NCAA Tournament: Xavier ends Pitt’s season; Butler leads No.2 West Virginia into the Sweet 16
Crawford leads No. 6 Xavier past No. 3 Pitt The Pittsburgh Panthers season came to an end on a disappointing note today as Xavier’s Jordan Crawford scored 27 points, including a breakaway dunk with less than two minutes remaining to lead No. 6 Xavier past No. 3 Pitt 71-68 in the West Regional. History has shown during Pitt previous eight appearances in the NCAA tournament that on most occasions Pitt loses to a team that has a player who can take over a game and history repeated itself in Milwaukee Sunday evening. Crawford who became a known name during the summer after dunking on NBA star Lebron James, was 9-for-15 from the field and 4-for-7 from three point range in
Consistency from Gilbert Brown a key to Pitt advancing to the Round of 16
Brown stars in First Round win Unlike some of their Big East rivals, the No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers took care of business in their first round matchup with No. 14 Oakland. The Panthers shook off a slow start to rout No. 14 seed Oakland 89-66 in the West Regional. Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown led the Panthers with 17 points each, as the Panthers had a total of six Panthers players who scored in double figures. I liked the balanced scoring,” head coach Jamie Dixon said. “Once we were able to get going, we could find some guys for open shots, and things started rolling.” A key to Pitt’s victory was a strong performance off the bench from Gilbert Brown.
NCAA Tournament: WVU earns a No. 2 seed, Pitt No. 3 seed
The Pittsburgh Panthers (24-8) have earned a No. 3 seed out of the West Region. The Panthers will head to Milwaukee to begin the tournament and face Summit League champion Oakland (26-8). The Panthers begin play on Friday and would face the winner of No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 11 Minnesota. The No. 1 seed in the West Region is Syracuse and Kansas State has earned a No. 2 seed in the West Region. The Panthers quarterfinals exit in the Big East Tournament did not hurt their seeding. The committee continues to downplay the importance of conference tournaments. Meanwhile, West Virginia earned a No. 2 seed, just a day after winning their first Big East title. The Mountaineers earned a
No. 6 West Virginia routs No. 21 Pittsburgh 70-51
West Virginia 70 – Pittsburgh 51 Da’Sean Butler scored 18 points and Devin Ebanks added a game-high 16 rebounds to lead No. 6 West Virginia (18-3) to a 70-51 victory over No. 21 Pittsburgh (16-6) Wednesday night at the WVU Coliseum in what was the 179th Backyard Brawl. Pittsburgh shot a woeful 30 percent from the field and made only 6 field goals in the second half. Pittsburgh has lost four of five games after an eight game winning streak and all of sudden Pitt is starting to resemble the young inconsistent team, that many thought we would see most nights this season. Pittsburgh scored 23 points in the second half, their second-lowest scoring total of the season but their
Coaches Poll: Pitt falls to No. 21; WVU moves up to No. 6
The Pittsburgh Panthers (16-5) took a plunge in the coaches poll for the second straight week. Pitt fell four spots to No. 21 after a 1-1 week, defeating St. John’s 63-53 (1/28), and losing to South Florida 70-61 (1/31) Sunday afternoon on the road. Meanwhile, West Virginia continues their climb in the top 10 and have moved up three spots to No. 6 in the latest coaches poll. West Virginia beat DePaul 62-46 (1/26) and Louisville 77-74 (1/30) last week to improve to 17-3 on the season. Pitt and West Virginia meet Wednesday night for a Big East showdown.
Former Pitt recruit hands Pittsburgh their second straight loss
The No. 9 Pittsburgh Panthers (15-4) lost for the second straight game, losing to Seton Hall 64-61 Sunday afternoon. The Panthers who have been the talk of the Big East after a 5-0 start are now 5-2 in conference play after back-to-back losses. Pitt’s five-game road win streak was also snapped. Former Pitt recruit Herb Pope had 19 points and nine rebounds, leading Seton Hall to their biggest win in over four years since head coach Bobby Gonzalez took over at Seton Hall. Ashton Gibbs led Pitt with 23 points but was 4-for-15 from the field and 1-for-7 from 3-point range. It was an off night for Gibbs who for his part was 14-for-14 at the free throw line. Jermaine
TIOPS Newswire: NHL, NFL & MLB news and notes
Daily installment on the latest buzz in the NHL, NFL, MLB and the college ranks National Football League ***The New York Jets magical run in the 2010 playoffs continued Sunday afternoon as the Jets stunned the 7 point favorite San Diego Chargers. The Jets knocked off the Chargers 17-14 to advance to the AFC title game for a rematch with the Indianapolis Colts who laid down in week 16, resting starters against the Jets. For the Chargers, it was an another disappointing playoff run. Among the most talented teams in the NFL, there has always been something missing. Despite Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez throwing for a measly 100 yards, the Jets played dominate defense and exposed the Chargers run defense.
Panthers (14-2, 4-0) put together another impressive road victory
The No. 16 Pittsburgh Panthers put together another impressive road victory Wednesday night, defeating No. 15 Connecticut 67-57. The Panthers (14-2) won for the seventh straight time and improved their record to 4-0 in the Big East. After a nine day layoff between games, following two key road wins against Syracuse and Cincinnati, Pittsburgh didn’t lose any of their momentum. Brad Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs each scored 19 points and the young Panthers have a swagger about them. Pittsburgh dominated on the boards, out-rebounding Connecticut 40-31, including 26-13 in the second half. “We out rebounded them by 13 in second half, and clearly that was the difference, ” head coach Jamie Dixon said. Pitt is playing Jamie Dixon type of
Pitt hoops: Panthers knock off No.5 Syracuse
The Pittsburgh Panthers (12-2, 2-0) continued their dominance at the Carrier Dome as Ashton Gibbs scored 24 points and Jermaine Dixon added 21 points to lead Pittsburgh to an 82-72 victory over the previously unbeaten No.5 Syracuse Orange (13-1). Trailing 30-27 after the first half, Pitt went on a 14-3 run in the second half and jumped out to a 60-47 lead as the Panthers outscored Syracuse 55-42 in the second half. Pitt opens up the Big East season 2-0. Through 14 games, Ashton Gibbs has established himself as Pitt’s go-to-player, scoring double digit points in 12 of 14 games and back-to-back games with 20+ points. Gibbs led the way for the Panthers offensively but also added 8 rebounds and
Pitt hoops: Chase Adams stars in Blue-Gold Scrimmage
Pittsburgh — The Pittsburgh Panthers Mens’ basketball team took part in their annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage Tuesday night as senior guard Chase Adams starred, leading the Blue team to a 56-53 win. Adams, a senior transfer led all scorers with 21 points and was 5-for-7 shooting from three point range. Adams showed athleticism, good range, and was 8-for-11 from the field. While Adams was the star for the Blue team, junior guard Brad Wanamaker and sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs each had strong performances for the Gold team. Wanamaker, a player the coaching staff expects to play a big role for the young panthers this season, scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was aggressive driving to the hoop and creating his