The Pitt basketball team has already exceeded all expectations in the 2022-23 season. The Panthers were picked to finish 14th in the preseason, but the team posted a 21-win regular season and placed fifth in the ACC standings. On Monday, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced its postseason honors and the Pitt Panthers were well represented.
Jeff Capel took home ACC Coach of the Year honors after receiving 57 out of a possible 75 first place votes. Capel's first four seasons in Pittsburgh netted a 51-69 record and zero postseason appearances and there was pressure to show progress in year five, and the year did not begin with high expectations either. The Panthers overcame those odds and a 1-3 start and produced its first winning season since 2016. The 14 conference wins is the most ever in a single year since Pitt joined the ACC.
Not only was Capel's team picked 14th, his star returning player John Hugley only played in eight games this season. Capel's top incoming recruit, Dior Johnson, did not play in a single game. With only 9 scholarship players available and a starting lineup that consisted of all transfers, the Panthers threatened for their first-ever ACC title this season as it came down to the final game of the year with a 78-76 loss to Miami.
Pitt enters the ACC Tournament as the fifth seed and will fine out Sunday if the program will make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.For Capel, this is the fourth 20-win campaign of his 14 year career. He has guided VCU and Oklahoma to the NCAA Tournament and will be looking to make Pitt the third program he has coached in the dance.
Pitt senior guard Nike Sibande was named the ACC Sixth Man of the Year. The 6'4" senior from Indianapolis has been one of Pitt's most valuable players all season. Sibande has scored 15 double digit games this season and the Panthers are 12-3 when that occurs.
He is a spark to the lineup for sure, but can also carry the team on occasions. Sibande has led Pitt in scoring three times this year, all wins, including a dazzling 21-point performance in a win over Georgia Tech on the road. That was another area where Sibande excelled this year, as he posted a 10 point per game scoring average and shot 42% from three on the road.
Sibande has connected on 36 three-pointers this year, good for fourth on the team. For the year he is averaging 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Not only has his impact been immeasurable at times, it was a bit unexpected. Sibande was injured all of last season and was not a full participant most of the offseason.
Jamarius Burton collected first-team All-ACC honors. He is on the team along with Isaiah Wong of Miami, Armando Bacot from North Carolina, Hunter Tyson from Clemson, and Wake Forest's Tyree Applby.
Burton averaged 15.6 points per game, goof for 15th in the league in the regular season. His 4.3 assists per game were 10th best in the ACC. Burton also is averaging 4.9 rebounds and nearly shot 50% from the floor for the year.
Pitt's team has been defined by having multiple threats and a team approach, but Burton has been the catalyst to it all. He has come up big in some of the most important moments of the season. He had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in Pitt's win over Miami in January, and his two late steals were pivotal in winning the game.
In Pitt's big senior day win over Syracuse, Burton quietly crafted a near triple double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Charlotte native also averaged 25 points per game in Pitt's two wins over North Carolina. He dropped 31 on the Tar Heels at home, and scored 19 in Chapel Hill, including the game winning free throws.
Burton has been affective even when he has not been scoring. In Pitt's win over Wake Forest where the team set a school record for most three-pointers in a game, Burton only had 6 points, but finished with 9 assists. He also had a double double with 10 points and 11 dimes in a win over Louisville.
Blake Hinson earned second-team All-ACC honors. After sitting out of basketball for two seasons, the Iowa State transfer became an instant impact player for the Panthers in year one. Hinson leads Pitt in scoring with 16.1 points per game and rebounding 6.3 boards per contest.
Those numbers are good for 10th in scoring and 11th in rebounding for the ACC.
Hinson scored in double figures 27 times in 31 games in the regular season. He also scored 20 or more nine times, and Pitt was 8-1 in those games. Hinson has been a game breaker for this squad and a lot of that success come from behind the three-point arc.
Hinson connected on 88 three-pointers during the regular season, tied for the most in the ACC. He is fourth all-time in single season three-point makes in Pitt history and needs 15 more to break the record. Hinson scored 24 points on eight three-pointers in a win over Wake Forest this season.
The Florids native loves playing at home as well. Hinson shot a scorching 42% from three this season. In Pitt's final six home games, Hinson made five or more threes in five of them. Pitt was 6-0 down the stretch at home, largely in part because of Hinson's outside shooting.
The Panthers will return to action on Wednesday afternoon. Pitt will take on the winner of Tuesday's game between Georgia Tech and Florida State.
