Pitt's NCAA Tournament hopes take big hit in loss to Clemson

There’s no doubting the reality that confronts the Pitt basketball team, game after game. Without Blake Hinson’s points, Pitt is a different team and victory is nearly impossible against the best opponents.

That was proven in Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday night when Clemson’s Jack Clark followed Hinson anywhere he went on the floor, holding the ACC’s second-leading scorer (18.9 ponts per game) and most prolific 3-point shooter (95) to six points and zero 3s in a 69-62 victory.

The loss was especially damaging to Pitt’s NCAA Tournament hopes. They have lost two of their past three games, including Quad 1 opportunities against Wake Forest last week and Clemson, at the most crucial point of the season.

Meanwhile, the Tigers (20-8, 10-7) were projected as a No. 5 seed before the game and are making a bid to finish at least fourth in the ACC and earn a double bye in the conference tournament.

Pitt (18-10, 9-8) has three games remaining in the regular season and must win them all, plus two more in the ACC Tournament, to crawl back onto the bubble.

Hinson finished with a stat line that included only one rebound, no assists and 2-of-9 shooting from the field, including four 3-point attempts — four off his season average.

“They did a nice job of doing different things with Blake,” Pitt assistant coach Jason Capel said on the 93.7 FM postgame show. “Hugging up on him, not leaving him.

“Teams have done really everything as far as trying to guard Blake. We have to be able to recognize it, get him the ball in spots where he can not only score, but create an opportunity for someone else.”

Aside from Hinson’s struggles, Pitt also lost the rebounding battle 39-32 for the game and 21-17 in the second half. Clemson was clearly the more physical team, with bigs P.J. Hall and Ian Schieffelin combining for 27 points and 22 rebounds.

“That’s their inside physicality presence that can score and put pressure on the rim,” Capel said.

Pitt’s paint presence in the forms of 6-foot-11 Federiko Federiko and 7-footer Guillermo Diaz Graham combined for a total of two points — on 1-of-7 shooting — and nine rebounds. Federiko fouled out after playing only 23 minutes.

“They’re a physical team, and I thought in the second half they stepped up their physicality,” Capel said of the Tigers. “We have to be able to execute when you’re faced with physicality in the environment you’re in, and be together and tough enough to get ourselves across the finish line with a win.”

Bub Carrington scored 18 points, with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ishmael Leggett added 15 points, Jaland Lowe 11 and Zack Austin 10 for Pitt.

The Panthers led for more than half the game, but often had trouble getting into an offensive rhythm. Other than Carrington’s three assists, the rest of the team had only one other.

Clemson never led in the first half, but the lead changed hands 13 times in the first 14 minutes after intermission. Pitt missed its first seven shots of the second half, allowing Clemson to take a four-point advantage.

The Panthers finished the game with a 32.8% field-goal percentage (20 of 61), 28.1% in the second half. With no scoring threat in the paint, Pitt couldn’t loosen the Clemson defense and hit only 7 of 25 (28%) from beyond the arc.

Nonetheless, the game was tightly contested. Pitt and Clemson kept trading baskets through most of the second half before Carrington hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Pitt a 50-46 lead with 8 minutes, 44 seconds left in the game. That was either team’s biggest lead in the second half until Schieffelin hit a 3-pointer to give Clemson a 61-56 lead with 4:08 to play. The seven-point margin of victory at the end was Clemson’s largest lead of the game.

Clemson took command in the final 90 seconds, with Hall hitting two free throws and Chase Hunter a 3-pointer to boost the Tigers from a 61-60 lead to 66-60.

Hunter, Schieffelin and Joe Girard III scored 15 each. Hall added 12.

Pitt led 31-27 at halftime, but lost an opportunity to seize a bigger advantage by missing several shots around the basket.

“We got looks throughout the game,” Capel said. “We missed six layups at the rim in the first half … easy baskets. Against a good team, especially on the road, you can’t leave points on the board.

“We just have to be able to make a couple more plays on both sides of the ball, whether it’s executing and making the extra pass, but especially rebounding the basketball. We talk all the time, if you win the backboard you most likely have the greatest chance of winning the game. We weren’t able to do that.”