Pitt Guard Out with Injury vs. Quinnipiac

Cummings - a 6-foot-3 guard from Midland, Pa. - started the season strong against Youngstown State and Longwood, but he hasn't reached those peaks since.

In the last three games against West Virginia , Bucknell and UCF, he's shot 31% from the field (14% from beyond the arc) and averaged just 8.3 points and 1.0 assists per game.

Jeff Capel has spoken this season about how important Cummings is to the team, especially when it comes to shouldering the load offensively.

"Well, he's got to be a good player," Capel said after the exhibition win vs. Pitt-Johnstown. "That's his role is to be a good player. Brandin can score the basketball. He can create. He's got to defend at a high level. He's got to be a connector."

Cummings hasn't met expectations this season, especially as he's battled injuries, but he has shown flashes during his short college career. In his absence, Barry Dunning Jr. has been slotted into the lineup.

Dunning - a 6-foot-6 wing from Mobile, Ala. - had a slow start to the season, but ever since a breakout performance vs. Bucknell, he's been a strong scorer off the bench. He earned his first start of the season vs. Quinnipiac.

Over the first four contests, Dunning averaged just 10 minutes per game and shot 2-of-15 from the field (1-of-8 from 3-point range). Pitt is still looking for a player to carry the load offensively, especially from deep, and the early returns on Dunning weren't good.

Over the last two games, he's shot 11-of-20 from the field (9-of-17 from beyond the arc) and hit on all six free throw attempts. He's also been strong on the offensive and defensive sides of the football, providing a spark off the bench.

The rest of the lineup outside of Cummings remains the same, with Demarco Minor, Omari Witherspoon, Roman Siulepa and Cam Corhen earning starts.