GREENSBORO, N.C. — Coming off its second NCAA tournament win in four days, Pitt will continue its March Madness journey Sunday as it faces Xavier in the second round in Greensboro, N.C.
Tip-off between the No. 11 seed Panthers (24-11) and No. 3 seed Musketeers (26-9) is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. The contest will be televised on CBS. Here is a closer look at the matchup:
Top storyline
Pitt fans will see a familiar face on the opposing bench Sunday in Xavier head coach Sean Miller. Born and raised in Ellwood City, Miller was a standout at Blackhawk High School. After leading the Cougars to a WPIAL title in 1986 and the WPIAL finals in 1987, Miller committed to play collegiately at Pitt, where he started 128 games from 1987 through 1992.
Miller ended his Panthers career as one of the best guards in program history, finishing as Pitt’s most accurate 3-point shooter and with the third most assists in Big East history. He also served as an assistant with the Panthers during the 1995-96 season under head coach Ralph Willard.
Xavier rehired Miller last offseason after he took a year off following his departure from Arizona. Miller previously coached the Musketeers from 2004 through 2009, where he led them to four NCAA tournaments, three Atlantic 10 regular season titles and a conference tournament championship in 2006.
Miller’s first stint at Xavier came to an end in the Sweet 16 of the 2009 NCAA tournament, as Pitt defeated his Musketeers by a final score of 60-55 in Boston. The loss marks the lone time Miller has coached against his alma mater. Xavier went on to get revenge over the Panthers the following year in the NCAA tournament, without Miller.
Key players
Nelly Cummings: Cummings came to Pitt looking to bring the Panthers back to the big stage. Now that his team is there, the graduate point guard is leading the charge.
Cummings was Pitt’s leading scorer in its wins over Mississippi State and Iowa State, where he tallied 15 and 13 points, respectively. He contributed three assists and a pair of steals, as well, in Friday’s victory.
Unlike the Bulldogs and Cyclones, Xavier possesses a backcourt that will challenge Pitt’s veteran guards. First team All-Big East graduate student Souley Boum will be a player the Musketeers will likely look toward to limit Cummings when it comes to getting the Panthers offense rolling.
Cummings’ lone flaw this tournament has been turnovers. His four giveaways against Iowa State allowed the Cyclones to charge their way back into the game late in the first half. If he can avoid those mistakes against Xavier, the Midland native will likely be in a spot to once again shine in the Big Dance.
Nike Sibande: Xavier’s backcourt will require an all-hands-on-deck effort, which makes Sibande extra valuable for Sunday’s matchup. All season long, the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year has provided his team with quality play off the bench.
Sibande’s 6-foot-4 size and prolific scoring ability allow coach Jeff Capel to use the sixth-year guard in numerous ways. Against the Musketeers, he will need to do what he does best, which is provide energy.
Xavier plays fast and efficiently. The Musketeers entered the tournament with a 1.53 assist-to-turnover ratio, which was 12th-best in the country. If Sibande can come in and disrupt Xavier’s rhythm, Pitt can put its second-round opponent in an uncomfortable spot and push for the upset.
Behind enemy lines
Boum, who leads the Musketeers with a scoring average of 16.5 points per game, is joined by Colby Jones, Adam Kunkel, Jerome Hunter and Jack Nunge in Xavier’s starting lineup.
Jones, a 6-foot-6 junior, also received conference honors, earning second team All-Big East recognition for his efforts this season. Kunkel serves as Xavier’s veteran in March as the only player on the Musketeers roster with previous NCAA tournament experience.
After facing a strong threat down low Tuesday in Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith, the Panthers will take on a different challenge against Nunge, a 7-foot graduate student who averages 14 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Hunter, meanwhile, has performed admirably after stepping in for Zach Freemantle, who saw his season end due to a foot injury in late January.
Xavier entered this year’s tournament averaging a nation-best 13.9 assists per game. The Musketeers are also dangerous from 3-point range, entering the Big Dance shooting an average of 39.5%, which was third-best in the country.
Through all the Musketeers’ strong numbers comes one glaring weakness: defense. Xavier allows an average of 74.1 points per game, which ranks 294th in the country. Needless to say, the matchup will be very different compared to Pitt’s last two opponents, which were both low-scoring, defense-first squads.
Xavier was far from dominant in its 72-67 victory over Kennesaw State, failing to gain control until the final minutes, just avoiding a first-round upset.
Noah Hiles: nhiles@post-gazette.com and Twitter @_NoahHiles
First Published: March 18, 2023, 4:44 p.m.