GREENSBORO, N.C. – Pitt celebrated its second win in the NCAA Tournament Friday in a 59-41 beatdown of Iowa State but also rejoiced over the two starters reaching career point milestones.
Graduate guards Nelly Cummings and Jamarius Burton both eclipsed the 1,500-point plateau in the 18-point victory, adding another milestone to their successful careers.
“To be honest, I didn’t really know about it until after the game,” Cummings said. “It’s definitely a milestone that one day I’ll be able to look back and appreciate.”
From Midland, Pennsylvania, and a Lincoln Park alum, Cummings surpassed 1,000 points during his senior season at Colgate. He scored 109 points during his freshman campaign at Bowling Green before transferring to the Raiders and 1,003 over the next three seasons.
He starred in the NCAA Tournament as Colgate’s leading scorer in Tournament play before arriving at Pitt for his final year of eligibility. Cummings has scored 392 points in a Pitt uniform including a team-high 15 against Mississippi State in the First Four and 13 facing Iowa State in the Round of 64. He averaged 12.7 points per game for the program, starting all but one of his 79 appearances.
Burton owns 875 career Panther points in two seasons after transferring from Texas Tech. The Charlotte, North Carolina native returned home to reach 1,500 points at the Greensboro Coliseum.
“It doesn’t mean much, honestly,” Burton said. “It just means that I’ve been able to put the ball in the hole and be consistent in my college career.”
He began his career at Wichita State, scoring 530 career points in 67 games (52 starts) spanning two seasons. Burton transferred to Texas Tech for the 2020-21 season where he scored an even 100 points and averaged a career-low 4.3 per game. His best success has come at Pitt and is tied with Blake Hinson in average scoring (15.2) this season in what had been his most productive offensive output.
“It never was a goal of mine,” Burton said. “I credit everybody that was a part of it. From managers, to the coaching staff, and mentors. There’s been a lot of people that have helped me through my college career.”
No. 11 Pitt faces No. 3 Xavier Sunday, led by former Pitt guard and current Xavier head coach Sean Miller with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line Sunday beginning at 12:10 p.m.
