Pitt marches to 1st NCAA Tournament win since 2014 in First Four thriller

DAYTON, Ohio — In the aftermath of Pitt’s rousing 60-59 victory Tuesday night in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, Jamarius Burton, Blake Hinson and the Diaz Graham twins – Guillermo and Jorge – handled themselves from three totally different corners of the emotional spectrum.

Guillermo, who blocked Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith’s potential game-winning shot with two seconds left in his first career start, couldn’t hold back the tears when his brother hugged him on the UD Arena hardwood. Moments earlier, he let out a scream in front of a section of Pitt fans as Smith’s shot bounced out of bounds.

Burton, who played only 19 minutes because of foul trouble, hit the game-winning shot with 9.8 seconds to play. Later, he explained what happened like he does it every day.

“When I got the ball, I just told myself I’m built for it,” he said. “I’ve been in this position before with the ball in my hands. I gave myself the confidence and got to a spot and let it go.”

Hinson? He calmly munched on Swedish fish from a paper cup in the Pitt locker room while explaining how he hit the 3-pointer that give Pitt its biggest lead, 58-52, with 3 minutes, 8 seconds to play.

Guillermo Diaz Graham after an emotional night. pic.twitter.com/nJUVNVEJSO

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) March 15, 2023

It was his second 3-pointer of the game and the most important of his 93 this season.

The roar from the crowd as the basketball settled into the cords reflected the importance of the game. Yet Hinson all but shrugged his shoulders when asked about his ability to hit long-range shots.

“When you’re big and unathletic growing up,” he said, “you have to find another way to compete.”

Compete is what Pitt and Mississippi State did while trying to advance to the 64-team field. The Panthers (23-11) recorded their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2014 and will meet Iowa State in a Midwest Regional first-round game at 3 p.m. Friday in Greensboro, N.C.

The biggest lead for either team was six points, and one-point advantages changed hands on seven consecutive baskets at the outset of the second half. Overall, the teams swapped the lead 21 times, the most in an NCAA Tournament game in five yeas.

“We were never rattled,” Greg Elliott said. “Our team just stayed connected the whole time.”

Finally, Elliott stepped up and made two free throws and a basket in front of Hinson’s 3-pointer to give Pitt six points of breathing room.

Greg Elliott speaks post-game. pic.twitter.com/4R7Uwj2E1u

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) March 15, 2023

But Mississippi State (21-13) fought back and created some tense moments.

“They played like a team that didn’t want to go home,” Hinson said.

Smith, the Bulldogs’ 6-foot-11 All-SEC performer, scored on a dunk and layup around a 3-pointer by D.J. Jeffries to give his team a 59-58 lead with 32 seconds left.

That’s when Burton got the ball in his hands and had no intention of giving it up before taking the biggest shot of his career.

“We got to an action that I liked, and I just went through my progressions,” Burton said. “We’re the type of team that’s resilient and fights to the end. We’re built for that type of moment.”

But none of those big-moment plays would have made much difference if not for the defensive effort on Smith. Playing without starting center Federiko Federiko, who has a knee injury and was in street clothes on the bench, Pitt doubled Smith as often as possible when he caught the ball.

“Fede is a big part of this team’s success,” Jorge said. “Not having him is hard for us. I think my brother and me, we did a great job. I’m just so proud of my brother.”

Smith scored 13 points with eight rebounds, close to his average in both categories. But he wasn’t the dominant factor many believed he would be with Federiko unavailable.

“We knew we were going to have to have G’s back in that regard,” Burton said. “When you have an All-SEC type of player who has a presence like that, you have to double him.”

Meanwhile, point guard Nelly Cummings led Pitt with 15 points. “He really steered the ship when I was on the bench,” Burton said. Elliott added 13, Hinson 12 and Nike Sibande 11.

Now, there’s more basketball left for this group. Pitt’s entourage left Dayton immediately after the game and flew directly to Greensboro.

“I didn’t want it to be the last game with this team, so we went out there and fought and you see where we’re at now,” Elliott said.

Capel said he saw the same team Tuesday that he has led all season.

“It wasn’t pretty, but it was beautiful,” he said. “We just feel so grateful, so thankful and so excited to be able to advance and get to Greensboro.”

Added Hinson: “I love this group and I just want to keep playing with this group as long as I can.”