Pitt Begins Three-Game Road Swing Wednesday at No. 24 Duke

[rv/rv] Pitt (11-5, 4-1 ACC) at [24/21] Duke
Wednesday, January 11, 2023 • 7:00 PM
Durham, N.C. • Cameron Indoor Stadium
ACC Network • 93.7 The Fan

THE OPENING TIP
• Pitt travels to Durham, N.C., to face [24/21] Duke Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with Wes Durham and Dan Bonner calling the game on ACC Network.
• The Panthers tied for second in the ACC standings at 4-1 with wins over NC State, Syracuse, and No. 25 North Carolina, and No. 11 Virginia. Pitt is 2-0 in ACC road contests and is looking to win three consecutive league road games since Feb. 26 - March 8, 2014.
• Pitt is 10-2 in the past 12 games with a pair of five-game win streaks in that span. The Panthers' 10 wins, including four quad one victories, since Nov. 20 is tied for the 14th most in the NCAA in that span. Both Pitt loses in that span have come in the closing minutes of play and by identical 75-74 margins.
• Jamarius Burton has scored 20 or more points in three of five ACC games and shares the league lead in scoring at 21.4 points per game in conference play. He is shooting 58.0 percent (40-of-69) from the field, including 5-of-10 from three-point range, and 88.0 percent (22-of-25) from the foul line in ACC play.
• Blake Hinson has posted 15 double figure scoring games, including 10 15+ point efforts and four games with 20 or more points. He leads the Panthers and is tied for seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring (16.8 ppg.) and tied for 10th in rebounds (6.9 rpg.).
• Nelly Cummings is averaging 12.7 points and 5.8 assists per game (3.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio) over the past nine games. He is 21-of-52 (.404) from three-point range in that span.

BY THE NUMBERS
• Pitt has won consecutive games against AP-ranked opponents for the first time since Feb. 7-12, 2011. The Panthers have not won three consecutive games against ranked opponents since a four-game string during the 2008-09 season. Pitt is 2-1 this season against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the AP Poll.
• The Panthers are averaging 15.9 assists per game over the past 12 contests with 17 or more assists five times in that span. Nelly Cummings (66), Jamarius Burton (41), and Nike Sibande (23) have combined for 130 of the team's 194 assists (67.0 percent) in that stretch.
• Pitt ranks in the top three of the ACC in rebounds (T-2nd - 39.1 rpg.), defensive rebounds (2nd - 27.8 drpg.), offensive rebound percentage (3rd - .324), and rebound margin (2nd - +5.50). The Panthers have won the rebounding battle in 10 of 16 games and is 9-1 in those contests. Duke enters the contest leading the ACC in offensive rebound (13.0 orpg.) and rebound margin (+8.56).
• Pitt is averaging 78.3 points per game, while shooting 46.2 percent (327-of-702) from the field and 37.4 percent (114-of-305) from three-point range over the past 12 outings. The Panthers have scored 80 or more points six times in that span.
• The Panthers' backcourt quartet of Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliott, and Nike Sibande is 12 points shy of combining to eclipse the 5,000-point mark. The unit has combined to play 13,028 minutes over 516 career games.
• Pitt ranks third in the ACC in three-point field goals (8.81 3pg.) with Blake Hinson and Greg Elliott also ranking among the individual leaders in that category (T-8th - 2.13 3pg.). A year ago, the Panthers were 14th in the ACC at just 5.38 three-point field goals per game.
• Pitt's ACC strength of schedule leads the conference through the first five games of league play (.7926 - Torvik). The Panthers' five conference opponents are currently a combined 18-9 in league play.
• Blake Hinson (16.8 ppg.) and Jamarius Burton (16.6 ppg.) are the third 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.
• Jamarius Burton is one of three players in the NCAA averaging at least 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting over 50 percent from the field, on the season.
• Blake Hinson and North Carolina's Armando Bacot are the only players in the ACC averaging over 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting over 47.0 percent from the field. Hinson leads the Panthers in scoring (16.8 ppg.), rebounds (6.9 rpg.), double-doubles (4), double-figure scoring games (15), 20+ point games (4), free throws made (57), and field goals made (89).
• Greg Elliott has made at least one three-point field goal in nine consecutive games with three or more threes in five of those contests. He is averaging 12.1 points per game, while going 23-of-50 (.460) from beyond the arc in that stretch.
• The Panthers' starting backcourt of Nelly Cummings and Jamarius Burton has combined for 2,516 points, 734 rebounds, 683 assists, and 216 steals in 259 career games. The tandem is combining to average 27.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game, while shooting 48.2 percent (146-of-303) from the field this season.
• Nelly Cummings has committed just two turnovers in the past 100:07 of game time over the past three contests. He has a 9.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that span.
• Federiko Federiko is contributing 11.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per 40 minutes played. He has played 20 or more minutes in a game nine times and is averaging 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in those contests.
• Pitt has dropped its past two meetings and is 2-5 all-time against teams ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll.

PANTHER SPOTLIGHTS
• Jamarius Burton is averaging 24.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 59.6 percent (28-of-47) from the field over the past three games.
• Nelly Cummings is four assists shy of 300 career assists. He ranks third in the ACC in assists (5.1 apg.) and has had five or more assists in a game 11 times.

Pitt Begins Three-Game Road Swing Wednesday at No. 24 Duke

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Players Mentioned

Jamarius Burton

Nelly Cummings

Greg Elliott

Federiko Federiko

Blake Hinson

Nike Sibande