CORAL GABLES, Fla. — At the start of the week, the Pitt men’s basketball team needed just one more victory for the right to hang a banner in the Petersen Events Center. Unfortunately for Jeff Capel’s team, that victory never came.
Following their frustrating loss Wednesday night at Notre Dame, the No. 25 Panthers (21-10, 14-6) once again failed to grind out a road victory, losing Saturday evening in Miami to the No. 16 Hurricanes by a final score of 78-76.
Pitt trailed 78-71 with 35 seconds remaining, but a few Pitt buckets and a turnover and missed free throw by Miami gave the Panthers a chance to win it at the buzzer. Blake Hinson’s long 3-point prayer rimmed out as the Miami students stormed the court in celebration.
While Pitt was able to keep things close thanks to a tenacious offensive effort from Blake Hinson, Nelly Cummings, Jamarius Burton and Nike Sibande, defense was once again a struggle for Capel’s group. Great ball movement and dominance down low allowed Miami to maintain a lead for nearly the entire contest, including the final stretch where it held off Pitt’s final push all the way until the very end.
Wooga Poplar led the way off the bench for Miami with 18 points on six triples, while Jordan Miller led all Hurricanes starters with 17. Norchad Omier also made a big impact, tallying 15 points and 13 rebounds off the bench for a double-double.
Hinson was Pitt’s leading scorer, finishing with 24 points. Sibande, Burton and Cummings all ended the game in double-figures, as well, scoring 16, 13 and 10, respectively.
The victory earns the Hurricanes a share of the ACC regular-season title with No. 13 Virginia. Miami also earned the top seed for the ACC tournament with its win over the Panthers.
Key stat
Dominance down low made the difference for Jim Larranaga’s team.
Miami delivered a strong presence on the glass, outrebounding Pitt 42-19. Fourteen of those boards came on the offensive end, leading to 25 second-chance points.
The Hurricanes also had a strong scoring presence inside. Miami finished with 30 points in the paint, 20 of which were scored in the opening half.
Up next
The Panthers will look to give one last boost to their NCAA Tournament resume as they hit the road to Greensboro, N.C., for the ACC tournament.
