Pitt at Boston College: Staying Alive
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers suffered a crushing loss on the road to Clemson earlier this week and will need to do what they've done all season - bounce back at a desperate time.
The Panthers visit Boston College for their final road contest of the season and will need to start stacking wins to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Game Info
Opponent: Boston College (15-13 overall, 6-11 ACC)
Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Location: Silvio O. Conte Forum; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Broadcast: ACC Network and 93.7 The Fan
Odds
Pitt is a 1.5-point favorite to the Eagles, according to Action Network, with moneyline odds of -118 to -102 for Boston College. The point total line has been set at 145.5.
Three Storylines
Staying Alive
The Panthers dropped their last two big chances for marquee wins against Wake Forest and Clemson but they aren't dead yet in the hunt for an at-large bid to college basketball's grandest spectacle.
Pitt's wins over Wake Forest, Duke and Virginia have held their NET ranking above water and a late-season surge has them with on the verge of a second-straight 20-win season. They still sit on the NCAA Tournament bubble according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi and Fox Sports' Mike DeCourcy, but barely.
The task is refreshingly simple for Pitt. They have to win and win as much as possible to give their NCAA Tournament resume enough of a lift heading into Selection Sunday. That starts with taking care of business against Boston College.
All Goes Through The Post
Quinten Post has been around the block and PItt head coach Jeff Capel is a much improved player - stronger, smarter and a better shooter than he was when he was younger. That's bad news for the Panthers, who have struggled to contain the Eagles' star big man in their previous matchups.
Of the four games Post has played against Pitt, he's scored in double figures twice, made half of his 3-point attempts and averages two blocks per game. It's another tall task for the Panthers frontcourt, which has yielded a mixed bag of results so far this season.
More Hinson History on Horizon
Blake Hinson has already set numerous personal and school records this season and is on the verge of making more Pitt history. He's seven 3-pointers away from tying Ashton Gibbs' single-season record for triples made by a Panther and could reach that mark sooner rather than later.
Seven 3-pointers isn't as ridiculous as it might sound, especially for Hinson. He's made seven or more triples in a game three times over the course of his career, all this season. He made seven against Duke and nine each against West Virginia and Louisville.
Hinson is in somewhat of a slump by his own standards, averaging just 12.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while making only 23.5% of his 3-point shots and 32.4% of his total field goals over the last three games. Pitt will need better efforts from him if they want to finish the regular season strong and get his name in the record books one more time.
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