Pitt Guard Out vs. Eastern Michigan With Injury

What Does the Pitt Starting Lineup Look Like

The Panthers went with three guards, with fifth year Damarco "Polo" Minor and freshman Omari Witherspoon making their third start, while sophomore Nojus Indrusaitis makes his first start of the season.

Both forwards in freshman Roman Siulepa and senior Cameron Corhen make their third starts as well for Pitt, with this serving as their first starting lineup change of the season.

The Panthers will also need bigger contributions from freshman guard Macari Moore and senior guard/forward Barry Dunning Jr. in Cummings' absence.

Brandin Cummings' Season So Far for Pitt

Cummings has done well for Pitt in his first two games, leading them to back-to-back victories to begin the campaign.

He scored 18 points in the 74-59 win over Youngstown State in the season opener on Nov. 3 at the Petersen Events Center, shooting 4-for-8 from the field, 2-for-4 from 3-point range and 8-for-11 from the free throw line, while making two steals.

Cummings then scored 19 points in the 78-60 win over Longwood on Nov. 7, shooting 5-for-8 from 3-point range and 4-for-5 from the foul line, with three assists and two rebounds.

Cummings Has Strong Freshman Year With the Panthers

He came out of excelled at nearby Lincoln Park in Midland, Pa., winning three WPIAL Titles, back-to-back PIAA Titles as a junior in 2023 and a senior 2024, scoring 2,222 points in his high school career.

He is the brother former Pitt player Nelly Cummings, who also played for Lincoln Park and his final season of college basketball in 2022-23 for Pitt, where he got the program back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years.

Cummings played in 31 games, missing just one, and started four contests, while averaging 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 16.2 minutes played per game. He also shot 42.9% from the field, 37.7% from 3-point range and 82.1% from the free throw line as a freshman.

He finished with a career-high 30 points in the 96-56 win over Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 11, 2024. He shot 10-for-13, 76.9%, from the field and 6-for-8, 75%, from 3-point range, having an incredibly efficient night to help Pitt blowout their mid-major foe.

Cummings earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors, the first of his career, the first Pitt player this season and just the fourth player in program history.

He was just the fourth player to score 30 points as a freshman in Pitt history, joining Xavier Johnson, McGowens and Champagnie, tying him for the third most points in a game for a freshman at Pitt.

Cummings also scored 30 points in 30 minutes, giving him a point per minute, tying him for the sixth most efficient game for a Pitt player who scored 30 points or more in a game.