CORAL GABLES, Fla. —Pitt is now 0-7 on the yr when it totals lower than 31 rebounds in a sport.

Within the Panthers’ loss to Miami on Saturday night time, they grabbed a season-worst 20 rebounds in comparison with Miami’s 42. The Hurricanes dominated the boards, led by Norchad Omier’s 13 rebounds. Jordan Miller grabbed eight and Isaiah Wong grabbed six as effectively. All three of these gamers had at the least three offensive boards apiece. For Pitt, Nike Sibande grabbed a team-best 5 rebounds. Not one of the forwards grabbed greater than three rebounds. It was a catastrophe on the glass, and it led to the Hurricanes discovering straightforward buckets all through the shut battle and popping out with the 78-76 win.

“They actually dominated the glass, and I assumed that was actually the factor that determined the sport,” Capel continued. “I simply assume they dominated the glass. They made us pay nearly each time they obtained offensive rebounds. They obtained unfastened balls, they only made performs.”

Miami’s rebounding success led to straightforward buckets all night time towards Pitt. The Hurricanes scored a whopping 25 second-chance factors, in comparison with Pitt’s seven.

No. 25 Pitt Comes up Brief in Battle for First Place in ACC, Falls to No. 16 Miami 78-76

VALIANT EFFORT COMES UP SHORT

Jeff Capel’s prompt response to the crushing loss on Saturday night time was not anger, it was pleasure.

“I’m actually pleased with the trouble and battle that our guys displayed,” Capel stated in his opening assertion. “To return down on the street towards a extremely good crew, I assumed we gave a championship efficiency, championship effort, we simply got here up somewhat bit quick.”

After a back-and-forth boxing match all through the primary half-hour of the sport, it lastly felt as if one aspect was pulling away when Miami constructed its result in a game-high 9 with 8:05 to go. Nonetheless, Pitt would simply not go away.

Pitt stored the ball out of the basket defensively late within the second body in an effort to come back again and win it. From the 11-minute mark to the 5:32 mark within the second half, Miami didn’t hit a subject aim. Pitt’s protection held robust and gave the crew an opportunity to crawl all the best way again.

With some miraculous pictures from Blake Hinson and different late buckets from Sibande, Jamarius Burton, and Nelly Cummings, Pitt minimize all of it the best way down to 2 with simply 13 seconds remaining.

HINSON’S LATE TRY ALMOST GOES

In these remaining 13 seconds, Hinson and Pitt discovered themselves with a possibility to tie — and even win — the sport.

Hinson drained an acrobatic three pointer to chop the deficit to 2, hitting a well-contested fadeaway from the highest of the important thing with 13 seconds left.

With simply seconds to go after Omier missed the entrance finish of a 1-and-1, Pitt seemed to Hinson, who had hit six threes on the night time, to cap off an exciting comeback. Nonetheless, his deep three-point try rattled off the rim and the Panthers went house with the loss.

One other take a look at Hinson’s final three-point try.

Clearly want to see a greater look with 5-6 seconds to go, however one way or the other, Hinson virtually made this.. pic.twitter.com/9dOFhQ9Itm

— George Michalowski (@MichalowskiCBB) March 5, 2023

His remaining strive seemed on-target and would have been one of many best pictures in program historical past. Nonetheless, the shot rimmed out and Pitt formally fell to the Hurricanes.

PITT HANDLES WONG, BUT MIAMI IS DEEP…

Pitt did an incredible job shutting down Hurricanes’ star Isaiah Wong, holding him with out a subject aim till the 11-minute mark within the second half.

Wong missed his first 5 field-goal makes an attempt on the night time, because the Panthers was forcing the remainder of the Miami roster to beat them. Whereas Wong struggled, Jim Larrañaga seemed to Norchad Omier, Jordan Miller, and the sharpest shooter of the night time — Wooga Poplar — for offensive firepower.

“I assumed we did an unbelievable job on Wong,” Capel stated after the sport. “To carry him to 1 for 9. For Pack to be 4 for 12. However the man that basically harm us was Poplar. He hit six threes tonight. Congrats to him. You may inform he’s been engaged on his sport, and he made some large performs tonight. However a few of these, I’d be prepared to wager, about three of these got here on offensive rebounds.”

Poplar completed with a team-best 18 factors, hitting six of his eight three-point makes an attempt. This was Poplar’s second-highest scoring efficiency of the yr, behind his 20-point outing towards Saint Francis (PA) on Dec. 17.

ROUGH END TO A STRONG REGULAR SEASON

You’ve heard all of it season lengthy, and the Panthers have used it as motivation: Pitt was picked to complete 14th within the ACC earlier than the season.

After placing themselves into place to win an ACC common season title within the remaining common season sport of the yr, the Panthers fell to the Hurricanes, crushing their ACC title hopes.

With the loss, Pitt finishes the common season with a 21-10 total file and a 14-6 ACC file. The Panthers held sole possession of first place only one week in the past at 14-4 within the convention.

Nonetheless, now that Pitt has misplaced its final two video games of the common season, the Panthers have fallen right down to the No. 5 spot within the ACC standings and must play in the future earlier within the ACC Match. They’ll kick off their ACC Match hopes with a matchup towards the winner of Florida State Vs. Georgia Tech.

NEW YORK —  With a fourth seed and the coveted double bye on the road in subsequent week’s Atlantic 10 match in Brooklyn, Duquesne heard the hostility in one other of New York’s 5 boroughs

The Dukes heard the hostile response within the type of boos heading into tiny Rose Hill Gymnasium after which heard extra jeers throughout their pregame warmups and subsequent introductions.

For some time it appeared like Duquesne was dealing with the hostility properly, shifting quick and attending to the rim. Then within the last six-plus minutes of the primary half, all of it collapsed and now the double bye is now not within the playing cards after a 87-60 loss to Fordham Saturday afternoon a number of miles northeast of Yankee Stadium within the Bronx.

The Dukes (20-11, 10-8 Atlantic 10) for now dropped to the sixth seed when George Mason beat Richmond. If they continue to be in sixth, meaning a late tip-off in Wednesday’s second spherical adopted by a attainable late begin Thursday within the quarterfinals if Duquesne can win in its opening sport on the residence of the Nets.

The Dukes are on this place for a number of causes, one being they may cease Fordham’s stars. In addition to drawing what appeared just like the game-changing foul, Darius Quisenberry scored 21 and had assist from Khalid Moore’s 24 because the Dukes had been outscored 70-35 over the ultimate 26-plus minutes

Offensively Joe Reece scored 16 however main scorer Dae Dae Grant by no means received going and was held 5. It was the fifth time in single digits for Grant because the Dukes shot a dreadful 32.8 p.c in a sport they shot 3-of-22 from 3-point vary in.

The Dukes held a 25-17 lead with 6:54 left when Reece buried a 3-pointer over Antrell Charlton’s protection. A couple of minutes later the lead was gone aided by some physicality created by Rodney Gunn Jr and a name that went in opposition to the Dukes.

With 3:34 left and the groups tied at 30-30 apiece, Quisenberry made a drive via the lane. About midway to the rim, he was met by Gunn’s arduous shot or swipe and following a number of glances on the replay monitor officers dominated a standard and technical foul, giving Fordham 4 free throws. Gunn additionally received a flagrant one foul for the contact and the technical foul was the extra contact.

Quisenberry capitalized and the Dukes trailed the remainder of the best way, falling right into a 45-32 gap by halftime. The halftime deficit got here courtesy of an open 3 by Charlton from the highest of the important thing moments after Reece was knocked to the ground by Moore throughout the neighborhood of the rim.

It was formally put out of attain with about 13 minutes left when In a span of 74 seconds the Dukes had been unable to cease Quisenberry from hitting two 3s sandwiched round a two-handed baseline jam by Rostyslav Novitskyl that made it 59-39.