Inside The Panthers

Pitt C Federiko Federiko Will Not Play Against Mississippi State

The Pitt Panthers will meet Mississippi State without their starting center.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt C Federiko Federiko Will Not Play Against Mississippi State
Pitt C Federiko Federiko Will Not Play Against Mississippi State /
In this story:

DAYTON -- The Pitt Panthers will be short a crucial piece of their starting lineup in their first NCAA Tournament in seven years against Mississippi State, the program announced prior to tip-off. 

Pitt will battle the Bulldogs to advance in the NCAA Tournament without starting center Federiko Federiko, a solid rim-runner and one of the best frontcourt defenders in the ACC this past season. Federiko has been dealing with pain in his left knee ever since the Panthers' ACC Tournament victory over Georgia Tech. He played just 12 minutes the following day against Duke and has been limited in both of the team's practices since.

This is a brutal loss for Pitt, who is facing one of the better big men in all of Division I. 6'11 Tolu Smith leads the Bulldogs in scoring (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.3 boards per game) and shot 58% from the field this year. 

Expect Pitt head coach Jeff Capel to turn to freshmen Jorge and Guillermo Diaz Graham for some support in the post and possibly employ some smaller lineups with Blake Hinson at the center spot. Guillermo is in the starting lineup for Federiko. 

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

Pitt F John Hugley to Enter Transfer Portal

PA's Top Recruit Visits Pitt

Pitt Reveals Phil Jurkovec's Jersey Number

Pitt C Federiko Federiko's Status for NC State Game Unclear

Recruiting Notebook: Elite 2026 QB Earns Pitt Offer

Pitt Aming Most Likely to Pull First Round Upset

Published
Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

Home/Basketball