WASHINGTON—The beginning of March means madness and in the Pitt versus Syracuse ACC Tournament match-up there was plenty. Both teams blew double digit leads in the back and forth affair, until Pitt finally escaped with the 72-71 win and most likely the NCAA Tournament berth.
Recap:
The first couple of minutes were far from smooth, and not because of the players. The shot clock malfunctioned eight different times, which delayed the game a total of 13 minutes. Once the game got flowing the Panthers looked to be a step slow. The Orange took advantage and after a Michael Gbinije made three they led 22-12 with seven minutes left in the half. However, thanks in large part to Pitt freshman Cameron Johnson they went on a 17-3 run to close out the half. Johnson had eight points during the run. Surprisingly after such a poor start, the Panthers had a 31-29 lead at the break.
The momentum for Pitt carried over into the second frame, outscoring Syracuse by seven after the first five minutes of the half. Orange coach Jim Boeheim was forced to call a timeout after the Johnson fast break dunk. Boeheim’s team just would not quit, twice they cut down Panther leads of 14 and ten to just six and four. However, each time Pitt responded, the second of which gave them the 66-54 advantage with 4:27 to play. That 12-point lead was quickly brought down to just four a Tyler Roberson lay-up, a Malachi Richardson made three, Tyler Lydon made jumper, and a Gbinije three-pointer. Syracuse would then tie it after back-to-back Pitt turnovers led directly to four points. Tied at 68 and with the Orange having the ball it looked like they were poised to finish the epic comeback. But Robinson made two clutch plays, first getting the steal leading to a lay-up and then the contested jumper for the four-point advantage. Gbinije did make a three to cut it to one, but Trevor Cooney’s game winner was off the mark.
Star of the game was Johnson, scoring 24 points with four threes off the bench. Other Panther players in double figures were Jamel Artis 10, Ryan Luther 13, and Robinson 12
Team Grades
Offensive Grade: B+
Pitt really likes playing against this Syracuse zone. In all three meetings they have done a good job of being patient and finding good shots. Johnson was a big part of that, because his shooting stretched the zone thin. They did have some bad turnovers early, but figured that out for most of the second half. Unfortunately, their offense almost lost the game by struggling against the press. In the end though Pitt ran a solid zone offense throughout the majority of the game and boy was it needed.
Defensive Grade: C
Like I have said on several occasion this Pitt defense is not awful, but sometimes they have brain cramps. Before Cooney’s last shot ‘Cuse had made their last five three pointers. The most inexcusable came when Robinson for some reason let Gbinije dribble up into a comfortable three with under 20 seconds to play. However, the defense did prevent Gbinije from getting the ball on the last possession, which did help them win.
Coaching Grade: C+
Not sure what to think about Jamie Dixon’s coaching job in this game. On the one hand they did come back from a double-digit deficit, something they have been very poor at, to take several double digit leads of their own. On the other hand though they did almost blow a 12-point lead in four minutes due to an inability to handle the press. Just above average seems about right, since they did win and he utilized Luther and Johnson extremely well.
Up next:
Tomorrow at noon Pitt’s ACC Tournament journey continues with a battle against top seed North Carolina.