Headline: Pitt jumped out to a big lead before finding itself in a competitive final 16 minutes, but the Panthers held on to beat Florida State 88-73.
The teams: Pitt (20-10, 11-8 ACC) vs. Florida State (15-15, 9-10 ACC)
20 wins: Pitt reached the 20-win mark with the win over Florida State, marking the second season in a row that Jeff Capel has gotten the Panthers to 20 wins. Last year, Pitt won 24 games; this is the first time the Panthers have won 20 games in back-to-back seasons since they followed a 24-19 season in 2012-13 by going 26-10 in 2013-14.
Fifth place: With Pitt’s win and Clemson’s defeat of Syracuse on Tuesday night, the Panthers finished the day in fifth place in the ACC standings.
Getting dicey: Pitt took an 11-point lead into halftime and pushed that advantage to 18 three minutes into the second half. But after Leonard Hamilton took a timeout, things got interesting. Pitt made just two of its next six attempts, didn’t grab an offensive rebound, committed three fouls and turned the ball over twice. Meanwhile, FSU made 6-of-8 from the floor and went on a 15-6 run to cut the lead to single digits.
Closing out the game: Florida State had the lead in single digits three times in the second half, but Pitt overcame the Seminoles’ surge by relying on its big shooter. Over a six-minute stretch, Hinson shot 4-of-4 from beyond the arc to hold FSU at bay. He scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from three after halftime.
Hinson record: Hinson’s big shots during that stretch were especially memorable as his long-range make to turn an eight-point lead to 11 tied the Pitt single-season record for made three-pointers. And his next three, which built the lead to 14, set a new school record. Ashton Gibbs previously held the record with 102 in 34 games in 2010-11; after Tuesday night’s game, Hinson has 104 three’s in 30 games.
First double-double: Freshman guard Jaland Lowe was one assist shy of his first career double-double at Boston College on Saturday, but he got it on Tuesday night, scoring 17 points and recording 10 assists in the win.
Turnovers: Pitt’s biggest problem with the Seminoles was turnovers, as FSU’s length got into the passing lanes and forced the Panthers into 11 turnovers. Fortunately for Pitt, FSU only produced 12 points on those 11 turnovers.
Turnovers vs. the press: Florida State used a full-court defense after every made basket and on baseline inbounds plays but, as has been the case all season, Pitt handled it well, committing only one turnover against the press.
Offensive rebounds: Florida State entered the game at the bottom of the ACC in defensive rebounding, and Pitt capitalized. In the first half, the Panthers grabbed seven offensive rebounds and turned them into 10 second-chance points. Pitt finished with nine offensive boards and 14 second-chance points.
Blocked shots: Pitt and Florida State are two of the top shot-blocking teams in the ACC, and it was on display Tuesday night, as the Panthers and Seminoles combined for eight blocks (five for Pitt; three for FSU).
Watkins: Florida State wing Jamir Watkins entered Tuesday night’s game as a top-15 scorer in the ACC, averaging 15.1 points per game. But Watkins was held scoreless in the first half while playing less than five minutes due to two early fouls. He made his mark in the second half, though, scoring 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
Foul trouble: All told, there were 36 fouls called in the game, with 18 in each half. Two of the 18 fouls in the first half came from a double-technical on Carrington and Watkins, and two more came on a double-foul on Will Jeffress and FSU’s Baba Miller. Those 36 fouls resulted in 49 free throw attempts, and FSU shot more free throws against Pitt than any other team this season (the Seminoles attempted 31; Syracuse attempted 30 in the Orange’s win over the Panthers in late December).
Centers in trouble: Five of those 18 first-half fouls were called on Pitt’s centers, Federiko Federiko and Guillermo Diaz Graham, which limited Federiko to 6:41 and Diaz Graham to 11:33. To their credit, neither Federiko nor Diaz Graham fouled out of the game; Federiko had two fouls in the second half and Diaz Graham had one.
Other stars: In addition to Hinson’s 27 and Lowe’s 17, Carrington scored 12 points and Ishmael Leggett had 10. None of Pitt’s players recorded more than six rebounds, but the Panthers still matched FSU’s rebound total with 32.
A rare promo: Unlike Pitt’s neighbors on the North Shore, Pitt basketball doesn’t have many theme nights, but Tuesday was one of them. It was 80’s night, with a “retro” look to the banner scoreboards that featured, among other things, a throwback Pitt logo and “GUEST” instead of “Florida State.”
Up next: Pitt will finish the 2023-24 regular season on Saturday when N.C. State comes to the Petersen Events Center for a 7:45 tipoff.
