PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The emotions of Senior Day were a big part of what was planned Saturday at the Petersen Events Center. The feeling was so much more after as former manager Aiden Fisch scored the final points in a 99-82 win over Syracuse.
The win, yes gets Pitt closer to locking up a NCAA Tournament bid, but also now puts the Panthers alone in first place in the ACC with just two games to play.
The team picked to finish 14th in the conference before the season began, is now 14-4 in ACC and above everyone else after a dominating second half against the Orange. The first 20 minutes the Panthers shot 31% from the floor, 5-21 from three. It was like a different team in the second half, shooting 64% field goals and 11 three pointers.
“Really, really proud of my team,” said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel. “I thought our preparation was good. I thought we really did a great job of executing. To have 27 assists on 32 made field goals and only five turnovers.”
“I think we were really focused on getting the ball to the middle of the zone and making plays out of that,” said guard Nelly Cummings.
Blake Hinson led six players in double figures with 22 points (6-17 from 3). A pair of Panthers also had double-doubles-Cummings with 14 points and 13 assists and Jamarius Burton with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Greg Elliott had five, three-pointers and 19 points, 14 points for Federiko Federiko (6 rebounds) and Nike Sibande with 10 points including scoring on an alley-oop slam off an inbounds play that brought everyone to their feet.
“I thought we did an unbelievable job of attacking the zone and in the second half we made shots,” Capel said. “We got shots in the first half, we just didn’t make them.”
It’s the third consecutive win over Syracuse and Capel is now 5-6 against the Orange.
Seniors
Pitt honored five players in their final game at the Petersen Events Center as well as a pair of senior managers.
“It was an unbelievable moment at the end to get (Aiden) Fisch in and then for him to score,” Capel said. “It was emotional for all of us. It shows what he means to our program.”
“That was probably the most fun thing I’ve done in my life, pure adrenaline,” Cummings said.
“For Nike to endured what he’s endured for three years, for him to accept and excel in his role this year,” Capel said. “For Jamarius, for him to have this moment and experience the Pete like this is really, really cool. Grateful for him sticking with us. Greg is a guy that believed and wanted to be a part of something.”
“I remember sitting in Nelly’s living room when I went to go recruit him. I remember some stuff he and his father said about this program. He grew up here, dreamt of coming here. And to see it like this, that’s one of the things I told him when I took him out. It’s amazing to see the things that we talked about in your living room, to see it come true.”
1000 points
A three-pointer with 18:07 to play in the second half gave Hinson exactly 1,000 points in his career. The Panthers leading scorer, Hinson has 459 points this season with the rest of his points coming over two seasons at the University of Mississippi. The Florida native has 25 games in double-figures, eight of those with 20 or more points with four double-doubles.
“It was great,” Hinson said. “I didn’t know it until I got in the locker room. Being around my friends that I started college with, they posted 1,000 points on Instagram. I’ve always wondered in the back of my head, where am I at on the scale?”
“I transferred to a couple of schools, so I wonder if that stat was broken off. Do they even know where I’m at? It was cool to know that I am there.”
Boeheim backtracks
Originally saying he thought Pitt bought a team to an ESPN reporter, Jim Boeheim said he thought he was talking off the record when he made those comments. The Syracuse head coach said Saturday he thought it was a walk down the hallway, but it was recorded.
“Pittsburgh has done a great job getting the right guys, they fit well together,” Boeheim said. “They have a really good team.”
“It was a bad statement, and I apologized for that. A lot of schools who got transfers in the portal used NIL money to get it. I was wrong talking about Pitt. I apologized for that. All of our players including those that don't play are getting NIL money, I believe in that 100% & I believe in NIL 100%.”
Boeheim said maybe the portal will make basketball better, he doesn’t really know. But he said it’s allowed every school to be able to turn around and Pitt’s roster is full of transfers.
“Throughout the league, the teams that have really improved, they almost all have transfers,” Boeheim said.
As for the rough reaction from the Pitt students including large pictures of Boeheim picking his nose.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Boeheim said. “Come on, seriously?”
Notes
· Pitt +13 in turnovers
· Pitt +14 second chance points
· Pitt +22 bench points
· Panthers are alone in first place due to Florida State beating Miami 85-84 and North Carolina beating Virginia 71-63.
The Cavs and Clemson are a game back.
Up Next
Pitt at Notre Dame Wednesday at 7p for Irish head coach Mike Brey’s final game coaching ND in South Bend.