The Panthers go to school in Pennsylvania, but they clearly go to work in New York City.
Pittsburgh put on another stunning performance at the Big East tournament, where it has advanced to the championship game six of the last seven seasons. The seventh-seeded Panthers got another step closer Thursday night when they upset second-seeded Louisville 76-69 in overtime.
The Panthers (24-9) advance to face the winner of the quarterfinal game between Marquette and Notre Dame.
Pittsburgh made both of its baskets and connected on all 10 of its free throws to outscore the Cardinals (24-8) 14-7 in overtime.
Pitt forward Sam Young scored 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting to go with 12 rebounds.
— Shannon Ryan
West Virginia 78, UConn 72: Even at the buzzer, Joe kept his cool.
West Virginia’s Joe Alexander scored 34 points to record the tournament’s first upset. As teammates jumped on his back and embraced him, Alexander walked straight-faced to the handshake line.
Crediting his corralled energy as the key, Alexander has been the fifth-seeded Mountaineers most exciting player on the court, if not walking off it, averaging 30 points a tournament game.
The Mountaineers face top-seeded Georgetown in Friday’s semifinals.
West Virginia led by 12 points in the second half, but the fourth-seeded Huskies (24-8) cut it to 70-65 with about two minutes to play. The Mountaineers (24-9) withstood the rally using their aggressive rebounding, where they held a 42-36 advantage.
“They came out and kicked our butt,” Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. “We couldn’t get any defensive rebounds to get things going. … Simple. Case closed. We go home.”
— Shannon Ryan
Georgetown 82, Villanova 63: Exactly one Georgetown player, center Roy Hibbert, earned first-team All-Big East honors despite the Hoyas’ first-place finish in the regular season.
When the postseason began Thursday, however, that player was a 7-foot-2-inch seat warmer.
So, with Hibbert beset by foul trouble, the top-seeded Hoyas (26-4) spent their time outside, hitting a school-record 17 three-pointers.
New York native Jesse Sapp led the charge with 23 points, including six three-pointers, while Jonathan Wallace added 20 points and five bombs from long range.
Hibbert, meanwhile, took two shots and went scoreless in 14 foul-plagued minutes against the Wildcats (20-12).
“Most times he has three people around him when we’re playing [Villanova],” Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. “With skip passes and good ball reversal, you end up with open shots. … We told our guys, be ready to shoot.”
— Brian Hamilton
