For however long Pitt might last in the ACC Tournament and, provisionally, the NCAA Tournament or NIT, it will go as far as Blake Hinson can take it.
This run for Pitt basketball, once unprecedented and unimaginable within a once-fading Jeff Capel era, will be watermarked by someone who will be looked back upon as an all-time program great. Whether it will be 10 years, 20 years, or 50 years from this run from 2022 until this spring, Hinson's legacy has been the driving factor of a revitalization of Pitt basketball in the post-Jamie Dixon era.
From his logo 3-pointers all the way down to his tough and tumble approach on defense and a leap on a scorer's table at Duke in between, Hinson has been everything advertised for his curtain-call season as a Panther.
In Saturday's 86-59 win for the Tournament-hopeful Panthers over the Cardinals, Hinson provided a prime example of why.
He nearly achieved his career high in scoring in the first half alone. His 27 points had equalled Louisville's output in those 20 minutes and he shot the ball at a better rate (9 of 14 from the field) than the Cardinals (9 of 22) in that half. In all, his 41 points proved that his star power is the main ingredient to any success the Panthers will have this coming March.
"I thought he'd be good, I didn't know he would be this," Capel said. "If you look at the previous place that he played and those stats at Iowa State, at Ole Miss, it wasn't like he was this prolific 3-point shooter. He was more mid-range. I mean, he shot 3s there but his game there was more mid-range, off the bounce a bit, get to a spot, elbows, and things like that. When he got here and we started working with him, I remember in practice -- it may have been one of our first practices -- and he passed up a shot, he passed up a 3. I told him, 'don't pass up a 3. If you have an open shot, shoot the basketball.' I don't think I've had to say that to him again."
It's this evolution from Hinson over the last two seasons that has lifted this Panthers program to its highest peaks in the Capel era. In the process of his 41-point outing, he notched his 1,000th career point as a Panther. He reached that point in 61 career games, making him the fourth-fastest to achieve that mark in a Panthers uniform.
"Just putting in work," the always-humble Hinson said. "Definitely been putting in more work, I will say that about myself. Nothing different."
But, it was different in a way.
His 41 points tied for the third-highest single-game scoring performance in program history. It is the most points scored in a game since Jason Maile's 40-point outing in 1997 against Villanova. He finished four points shy of tying Don Hennon's 45 points against Duke in 1957 for the program's single-game scoring record.
"He scored with ease," Louisville coach Kenny Payne said. "He really didn't have to work really hard to get the baskets that he got. ... A few years ago when I was in the NBA, I saw a few guys that could run off baskets like that. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Devin Booker. Players that get in the zone and if you're an inch late, it's up. He is an elite shooter of the basketball and he's an elite scorer."
When it comes to scorers in the ACC, Hinson is as polarizing as it gets. He's the quintessential "No! No! Yes!" type of shooter that graces college basketball every so often, and those "Yes!" shots that he makes are oftentimes more majestic and breathtaking than the previous ones.
Capel is not a stranger to this. One of Hinson's makes Saturday was of that kind.
"When he hit the 3 in the first half on the right side, I think they were in zone and they were running the play and he was probably about 35 feet away, he was tired," Capel said. "He took a dribble and shot it. I kind of turned because it was a bad shot. I turned and yelled, 'What is he doing?' And then I heard the crowd's reaction. I don't know if you guys can see on the sideline, I was just laughing and smiling. That's when I knew that, all right, he's feeling it tonight.
"... I have learned with Blake -- and I learned this last year in coaching him -- he has the freedom to take bad shots at times because it's something that can get him going, and I understand that about him. He can be off. He missed his first shot. It's something he's earned because it can be he one thing that gets him going. I'll tell him if it's a bad shot. ... He's earned the right to have that freedom."
Having that type of player as the team's leader come March can come with benefits and downsides. But, one thing that is certain is that a Tournament-worthy team needs a player like Hinson on their roster.
After starting 1-5 in ACC play, the surging Panthers have won five in a row and seven of their last eight games, dating to their upset win at Duke Jan. 20. Pitt currently occupies the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament with an 8-6 mark by virtue of wins over Wake Forest and N.C. State. Those teams are also 8-6 and the Panthers play them once more each before the season ends.
Hinson is the reason why Pitt is in position to put themselves in position for a potential bid into the NCAA Tournament. Over the last eight games, Hinson has averaged 21.5 points and has shot 50.7% (35-for-69) from 3. He made all seven of his 3s in the win at Duke and made 5 of 13 in Pitt's upset at Virginia Tuesday.
It's not a coincidence. Hinson is hot. Pitt is hot.
"At the end of the day the most special thing that happened today was we won," Hinson said. "We're on a five-game winning streak. That's the most special thing and that's the most important thing for this team."
