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Pitt’s Blake Hinson likely had the highlight of basketball career on Saturday.
Hinson went 7-of-7 from beyond the arc and scored 24 points to lead the Panthers to an 80-76 upset victory over the No. 7-ranked Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
After the victory, Hinson did what any college basketball junkie would do, he ran over and taunted the Cameron Crazies. Does he regret the move? Not even a little bit.
Hinson spoke with Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports and explained what went into the moment that made him a temporary hero of Panthers fans everywhere.
“I don’t know if it was reverse psychology or they were trying to screw with me but they were saying hi and being really nice to me during warmups,” Hinson told Eisenberg. “I said to my teammates, ‘I don’t enjoy being liked by the opposing fans. Heckling is what I live for.’”
Duke fans, unsurprisingly, were none too happy with the postgame celebration.
“They weren’t happy, that’s for sure,” Hinson said.
The transfer guard from Ole Miss doesn’t regret his decision, however, even despite a good bit of backlash.
“That was just the excitement and the passion that I was feeling in that moment and the respect I had for that arena and that fan base,” Hinson insists. “I’m acknowledging how hard it is to play there and how good that team is. I can see if you’re a Duke fan, why you’d be mad, but there’s nothing but respect on my end.”
Hinson and the Panthers have struggled this season. They’re just 11-7 on the year and 2-5 in ACC play. But the victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium is one they’ll likely remember for the rest of their lives.
So it’s easy to excuse such a visceral reaction from a player who just had a game of his career.
After all, Duke fans should wear it as a badge of honor.