Wahoo Preview: No. 11 Virginia at Pitt

By Scott Ratcliffe

Virginia has its work cut out for itself Tuesday night, as the Cavaliers venture into the Petersen Events Center at 9 p.m. to take on a sizzling Pittsburgh squad (ACC Network).

The big story line for the 11th-ranked Wahoos (10-2, 2-1 ACC) is the fact that Tony Bennett is just one victory away from becoming the winningest coach in program history, but Pitt is not necessarily the almost-guaranteed W it has been in years past.

After starting the season with a 1-3 record, the Panthers (10-4, 3-0) are one of the hottest teams in the conference, having won four games in a row and nine of their last 10. Three of those wins came in ACC play — at NC State, at Syracuse and at home last weekend over then-25th-ranked North Carolina.

Coach Jeff Capel is in pretty good shape — at least thus far — of completing his first winning campaign since taking over in the Steel City five seasons ago, and a good chunk of the success has come via the transfer portal.

Former Ole Miss forward Blake Hinson, a junior, leads the Panthers in both scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg), while graduate guard Jamarius Burton, who played two seasons at Wichita State and another at Texas Tech before transferring to Pitt prior to last season, is averaging 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Burton poured in a career-best 31 points on 14-of-17 shooting in the upset over the Tar Heels on Friday, and has established himself as one of the top scorers in the league.

Point guard Nelly Cummings, another grad transfer who came over from Colgate, is contributing 11.1 points and a team-high 4.9 assists per contest, while Marquette grad transfer Greg Elliott has been a steady contributor as well with 10.8 points a night.

Down low, the Panthers have junior forward John Hughley IV, a 6-foot-9, 265-pounder who’s putting up 8.0 points per game, and 6-11 sophomore center Federiko Federiko, who averages 5.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and a team-best 1.7 blocks on the season.

The Cavaliers’ signature Pack-Line defense will have its hands full with several capable weapons on the floor for the Panthers. Virginia is still the conference leader in scoring defense at 58.3 points allowed, but Pitt is averaging 83.3 over its past four outings.

On the offensive end, Virginia could use another big night out of senior guard Armaan Franklin, who has knocked down three 3-pointers in each of the last two wins (6 for 15; 40 percent) after suffering through an 8-for-26 slump (31 percent) from deep across his previous seven games.

Franklin (11 points) was one of four Cavalier starters in double figures (Kihei Clark 15, Jayden Gardner 14, Kadin Shedrick 11) in a 74-56 win at Georgia Tech on New Year’s Eve, which featured a 25-0 scoring run that blew the game open.

The Hoos will need to pick up where they left off in terms of momentum and avoid having to crawl back from another early deficit, particularly if the Panthers are hitting from beyond the arc. Pitt is tied with Notre Dame for second in the conference with 123 made triples, and could create an insurmountable gap in a hurry for Virginia in a loud, hostile environment if the perimeter shots are falling for the Panthers.

UVA is listed as a 5-point favorite, according to Caesars Sportsbook. After sweeping the Panthers last season, the Cavaliers have won eight in a row in the series.