Panthers Host No. 20 Miami Saturday Afternoon

Pitt (14-7, 7-3 ACC) vs. [20/19] Miami (16-4, 7-3 ACC)
Saturday, January 28, 2023 • 4:00 PM
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center
ESPNU • 93.7 The Fan

THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt (14-7, 7-3 ACC) hosts [20/19] Miami (16-4, 7-3 ACC) Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Petersen Events Center. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. with Jay Alter and Malcolm Huckaby calling the game on ESPNU.
• In conjunction with Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week (Jan. 23-29), Pitt Athletics is donating Saturday's 50/50 raffle proceeds as well as its portion of the concession income at the Petersen Events Center to Rush to Crush Cancer to help raise critical funds for the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (rushtocrushcancer.org).
• Pitt ranks 65th in the latest NCAA Net rankings and 63rd in KenPom. The Panthers are 3-2 in Quad 1 games with wins at Northwestern, at NC State, and against Virginia. Pitt also has Quad 2 wins over ACC opponents North Carolina, Wake Forest, and at Syracuse.
• Blake Hinson has posted 19 double-figure scoring games, including 12 games with 15 or more points and five 20+ point games. He is the only player in the ACC averaging 16.0 or more points (16.2 ppg.) and 6.0 or more rebounds per game (6.4 rpg.) with 50 or more three-point field goals (52 3FG).
• Jamarius Burton is averaging 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in conference play. He is shooting 53.5 percent (69-of-129) from the field and 89.7 percent (35-of-39) from the foul line in ACC play. Burton has scored 20 or more points four times in conference play.
• Greg Elliott is averaging 16.7 and 4.7 rebounds, while going 13-of-23 (.565) from three-point range, over the past three games. He has a career-best 48 threes on the season.

BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt has won 13 of its past 16 games with its 13 wins since Nov. 20 tied for 17th most (tied for 12th most among power conference teams) in the NCAA in that span.
• The Panthers' backcourt quartet of Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliott, and Nike Sibande has combined for 5,226 points in 13,634 minutes over 530 career games. Pitt is one of four programs (along with UAB, Chattanooga, and Texas) in the NCAA with four or more players with 130+ games played.
• Pitt is 10-2 on the season when winning the rebounding battle. The Panthers rank third in the ACC in rebound margin (+3.00) but have a -7.0 rebound margin in their seven losses.
• Pitt ranks third in the ACC in three-point field goals (9.14 3pg.) with Blake Hinson (2.48 3pg. - T-5th) and Greg Elliott (2.29 3pg. - 10th) both ranking among the league leaders in threes per game. A year ago, the Panthers were 14th in the ACC at just 5.38 three-point field goals per game.
• The Panthers and NC State are the only teams in the ACC with two players with 45 or more threes on the season. Blake Hinson (52) and Greg Elliott (48) each have 45 or more made threes while Nelly Cummings has 35 three-point field goals. The transfer trio is attempted to become the eighth trio at Pitt to each make 40 or more threes in a season.
• Pitt is eight made threes shy of reaching the 200 three-point field goal mark for the 15th time in program history.
• The Panthers have had four different players score 20 or more points and lead the team in scoring in each of the past four games.
• Blake Hinson leads the Panthers in scoring (16.2 ppg.), rebounds (6.4 rpg.), double-doubles (4), double-figure scoring games (19), 20+ point games (5), three-point field goals (52). Pitt has not had a single player lead the team in points, rebounds, and three-point field goals in a season.
• Jamarius Burton is one of three players in the NCAA averaging at least 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting over 50 percent from the field, on the season.
• Federiko Federiko is shooting a team-high 65.0 percent (52-of-80) from the field, while also leading the Panthers in offensive rebounds (50), blocks (35), and dunks (22).
• Nelly Cummings is seventh in the ACC in assists (4.5 apg.) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.26:1). Pitt is 10-2 on the season when he records five or more assists in a game.
• Blake Hinson is averaging 20.0 points per game, while going 12-of-23 (.522) from three-point range over the past two contests. His 12 made threes over a two-game stretch are the second most in program history. Jason Matthews holds the mark with 13 threes in a two-game stretch during the 1989-90 season.
• The Panthers' starting backcourt of Nelly Cummings and Jamarius Burton has combined for 2,633 points, 762 rebounds, 730 assists, and 223 steals in 269 career games. The tandem is combining to average 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game.
• Federiko Federiko is contributing 9.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per 40 minutes played. He has played 20 or more minutes in a game 14 times, including each of the past 11 games.
• Nike Sibande has been Pitt's first sub in every game (20) he hasn't started this season. He has scored in double figures nine times and is averaging 14.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per 40 minutes played.
• Greg Elliott has made three or more threes in a game nine times, including two of the past three contests. He is shooting a team-high 41.0 percent (48-of-117) from three-point range, second best in the ACC among players with 2.0 made threes per game.

2003 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
20th Anniversary Celebration • The 2002-03 season proved memorable for many reasons beginning with the opening of the Petersen Events Center and culminating with the Panthers' first Big East Championship following a 74-56 win over Connecticut at Madison Square Garden on March 15. Pitt finished the year 28-5 overall (13-3 in the Big East) and 16-0 at home and was one of five schools to spend the entire season ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll.

Panthers Host No. 20 Miami Saturday Afternoon

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Players Mentioned

Jamarius Burton

Nelly Cummings

Greg Elliott

Federiko Federiko

Blake Hinson

Nike Sibande