Behind Blake Hinson’s 21 points, Pitt wins its 1st ACC game of season at Louisville
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Anyone who didn’t watch closely while Pitt defeated Louisville, 83-70, on Saturday might only look at the obvious reasons for victory.
Blake Hinson (21) and Zack Austin (20) scored nearly half of their team’s points, helping the Panthers (10-5, 1-3) stop a two-game losing skid in front of a crowd of 10,883 at KFC Yum! Center.
But there was so much more for coaches and players to like.
• Bub Carrington scored 16 points, which has become commonplace for him. He now is averaging 14.6. But what was even more impressive in a game where he never came off the floor was his turnover total (one in 40 minutes). Plus, he tried only four shots in the second half, making three, and finished with six rebounds and five assists.
Unselfish and productive is a nice combination for the freshman point guard to put on display.
• Pitt made 19 of 21 foul shots, including 19 of its first 19 for the first time in history. Jaland Lowe recorded the first miss with three minutes left in the game. The Panthers were 13th in the ACC (66.6%), but nearly finished as only the eighth Pitt team to be perfect from the free-throw line in a game (minimum five attempts).
• The Panthers recorded eight steals, pushing Louisville’s turnover total to 18 and leading directly to 28 points.
• There were 15 assists on 26 made baskets after a 6-21 ratio Tuesday at home against North Carolina.
“We have to enjoy this, bottle this up, get back home, get back to work,” assistant coach Jason Capel said on the 93.7 FM postgame show. “And get ready for our next opponent.”
Louisville (5-9, 0-3) might be the worst team in the ACC, but teams that take care of business in such games set themselves up for season-long success. The Panthers next play No. 14 Duke twice in 12 days, starting Tuesday at Petersen Events Center. Pitt also hosts Syracuse on Jan. 13.
Capel said Pitt created what he called “the recipe” for victory Saturday.
“I thought we had a couple of breakdowns,” Capel said, “but when you talk about getting to the second half, being able to put stops together, being able to extend the lead by going to the foul line, making shots, key rebounds, we were plus-one on the backboard (28-27). That is a recipe that gets you an opportunity to win basketball games.”
Said Carrington: “I feel like there was more energy offensively. In our last couple games, especially in our losses, the ball was stagnant. We were preaching in practice, let the ball have energy, let the ball find guys.”
Carrington, who was 6 of 10 from the field, said he made an effort to keep the ball moving, setting an example as someone who is second on the team in shot attempts (181) but leads in assists (75).
“If I make a conscious effort to preach moving the ball,” he said, “I feel everybody else would fall in line.”
Pitt played short-handed, using only eight players with Ishmael Leggett out with a shoulder injury. Lowe made his first career start, finishing with nine points, six rebounds and three assists and giving Pitt two freshman guards on the floor for 27 of the 40 minutes.
Austin also stepped in when he was most needed.
Four days after going scoreless against North Carolina, he scored a season-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting (four of nine 3-pointers), with four steals and a block. He hit one of his 3s only six seconds after he made a block on the other end of the floor.
“We are always in the gym, shooting and shooting,” Carrington said.
“(He’s) trying to be a specialist at what he does. Last game he wasn’t happy. It means a lot having guys who are ready to play.”
The return of Hinson as a major contributor was also important. He broke a slump in which he totaled just 28 points in three games. He was 5 of 14 from the field (3 of 9 on 3-pointers) and lifted his scoring average to 19.1.
“He has that next-shot mentality,” Carrington said. “That’s what we all love about him. We’re going to live with that, for sure.”
Said Capel: “He’s never going to be one to worry about confidence. He always thinks the next one’s going in. I thought he played within himself, moved the ball pretty well.”
It’s that ball movement that allowed Pitt to shoot a good percentage (45.6%, 26 of 57).
“That’s what we have to be: a team that trusts one another, plays together, allows the ball to have energy and create opportunities for one another,” Capel said. “I thought we did that at a high level. That’s what helped us step into the winner’s circle.”