Pitt Guard Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers have dealt with numerous injuries this season and another player won't return the rest of the campaign.

The Panthers announced that sophomore guard Brandin Cummings will not play the rest of the season, after undergoing a "successful ankle procedure."

Cummings had missed the past four games, all of Pitt's February contests, due to this ankle injury and will now miss out the final five games of the regular season and potentially any ACC Tournament games too.

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel previously mentioned that Cummings could miss the rest of the season and this news confirms that he will.

Brandin Cummings' 2025-26 Season with Pitt

Cummings dealt with this ankle injury earlier in the season, which saw him miss three games back in November.

Those games he missed included a 78-66 win over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 10, an 83-75 loss to Quinnipiac on Nov. 23 and then a 67-66 win over Ohio State on Nov. 28, all three contests at the Petersen Events Center.

Cummings played in the next 14 games before missing out vs. the Virginia Cavaliers on Feb. 3, including all nine ACC contests for the Panthers. He started in four of those contests, including three of the four ACC games preceding that game.

His last appearance for the Panthers was in the 63-52 road loss to Clemson on Jan. 31, where he scored just two points in 12 minutes off the bench.

Pitt Panthers guard Damarco Minor — Jan 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Damarco Minor (7) brings the ball up court against the NC State Wolfpack during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

He led the team with 12.5 points and shot 42.4% from the field, 32.6% from 3-point range and 71.8% from the foul line.

Cummings scored a career-high 34 points in the 80-73 home loss to Hofstra on Dec. 7, shooting 10-for-15 from the field, 5-for-8 from 3-point range and a perfect 9-for-9 on free throws, while dishing out five assists.

He also had back-to-back 20-point games in ACC play, scoring 29 points in the 83-72 home loss to Syracuse on Jan. 10 and 23 points in the 89-66 road win over Georgia Tech on Jan. 14.

Cummings had inconsistent play this season, which is why he's not been a main starter throughout, going from big scoring performances to games where he's largely missing from the offensive production Pitt needs out of him.

Where Pitt Turns To Without Cummings

The Panthers have just four available guards the rest of the season in fifth-year Damarco Minor, sophomore Nojus Indrusaitis and freshmen in Omari Witherspoon and Macari Moore.

Minor and Witherspoon have serve as the main starters and will do so for Pitt the rest of the season, while Indrusaitis and Moore come off the bench.

Senior guard/forward Barry Dunning Jr. works more as a small forward and a slasher than a true guard like the other four Pitt players mentioned.

None of the Pitt guards average double-figures in scoring, with Minor at 9.1 points, Witherspoon at 7.3 points, Indrusaitis at 7.7 points and Moore at 1.5 points per game.

Pitt is currently 9-17 overall, 2-11 in the ACC and on a five-game losing streak, amongst the worst teams in the ACC.

The Panthers must finish at 15th or better to make the ACC Tournament and have a massive home game vs. the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Petersen Events Center on Feb. 21, who have just one more ACC win and hold that 15th spot.

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