are Gueillermo and Jorge.”
“We understand the talent that we have in John. We are here to support him and try to fight as much as possible until he gets 100% healthy. It’s allowing other guys to gain more experience to help our team.”
Burton also believes the preparation is better. Not as much of what the coaches are doing differently, but how the players are grasping and using that information.
“We’ve been more locked-in,” Burton said. “The communication is better. Taking extra time making sure we do our homework. We are taking the scouting reports back home with us. Understanding the scouting reports and player tendencies and it’s helped us during this stretch.”
There are still improvements needed, especially maintaining communication on defense. It wasn’t but a couple of games ago where they trailed at halftime to Fairleigh Dickinson and Alabama State at home. However, there seems to be a new awareness, more likely maturity with a group that includes a couple of graduate transfers and a guy in Blake Hinson who hasn’t played in two years. The forward’s hunger for the sport is infectious. It doesn’t hurt that Hinson has also produced at a team-leading 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds-per-game.
“The experience in the room definitely helps,” Burton said. “We’ve had guys who’ve won at other places. All of that carries over into our locker room. We got guys that understand what it’s like to win a big game, what it’s like to lose. It’s gaining all of the knowledge as a collective and staying hungry.”
They’ll be tested again by what Burton calls ‘a very talented’ Commodores team. The outlook, though, looks a lot better now than it did for this team leaving Brooklyn on November 17.