Pitt Hosts Wake Forest Wednesday in Key ACC Contest

Pitt (13-7, 6-3 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (14-6, 6-3 ACC)
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 • 7:00 PM
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Petersen Events Center
ACC Network • 93.7 The Fan

THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt (13-7, 6-3 ACC) hosts Wake Forest (14-6, 6-3 ACC) Wednesday, Jan. 25 at the Petersen Events Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with Mike Monaco and Seth Greenberg calling the game on ACC Network.
• Wednesday's contest features two of the top three three-point shooting teams in the conference. Pitt (8.70 3pg.) and Wake Forest (9.20 3pg.) combined for 17.9 threes per game.
• The Panthers have matched their conference victory total from each of the past three seasons. Four of the six ACC wins have come against teams in the top half of the conference standings.
• Pitt ranks 65th in the latest NCAA Net rankings and 68th in KenPom. Pitt is 3-2 in Quad 1 games with wins at Northwestern, at NC State, and against Virginia.
• Jamarius Burton is averaging 19.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in conference play. He is shooting 54.5 percent (66-of-121) 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.
• Blake Hinson has posted 18 double figure scoring games, including 11 games with 15 or more points and four 20+ point games. He is one of three players in the Atlantic Coast Conference averaging 15.5 or more points per game (15.8 ppg.) and 6.5 or more rebounds per game (6.5 rpg.).
• Federiko Federiko is shooting a team-high 64.6 percent (51-of-79) from the field, while also leading the Panthers in offensive rebounds (48), blocks (34), and dunks (22).

BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt has won 12 of its past 15 games with its 12 wins since Nov. 20 tied for 22nd 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 5,180 points in 13,513 minutes over 526 career games. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Pitt is one of four programs (along with UAB, Chattanooga, and Texas) in the NCAA with four or more players with 125+ games played.
• Pitt is 9-2 on the season when winning the rebounding battle. The Panthers rank fourth in the ACC in rebound margin (+3.05) but have a -7.0 rebound margin in their seven losses.
• The Panthers are 5-2 in true road games, including a 4-1 mark in ACC play. Pitt is one of three ACC teams (along with Clemson and Virginia) with a winning record on the road.
• Pitt ranks third in the ACC in three-point field goals (8.70 3pg.) with Blake Hinson and Greg Elliott both ranking among the league leaders in threes and are combining for 4.30 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 are one of three teams (along with Wake Forest and NC State) in the ACC with two players with 40 or more threes on the season. Blake Hinson (44) and Greg Elliott (42) each have 40 or more made threes while Nelly Cummings has 32 three-point field goals.
• Jamarius Burton is one of four players in the NCAA averaging at least 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting over 50 percent from the field, on the season.
• Jamarius Burton (16.5 ppg.) and Blake Hinson (15.8 ppg.) are the fourth leading ACC scoring tandem this season. Pitt has not had two players averaging 15.0 or more points per game since the 2016-17 season when Michael Young and Jamel Artis accomplished that feat.
• Blake Hinson is one of three players in the ACC averaging over 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Hinson leads the Panthers in rebounds (6.6 rpg.), double-doubles (4), double-figure scoring games (18), 20+ point games (4), three-point field goals (44), and free throws made (66), while ranking second in scoring (15.8 ppg.) and field goals made (103).
• Federiko Federiko has blocked two or more shots in eight of the past 11 games and 11 times overall on the season. He ranks third in the ACC with 1.70 blocks per game.
• The Panthers' starting backcourt of Nelly Cummings and Jamarius Burton has combined for 2,616 points, 760 rebounds, 715 assists, and 223 steals in 267 career games. The tandem is combining to average 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game, while shooting 47.0 percent (185-of-393) from the field this season.
• Federiko Federiko is contributing 10.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per 40 minutes played. He has played 20 or more minutes in a game 13 times, including each of the past 10 games.
• Jamarius Burton has scored in double figures in all nine home games played. He is averaging 18.6 points per game on .583/.455/.838 shooting splits at the Petersen Events Center.
• Nike Sibande has been Pitt's first sub in every game (19) he hasn't started this season. He has scored in double figures eight times and is averaging 14.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per 40 minutes played.
• Nelly Cummings is tied for fifth in the ACC in assists (4.5 apg.) and tied for fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.23:1). Pitt is 9-2 on the season when he records five or more assists in a game.
• Greg Elliott has made two or more threes in a game 12 times. He is 7-of-14 (.500) from beyond the arc in the past two games. He has a career-best 42 three-point field goals and is shooting 38.9 percent (42-of-108) from three-point range.

SEND IT IN JEROME!
35th Anniversary • Pitt legend Jerome Lane delivered one of the most iconic dunks in NCAA history Jan. 25, 1988 with a backboard shattering two-hand tomahawk slam at the 16:36 mark of the first half in a 90-56 win over Providence. The nationally televised game was delayed for 30+ minutes while a replacement hoop was put in place. Lane went on to finish the game with 17 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.

Pitt Hosts Wake Forest Wednesday in Key ACC Contest

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Players Mentioned

Jamarius Burton

Nelly Cummings

Greg Elliott

Federiko Federiko

Blake Hinson

Nike Sibande