Pitt vs NC State: Panthers Celebrate Senior Night

The Pitt Panthers look to finish the regular season strong against NC State.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will round out their regular season with a home game against N.C. State and there's a lot on the line. 

Not only is Pitt still battling for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but they're jockeying for position in the ACC Tournament and want to send one of the best players in this program's recent history out the right way. 

Game Info
Opponent: N.C. State (17-13 overall, 9-10 ACC)
Time: 7:45 p.m. EST
Location: Petersen Events Center; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: The CW and 93.7 The Fan

Odds
Pitt is a 6.5-point favorite over the Wolfpack, according to Action Network, with moneyline odds of -265 to +215 for N.C. State. The point total line has been set at 146.

Three Storylines

An Emotional Senior Night
Three seniors will take part in Senior Day festivities for the Panthers this weekend and, while Will Jeffress and K.J. Marshall were valuable contributors that will get their due applause and moment in the spotlight, there is one Pitt senior who's final home game at the Petersen Events Center will leave few dry eyes. 

Blake Hinson trusted Pitt and Jeff Capel at it's lowest and Jeff Capel and Pitt trusted Hinson at his lowest. It was a marriage born out of desperation that grew into something beautiful and fruitful over the past two seasons. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who left as large an impact on a program in so little times. 

The combination of fantastic individual performances and team success only gave a bigger platform to Hinson's magnetic personality. He appreciates Pitt and its fans immensely and they will repay that love multiple times over with what will surely be a stirring pregame ceremony on the floor of the Petersen Events Center. 

A Horne in Pitt's Side
As far as the actual game goes, Pitt's backcourt is sure to be challenged by one of the best shooters in the ACC in N.C. State's D.J. Horne. 

He ranks sixth in the league in scoring (17.2), fourth in 3-pointers made and second in 3-point percentage, just .003 ahead of Hinson. Horne, a one-time Pitt target out of the transfer portal, is a 3-level scorer that will stress defenses from everywhere on the court. 

The Panthers have the horses to keep up with Horne in strong defensive guards, Ishmael Leggett and Bub Carrington but it will take a team effort to navigate the many screens he runs around and contain Horne's versatile skills set.  

Finishing Strong
So much is on the line for the Panthers as they enter their final regular season matchup with the Wolfpack. On the edge of postseason play, they are fighting for their postseason lives. 

Pitt can finish anywhere from third to seventh in the ACC standings, which would mean the difference between a double-bye or lining up a potential second-round matchup against Duke or North Carolina. They also simply cannot afford another loss if they hope to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Every game is a big game for Pitt at this time of year and the stakes could not be higher. 

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