Ja’von Franklin is one of just seven power-conference players who have multiple games this year with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Not many expected Pitt to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Not many Jamarius Burton to become an ACC Player of the Year candidate.
One may beget the other soon. With a 4-3 record in Quad 1 games and a NET ranking of 50, the Panthers are closing in on their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. And they’ve done it thanks to the play of Burton (15.7 ppg, 4.7 apg), a physical guard who leads a tough, experienced Pitt backcourt. The 6-4 Burton plays a downhill style, using screens and re-screens to probe for driving lanes. Guard Nike Sibande was also a problem in Atlanta, scoring a season-high 21 points and using change-of-pace dribbles to explode past defenders.
Georgia Tech Jan. 14
- Nike Sibande – 21 points (7-12 FG, 3-6 3pt., 4-4 FT)
- Jamarius Burton – 19 points (6-13 FG, 7-7 FT)
Tech held Pittsburgh to right around its season efficiency average in their first meeting, but they’ll need to gap up, stay alert off the ball, and limit outside drives against its zone. Can they also use their mixing defenses to wring out more turnovers? The Panthers only committed three against Tech, the fewest the Jackets have forced in more than a decade.
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Even though they finished a season-low 3-of-18 against Virginia Tech, Pitt won’t hesitate to launch from beyond the Monongahela.
Other than Wake Forest, no team takes or makes more three-pointers per game in conference play than the Panthers (9.3/game). Georgia Tech sank an ACC-high 12 threes when they played Pitt last month; the Panthers have topped that four times in ACC play, including a school-record 18 against Wake Forest. Six-foot-7 Blake Hinson (15.5 ppg) likes to strafe threes from the corner, while 6-6 Greg Elliott has NBA range and a hair trigger release. Both Burton and 6-0 Nelly Cummings can make teams pay for slow close-outs or laying underneath screens.
The Jackets could be well-equipped to match them though: Over their last five ACC games, they’ve made 46 percent of their threes in the first half.
3pt.% – Last 5 games
- 1st Half: 46.3% (31 of 67)
- 2nd Half: 23.9% (11 of 46)
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Pastner, meanwhile, may be more concerned with his team’s shot selection from inside the arc. The Yellow Jackets shot just 32.4 percent from two-point range against the Panthers, their second worst percentage of the season. Pitt stayed home on defense, forcing a fair number of clotted driving lanes, and 6-11 Federiko Federiko, a likely ACC All-Defensive center, altered his share of shots around the rim. Too often, Pastner said, those poor shots led to runouts for Pitt (the Panthers scored 19 fast break points, the most Tech has allowed all season). The Jackets will need to get ahead of the Panthers in defensive transition.
