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Five Takeaways: Pitt Beats Iowa State at its Own Game in Dominant Round-of-64 Showing

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GREENSBORO, N.C — Iowa State was one of the top 25 defensive teams in the country coming into its game against Pitt.

However, on Friday, Pitt’s defense was the one that shined.

“What an unbelievable defensive performance,” Jeff Capel said after his team’s 59-41 win over the 6-seed Iowa State. “I said out there and I said to these guys in the locker room, we were a really good defensive team for the majority of the year except for the last month of the season, and we’ve really dialed back in these past two games and played at an elite level. Really, really proud of them.”

The Panthers got off to a 22-2 lead in Greensboro, suffocating Iowa State to the tune of an 0-8 start from the field by the Cyclones. In the second half, Pitt’s defensive intensity continued to frustrate Iowa State, which finished the game shooting just 23% from the field and just 9.5% from three-point range (2 for 23).

Iowa State’s top two three-point shooters, Jaren Holmes and Gabe Kalscheur, combined to go just 1-14 from three-point land. The Panthers — in a slow-paced battle — had prevailed with ease due to their defensive power.

Offensively, Pitt used its huge early run and timely scoring in the second half to dominate TJ Otzelberger’s Cyclones and move on to the Round of 32.

NELLY’S MONTH

Nelly Cummings once again came up huge in March. 

In a sluggish game for both sides, Cummings hit some of the Panthers’ biggest buckets in their win over Iowa State. After scoring just two points in the first half, Cummings added 11 in the second. He went on a personal 6-2 run, fending off Iowa State’s early run in the half. His buckets included an and-one floater, a deep three early in the half, and a dagger of a three with just one minute remaining.

Cummings’ career stats in the NCAA Tournament (4 games):

2020-21: Arkansas: 4-8 3FG, 14 points, 3 REB, 4 AST

2021-22: Wisconsin: 2-6 3FG, 20 points, 6 REB, 6 AST

2022-23 Mississippi State: 2-4 3FG, 15 points, 3 REB, 4 AST

2022-23 Iowa State: 2-5 3FG, 13 points, 1 REB, 3 AST

Cummings is averaging 15.5 points and 4.3 assists in his NCAA Tournament career and is shooting 10-23 (43%) from three-point range in the Tournament.

On Friday, Cummings also reached the 1,500-point mark for his college hoops career.

ACC TAKES DOWN BIG 12

Throughout the college basketball season, the Big 12 was widely regarded as the best conference in America. However, with No. 11 Pitt’s dominant win over No. 6 Iowa State, the Panthers believe that their conference reigns superior.

“Coach, he told us that we’ve been prepared by the type of opponents we played in our conference,” Jamarius Burton said after the game. “If today didn’t show that, then I don’t know what else does.”

Seven Big 12 teams made the tournament, and five ACC teams made the dance.

As of Pitt’s win over Iowa State, the ACC stands at 2-2, while the Big 12 stands at 3-2.  Duke won, Pitt won, Virginia lost, and NC State lost for the ACC so far, while the Big 12’s Texas won, Kansas won, and Baylor won, and West Virginia and Iowa State lost.

PANTHERS KEEP DANCING

With the win, Pitt improves to 24-11 on the year.

The Panthers have not won 24 games in a season since the 2013-14 season, when they made it to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament and finished with 26 wins.

“Like Coach said, we did have a players’ meeting where we came in and regrouped with everybody and let everybody know obviously, we didn’t get the regular season journey finished how we wanted to, but we had an opportunity in March to go out here and do that,” Cummings said. “So, we knew that it was going to require us to be really, really locked in and focused and paying attention to details. That’s kind of what we’re doing. We have an older group who has been here before, and we understand what it takes to win in March.”

SEAN MILLER AWAITS

Pitt now moves on to the Round of 32 to take on familiar face Sean Miller and his Xavier Musketeers in Greensboro on Sunday.

The Musketeers’ head coach, from Western PA, first played at Blackhawk high school and then played at Pitt from 1987-92, averaging 9+ points per game in each of his four collegiate seasons in Pittsburgh. Miller scored more than 1,200 points and dished out more than 740 assists in his Panther career.

Miller was rumored to have interviewed for the Pitt head coaching job back in 2018, but later denied that he had any interest in the job.

His Musketeers are a 3-seed in this year’s dance. They barely escaped 14-seed Kennesaw State on Friday afternoon, winning behind a late 15-0 run led by Jerome Hunter, Colby Jones, Souley Boum, and others.

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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Ed Rose
Ed Rose
1 year ago

Best Pitt team since 2009. 24 wins so far, 14 conference wins and two tournament wins so far all for a team picked 14th. Great job by the players and coaches. Ken Pomeroy can stick his computer ranking programs up his rear end.

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