Inside The Panthers

Pitt Moves to Fourth in ACC Standings

The Pitt Panthers have moved into position to earn a double-bye in the ACC Tournament.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Moves to Fourth in ACC Standings
Pitt Moves to Fourth in ACC Standings /
In this story:

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers dominated Louisville, 86-59, behind a masterful night from Blake Hinson, who scored 41 points and set the Petersen Events Center ablaze with his historic night. 

Hinson's domination of the Cardinals led to something bigger for the Panthers as a whole. With that win, Pitt moved to 17-8 overall, into a tie for fourth in the ACC alongside Wake Forest, who lost, 77-72 at the Petersen Events Center earlier this season. 

This win set up a showdown in Winston-Salem, North Carolina next week. Pitt currently owns the tiebreaker with the Demon Deacons by virtue of that win but will look to lock up ownership of it with a win over Wake Forest next week. It will be a tall task - Pitt owns the second-best road record in the conference but the Demon Deacons are undefeated, 6-0, at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum this season. 

The difference between the fourth and fifth seed in the ACC Tournament during the second week of March is massive. The fourth-place team earns a double-bye and has to win just two games to make the championship game. The fifth-place team opens themselves up to a potential second-round loss to a double-digit seed without that extra day of rest.

Pitt got help from elsewhere around the ACC when Duke beat Florida State and North Carolina downed Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Those results got a pair of competitors off the Panthers' back. Miami and Syracuse trailed Pitt entering the weekend as well and those two dropping road contests to Boston College and Georgia Tech, respectively, aided Pitt's attempts to continue climbing the conference standings. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Pitt Dominates Louisville Behind Blake Hinson Masterpiece

Pitt's Bake Hinson Sets New Scoring High

Blake Hinson Surpasses 1,000-Point Mark With Pitt

Louisville Facing Injury Issues Against Pitt

Virginia Beats Wake Forest, Creates Opportunity for Pitt

Blake Hinson Says Pitt 'Changed My Life'

Published
Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

Home/Basketball