Pitt scored the first ten points of the game against Jacksonville on Friday night at the Petersen Events Center, and really that was all the jolt this team needed on the way to an effortless 107-56 win over the Atlantic Sun program. The win vaults Pitt’s record top 4-0 on the season and it marked the second time on this young season the Panthers have cleared the 100-point plateau.

The high-scoring Panthers got it done from behind the arc on Friday night. Pitt converted 15 three-pointers, which is the fifth-most in a single game in program history. Three of the top four performances occurred last season for Jeff Capel’s free flowing offensive system. Pitt looks to have that same type of outside marksmanship.

Pitt was led by Blake Hinson, who poured in a game-high 25 points. It marked the 11th time in Hinson’s Pitt career he has scored 20 or more points and the Panthers are 10-1 in those contests. Hinson did most of his damage before halftime with 21 points in the first half.

Guillermo Diaz Graham had a career performance of his own. The sophomore 7-footer finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Diaz Graham logged a considerable amount of playing time with Federiko Federiko in some foul trouble. Diaz Graham scored 12 points in the second half playing alongside his brother for much of the time. The pair connected for a give and go dunk that got the Pitt crowd on its feet. It was somewhat reminiscent of a big play the brothers teamed up for in the NCAA Tournament last season.

This one never felt like much of a game. Pitt did build that early 10-0 advantage and held Jacksonville to one field goal in the first ten minutes of the contest. The Panthers eventually built a 40-10 lead in the first half and even had a 34-point advantage before Jacksonville scored four points just before halftime to make it 52-22 at the break.

Pitt did appear a bit sluggish out of the gates in the second half, but it did not seem to matter much. Jacksonville struggled offensively all game and never really put a serious dent into the advantage. The Dolphins shot just 33% from the field and a paltry 7% from three-point range. Jacksonville was led offensively by Marcus Niblack, who scored 22 points, the only Dolphin to reach double figures.

The Panthers finally got a bit of a jolt following that slow start to the second half. Freshman guard Jaland Lowe knocked down a triple before first-year sensation Bub Carrington nailed two of his own to make 66-27 with 14 minutes remaining.

The Panthers emptied the bench in the final five minutes and used Hinson sparingly in the second half overall, but even then they took it to a different level. Pitt went on a late 14-0 scoring surge to get the lead up over 50 points against the outmatched Atlantic-Sun program.

Pitt will have a couple days off before returning to action on Thursday against Florida in the preseason NIT at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Panthers are in search of their first 5-0 start since the 2018-19 season.