Posted on 2010-03-11 10:30:00
Pitt falls in Big East Tournament to Notre Dame 50-45
Pitt loses in a hard fought battle 50-45 against a streaking Notre Dame team. The Panthers now await their next opponent when it will be announced Sunday night.
Madison Square Garden has hosted some of the biggest upsets in sports history. This year’s Big East Tournament is proving no exception to that rule. First, Georgetown upset Syracuse and then Marquette shocked Villanova. When the Pittsburgh Panthers (24-8) took the court against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (23-10) they were hoping to change the fortunes of the higher seeds in the Big East. Unfortunately, the Panthers were defeated by the Irish 50-45 in a classic game that had the typical low scoring that has become a staple of the Big East Conference.
The Panthers were never able to take the lead in the second half despite trailing by no less than eight points the entire game. They cut the lead down to two points at least three times throughout the second half. Whenever it seemed that Notre Dame was about to give up its lead, scoring leaders Luke Harangody and Troy Jackson hit clutch shots to keep the Irish in front. Each player scored twelve points. Jackson’s twelve points came on four crucial three pointers. Harangody seems to have adjusted flawlessly to his new role being the Irish sixth man. The first team All-Big East player has been one of the most unselfish players all season and now even though he comes off the bench, Harangody still proved tonight that he could be a force in the paint.
The Panthers had a balanced scoring attack throughout the game. Brad Wanamaker led Pitt with 16 points. He also contributed top notch defense. Jermaine Dixon scored eight first half points but in the second half he only scored two more. Pitt’s biggest achilles heal tonight was field goal shooting. The Panthers shot only 38% from the field. Compare that to Notre Dame shooting 53% and an off night from Ashton Gibbs led to Pittsburgh’s demise. Gibbs finished the game with only four points, which is well below his average of just over 16 points per game. Part of the reason for the poor field goal shooting was a lack of an inside presence. Pitt’s two big men Dante Taylor and Gary McGhee scored only two points combined. Jamie Dixon looked on the bright side of things when addressing the media following the tough loss. The coach said, “You know we will learn from this and we look forward to seeing who we play on Sunday.”
Overall, despite the disappointing loss, Pitt finished an amazing season and now looks ahead to the NCAA Tournament. Despite being predicted for an NIT berth, the Panthers finished second in the Big East and exceeded all expectations. Pittsburgh will find out their opponent on Sunday and it appears that they will receive either a three or four seed for the NCAA Tournament.