Perhaps Pitt’s half-game lead in the ACC won’t last beyond Virginia’s next outing, but the Panthers’ 77-58 victory against Boston College on Tuesday night stands as another brick in their NCAA Tournament resume.

That was the big picture for Pitt (19-7, 12-3) while recording its most ACC victories during a 10-year existence in the conference.

But for the moment at hand, there were plenty of reasons for coach Jeff Capel to be proud and for the crowd of 6,746 at Petersen Events Center to celebrate.

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) February 15, 2023

It was the Panthers’ sixth consecutive victory, their longest winning streak under Capel against ACC opponents. Capel’s Pitt teams have won six in a row only one other time, and that was to start the 2018-19 season, his first.

Pitt is 18-4 since the 1-3 start to this season, but those are just numbers that may or may not impress the NCAA Tournament committee.

What Capel really liked about where his team stands five games from the end of the regular season was how his players stood up to Boston College’s physicality and answered a six-point deficit in the first half with a 14-2 run.

Then, after halftime, Pitt clamped down its defense on the Eagles (12-15, 6-10), who missed 23 of 33 shots in the final 20 minutes.

“We’re able to sustain when we got punched in the mouth,” Capel said. “Or, when a team goes on a run, I hear them in the huddle, what they’re saying to each other, the positive energy we’re giving to each other. It’s different than what we had in the past.

“Really proud of our team for how mature we were. I knew it would take a little bit (to settle into the game) just because of how physical (the Eagles) are. That’s something we can’t simulate in practice, especially this time of year. We have to stay fresh for the games.

“It took us a while to get used to the physicality. Once we settled into it, we were able to make some shots and get a lead.”

Blake Hinson led Pitt with 21 points, hitting 6 of 11 3-point attempts. Pitt was 11 of 25 from beyond the 3-point arc, including Greg Elliott’s 4-of-8 performance and 14 points overall.

All five starters scored in double digits. Nelly Cummings added 11 points and Federiko Federiko and Jamarius Burton contributed 10 each.

A big key to the victory was Federiko’s efforts on Boston College’s 7-foot, 250-pound forward Quinten Post. Capel predicted Post would be “a handful,” but he scored only seven points with five rebounds after coming into the game with respective per-game averages of 16.8 and 6.2.

“Our defense throughout the game was outstanding, in particular Federiko on Post was big-time,” Capel said.

But the most impressive effort of the game was Cummings scoring and dishing — he had eight assists — after struggling with an injury last week and getting treatment every day this week. If Capel hadn’t mentioned it, anyone who just watched Tuesday’s game would not have known.

“I’m all good. I’m a warrior, man,” Cummings said. “Nothing bothering me.”

Cummings persevering through the injury could be a lesson to other players — in any sport — who are feeling a little pain late in a season.

“I’m not surprised by it,” Capel said. “He is a tough kid and he’s a fighter.

“There’s a difference between hurt and being injured. He’s just hurt. He was hurting a little bit. He’s not injured where he can’t play.

“If Nelly’s able to play, he’s going to give it everything he has. He did a really good job the past couple of days of getting a lot of treatment. I asked him at the shoot-around (Tuesday), and he said it’s the best he’s felt in a while. That was good to hear. We have to keep him on that treatment plan.”

So, Pitt will enter the last five games of the regular season, holding on to at least a share of the ACC lead. Virginia can crawl back into a tie for first place Wednesday night in its game at Louisville.

Meanwhile, Pitt will begin preparing to visit Virginia Tech on Saturday when the ACC standings won’t be any player’s greatest concern.

“The thing we talked about all year — it may be boring; it’s not to us — is just one game at a time,” Capel said. “Just focus on what’s right in front of us.”

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