Inside The Panthers

UNC Copies Pitt Star Blake Hinson's Duke Celebration

North Carolina drew inspiration from the Pitt Panthers to celebrate beating Duke on the road.

Stephen Thompson

UNC Copies Pitt Star Blake Hinson's Duke Celebration
UNC Copies Pitt Star Blake Hinson's Duke Celebration /
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PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panther star Blake Hinson set the college basketball word ablaze when, after knocking down all seven of his 3-point attempts and scoring 24 points in an upset victory over then-No. 7 Duke, he stood on a table at Cameron Indoor Stadium and taunted the student section, drawing jeers and middle fingers in the process. 

It wouldn't be the last time an opposing team came over to taunt the Cameron Crazies. After securing an 84-79 win over the Blue Devils, North Carolina replicated Hinson and Pitt's celebration and strolled over to give the Duke students a piece of their mind after the final buzzer. 

The Tar Heels didn't quite go as far as Hinson did. Cormac Ryan one-upped Hinson's performance and scored 31 points and knocking down six of eight 3-points, but didn't climb onto any tables. Duke students, given the intensity of the rivalry, still responded more viscerally to North Carolina's celebration than they did Pitt's, throwing drinks and bottles at players on the floor. 

Hinson will always own the distinction of being the first to do it, but he might have left a lasting legacy on college basketball in the form of his now-iconic celebration. 

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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:

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