Media Tabs Pitt G Jamarius Burton as All-ACC Candidate

PITTSBURGH -- As he continues to occupy rare air in college basketball this season and lead the Pitt Panthers to the top of the ACC standings, Jamarius Burton is turning heads around the league.

Brendan Marks of the Athletic assembled a panel of local media from around the league to make ACC Champion and all-conference team picks and Burton gained six votes for the All-ACC team. He earned the seventh-most votes of any player and was the only Panther to earn votes.

"Burton’s third collegiate stop has been his best, and the 6-4 bowling ball has been as central to Pitt’s turnaround this season as anyone on the roster," Marks wrote. "Burton’s 31-point, six-rebound effort against North Carolina remains one of the best individual performances of the season."

Wake Forest guard Tyree Appleby and North Carolina center Armando Bacot were unanimous selections. NC State's Terquavion Smith, Miami's Isaiah Wong and Clemson's Hunter Tyson rounded out the top five. Kyle Filipowksi of Duke, Miami's Norchad Omier and Virginia's Reece Beekman, Jayden Gardner and Kihei Clark made up the rest of the selections around Burton.

The voters were not very bullish about Pitt's odds of winning the ACC's regular season title, however. They predicted unanimously that Virginia - currently tied atop the league standings with the Panthers, but holding a head-to-head loss against them - would end the regular season in first place.

"Our league experts agreed that the Cavaliers’ favorable late-season schedule — including two games against last-place Louisville, and another against 10-15 Notre Dame — puts Tony Bennett’s team in the driver’s seat," Marks explained. "And while several voters considered Miami — one of the league’s two other ranked teams — and even Pittsburgh, UVa more-than earned its unanimous nod."

The Athletic's Cavaliers correspondent, Eamonn Brennan added further explanation as to why it felt so obvious to pick Virginia.

“Had the Hoos stumbled a couple more times already, you could have some fun with this and give a shout to Pittsburgh or Clemson," He wrote. "But the fact that Virginia is likewise at the top of the league, while also being the actual best and most well-rounded team in the conference (by a margin, too), makes it feel kind of silly to pick anyone else.”

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!

Pitt vs Boston College: Game Info, Odds, Three Storylines

Bracketology Watch: Joe Lunardi Moves Pitt Down But Revives Big East Rivalries

Former Pitt Running Back Qadree Ollison Signs with Jaguars

Bracketology Watch: Andy Katz Drops Pitt to Nine Seed

Pitt Among ACC Leaders in Home Attendance

Pitt Snubbed from AP Poll, Earns Season-High in Votes

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt