It’s safe to say the Duke Blue Devils’ student section was not a cheerful one after Pittsburgh’s historic win on Saturday, and Panthers star Blake Hinson’s celebratory ways were not welcomed in what has since become a viral moment from the game.
No. 7 Duke fell to Pitt 80-76 on Saturday night at Cameron Stadium, giving the Panthers their first win in Durham since 1979.
Hinson couldn’t help but rub some salt in the wound.
The senior forward jumped on top of the scorer’s table after the game and began to celebrate in front of the devastated fans inside Cameron.
In a collective response, the fans greeted Hinson with a bunch of middle fingers, which the ACC Network broadcast caught on camera and caused a buzz among college basketball fans on social media.
“If I’m Blake Hinson I’d get this framed,” one X user wrote.
“Blake Hinson with the hardest photo of 2024,” another post reads. “Blake Hinson does not give a f–k.”
“Truly, one of the coolest college basketball photos I’ve seen in a long time,” The Athletic writer Sam Vecenie posted. “Win on the road, hop on the scorer’s table in front of the entire wild Duke student section. Shout out Blake Hinson.”
After the game, Hinson was asked about what possessed him in that moment and he stated firstly that there was “no disrespect.”
“This is one of the most hardest places to win in the nation,” he said after the game, according to George Michalowski of Pittsburgh Sports Now. “So, that was just an example of you climb up Mount Everest and you was just looking at it from up top, and saying I did it. It’s nothing but respect. You can get mad at it. That’s just your opinion. The way I look at it, it’s respect to them.”
Hinson led the game in points with 24, including shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from deep, and he also added eight rebounds.
Ahead of the game, the Panthers (11-7) were called as 12 1/2 point underdogs against the Blue Devils, who dropped to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in ACC conference play.