Nike Sibande's efforts off bench help Pitt take 4-game winning streak into Virginia game

Jeff Capel didn’t look far down his bench while orchestrating the 76-74 victory against North Carolina.

Four starters played at least 33 minutes each Friday at Petersen Events Center, and reserves Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham were in the game only long enough to score a total of two points in nine combined minutes.

But without sixth man Nike Sibande, Pitt (10-4, 3-0 ACC) wouldn’t be riding a 9-1 stretch and four-game winning streak into its game Tuesday against No. 11 Virginia (10-2, 2-1) at Petersen Events Center.

Sibande, who played only six minutes in the previous game at Syracuse, entered with 15 minutes, 24 seconds left and Pitt trailing 47-41. He played the rest of the game and contributed two assists that led to 3-pointers, grabbed two rebounds and scored Pitt’s final two points. Overall, he recorded seven points, three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers in 24 minutes.

In one 44-second burst in the second half, Sibande grabbed a rebound, hit a two-pointer, secured another missed UNC shot and fed Nelly Cummings for a 3-point shot. A six-point North Carolina lead, suddenly, was down to one, 57-56.

“That got the crowd into it. That got us going,” Capel said. “I’m proud of him for staying with it.”

Holding momentum at that point, Pitt scored 20 points in the game’s last 6¹⁄₂ minutes, and Sibande assisted on Blake Hinson’s tie-breaking 3-pointer with 1:28 left.

Many of Sibande’s contributions didn’t appear on the stat sheet.

“Just the energy, man,” Capel said. “I thought he was an unbelievable teammate. Guys fed off that energy that he brings, that he can bring and that he brought (Friday). Just an unbelievable example of always staying ready.

“That’s the main thing, just staying ready. Some night it may not be your night. You can’t put your head down and pout. You’ve got to be ready. Nike had a great week of practice, and I’m not surprised with how he played.”

It’s a good bet Capel will use his bench more frequently over the next several games.

The Virginia game marks the second of four in a row against teams with an overall 41-13 record. Clemson (11-3) is at the Pete on Saturday, followed by No. 16 Duke (11-3) in Durham, N.C., on Jan. 11.

There was no word from Capel on the availability of center John Hugley, who hasn’t played since an 11-minute appearance against Sacred Heart on Dec. 10.

Hugley, who practiced with his teammates before the North Carolina game, injured his knee in practice in September. He has played in eight games, with six starts.

Hugley’s replacement, 6-foot-11 sophomore Federiko Federiko, is averaging 5.9 points, 5.1 rebounds in almost 20½ minutes per game, with a total of 24 blocks.

If Pitt can defeat Virginia, the Panthers would accomplish a feat the team has not achieved since its first season in the ACC (2013-14): win the first four conference games. The 9-1 record since before Thanksgiving is Pitt’s best 10-game stretch since 2015-16, tied for 10th-best in the NCAA in that time.

Perhaps even more impressive are Pitt’s four victories in its past five games against North Carolina, the 2022 NCAA Tournament runner-up. Pitt ended the Tar Heels’ four-game winning streak that included back-to-back victories against No. 24 Ohio State and Michigan.

“I’m really proud of my team,” Capel said. “We knew (the Tar Heels) were playing really well, as talented as any team in the country, but we fought. We got down early, but we stayed together. We stayed fighting.”

Note: Jamarius Burton, who scored 31 points on 14-of-17 shooting against North Carolina, was named ACC co-Player of the Week. Burton shared the honor with Clemson’s Hunter Tyson, who scored 31 against N.C. State.

Burton and Hinson are the first Pitt players to receive conference Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks since 2004 (Chevon Troutman and Carl Krauser) when Pitt was in the Big East.