Pitt vs North Florida Live Feed: Panthers Bully Osprey in Non-Con Finale

The Pitt Panthers will be without John Hugley this afternoon against North Florida.

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers have one game standing in between them and the true start of ACC play against Syracuse. But they can’t overlook a North Florida team whose 3-6 record has been deflated by some stiff competition. 

Game Information

Matchup: North Florida at Pitt
Time: 1:00 P.M. ET
Where: Petersen Events Center
How to Watch: ACC Network
How to Listen: 93.7 The Fan

Live Game Chat

Come chat with our Inside the Panthers team. Stephen Thompson will share their thoughts and news, and any highlights from the game. Tweet at us at @InsidePitt to have your thoughts and reactions shared in the feed.

Stephen: Final: North Florida 56, Pitt 82. 

The Panthers took care of business against the Ospreys, winning with a different script this time. They dominated inside, outscoring their opponents by 14 in the paint and outrebounding them by 16. while attempting a season-low in 3-pointers. Federiko set a new career-high in points with 20 in his second consecutive start. Hinson scored an efficient 18 points and 6'3 Elliot was the leading rebounder with 10 boards. 

The Panthers have now won seven of their last eight and it's all ACC games from here on out, beginning with a trip to Syracuse after a couple of days of rest. 

Stephen: 

#Pitt is outscoring North Florida 36-22 on points in the paint. It's 22-10 in the second half. Panthers have attempted just 12 triples today. Their fewest in a game this year is 20.

— stephen thompson (@stephenethom) December 17, 2022

Stephen: Burton and Cummings are a combined 3-9 from the field, but Pitt still leads by 19 with 7:56 to play in the second half. They've not shot the ball well but done everything else well - six rebounds, seven assists, just four turnovers and a pair of steals combined. 

Stephen: Federiko has set another career-high in points, one week after setting it against Sacred Heart. He's up to 20 points on 9-13 shooting from the floor to go along with five rebounds and three blocks. He is dominating but also getting some help from his guards, who have been excellent at finding him on pick-and-roll plats for easy layups.  

Stephen: Pitt is on a 14-5 run to open the second half and has taken a 23-point lead into the first media timeout of the period. Hinson's been aggressive and made four of his five attempts after halftime for eight points. 

Remember when we talked about those second chance points? Well, the Panthers have four offensive rebounds through four minutes of the second half and have scored four points off of them. 

Stephen: Halftime: North Florida 25, Pitt 39. 

The Panthers took control down the stretch of that half, hitting three of their four triples after the 10 minute mark. The 3-point shot has carried them once again - they're 4-9 from deep and 9-20 from the floor. They've defended pretty well, particularly on the interior, as well. 

Federiko has been excellent. He's the leading scorer with 10 points, three rebounds and a pair of blocks. Cummings has made just one shot but dealt out five assists, many of them to Federiko for easy layups. 

If you're looking for areas needing improvement, Pitt needs to convert on their second chances more. Five offensive rebounds have resulted in just two points. They could be up 20 right now. 

Stephen: 

15 of 23... https://t.co/XBx1xRvn8L

— George Michalowski (@MichalowskiCBB) December 17, 2022

Stephen: North Florida is on an 8-3 run and has cut an eight-point deficit in half. Pitt looks out of sorts offensively - moving the ball fairly well but shots aren't falling. Still, the Panthers lead 19-15 with 7:05 to go in the first half as Jeff Capel gives them an earful on the bench. 

Stephen: The Panthers haven't been very strong with the ball so far. They've been stripped a couple of times and look like they're just getting their legs back under them after a week off. That said, they still look good on the defensive end, led by Jorge and Guillermo Diaz-Graham, who blocked a shot and forced a travel on consecutive possessions. 

Nike Sibande is the leading scorer and rebounder right now with four points and three boards. 

Stephen: Pitt leads 6-3 at the first media timeout. North Florida has some size but the Panthers have still been able to hit the paint hard. They need to convert those easy shots to really start pulling away, though - they're 0-2 on layups in the early going. 

Stephen: There are no surprises in the starting lineups for Pitt. Fede Federiko, Blake Hinson, Jamarius Burton, Greg Elliot and Nelly Cummings are the first five up. Carter Hendrickson, Jarius Hicklen, Jose Placer, Jadyn Parker and Oscar Berry open on the court for North Florida. 

One odd thing to note - Hugley is here at the Pete, but not dressed. It might be the first time someone is out for personal reasons but still in attendance at the game.  

Stephen: The Panthers will be without star forward John Hugley for personal reasons, the team announced about an hour prior to tip off. Expect Fede Federico to start and play the bull of the minutes in the front court this afternoon. 

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