Out of the Pitt

Panthers outlast Mississippi State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi gets its first NCAA Tournament win ever, NIT updates and more

Author

Mike Miller
March 15, 2023

Remember what it was like when you were a kid, waiting for your birthday, Christmas or a big trip? And it was only a few days away but it felt like those days were more like 48 hours long?

That's this week. The good news is that the NCAA Tournament starts in full tomorrow. And we had First Four games last night to whet our appetite. Let's get to it.

1. Pitt prevails for first NCAA Tourney win since '14

Forget any bad omens. Pitt delivered when it mattered against Mississippi State in its First Four game Tuesday night in Dayton.

Especially forward Guillermo Diaz Graham.

Playing in place of injured starter Federiko Federiko, Diaz logged 37 minutes. He had just three points and five rebounds, but his game-saving block on All-SEC forward Tolu Smith in the final 2.7 seconds — plus a couple of Miss State misses — helped the Panthers claw their way to a 60-59 win.

It was their first NCAA Tournament win since 2014.

Diaz was largely outplayed by the larger Bulldogs (21-13). Mississippi State had 30 points in the paint and 18 offensive rebounds, both of which underlined its strength. But coach Jeff Capel was grateful for the minutes Diaz provided.

"There were times when he wanted to put his head down and he didn't feel good about maybe an assignment or missing a shot, and those guys kept telling him, 'Don't do that. We got your back. We're with you,'" Capel said afterward. "It's who they've been all year."

Speaking of who they've been all year, All-ACC guard Jamarius Burton, limited by foul trouble most of the game, finished with just six points but hit what proved to be the game-winning shot with 10 seconds left.

Nelly Cummings led the Panthers with 15 points, while Greg Elliott added 13. And now? Pitt's striking some as a team that could keep winning in the NCAA Tournament.

Pitt will face 6-seed Iowa State on Friday in Greensboro for a Midwest Region game.

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2. 'Let's do this for T'

Not having your starting point guard usually is a bad sign when March rolls around. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi decided otherwise.

The Islanders, playing without leader and defensive stalwart Terrion Murdix, held off Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday for an historic 75-71 win at the First Four in Dayton.

Murdix, on crutches after an injury in the Southland Tournament title game, watched as the Islanders (24-10) made play after play late in the game, even when SEMO (19-17) seemed to have enough juice to sneak out a win.

"It was a consistent theme: 'Let's do this for T,'" said guard Ross Williams. "T is an unselfish person, he'll give the shirt off his back, so when you lose a guy like that, it brings the group closer together. We know we're not done yet.

Williams scored 13, while Jalen Jackson led A&M CC with 22 points, 14 of which came from the free-throw line, a common theme from the night.

SEMO was called for 31 fouls, the most in First Four history. It had three players foul out, including Chris Harris. He was a force in the second half, scoring 19 of his game-high 23 points to help SEMO makes its push.

Next up? Top overall seed Alabama.

3. A little Pride on the road

Most of March Madness starts on Thursday. But Hofstra did its part to bring it to the NIT.

That was senior Tyler Thomas putting the finishing touches on the last of his game-high 25 points in an 88-86 overtime win against the Scarlet Knights.

Even better? Hofstra needed a Nelson Boachie-Yiadom jumper in the final seconds to force OT!

The Pride (25-9) were hot all night, hitting 56.9 percent of its shots, which offset their 16 turnovers. They'll now face the winner of tonight's Cincinnati-Virginia Tech game.

Other NIT results (Bracket and schedule are here):

Liberty 62, Villanova 57Darius McGhee scored 26 points as the Flames (27-8) held off the Wildcats (17-17) in their NIT opener. It was Villanova's first season without a winning record since 2011-12.

Wisconsin 81, Bradley 62Steven Crowl's season-high 36 points ensured the Badgers (18-14) had no trouble against the Mo Valley regular-season champs. The Braves finished their season 25-10.

Michigan 90, Toledo 80Kobe Bufkin scored 23 points as the Wolverines (18-15) held court against Toledo (27-8), which couldn't make any stops when it needed to. Michigan hit nearly 60% of its shots and limited Toledo to one shot and out most of the game.

UAB 88, Southern Miss 60KJ Buffen scored 26 as the Blazers (26-9) pulled away with a 47-point second half and will play the Clemson-Morehead State winner next.

Vanderbilt 71, Yale 62Vandy led from start to finish, getting 25 points from Tyrin Lawrence and 18 from Ezra Manjon. The Commodores (20-14) got off to a fast start against Yale's usually steadfast defense, leading 11-0 after four minutes and never looking back.

Eastern Washington 81, Washington State 74A showdown on the Palouse saw Steele Venters score 27 points, including five in the final minute, to help the Eagles (23-10) outlast the host Cougars (17-17), who got 23 points from DJ Rodman.

Colorado 65, Seton Hall 64Julian Hammond III hit the game-winning layup with 20 seconds left as the Buffs (18-16) held off a late run by the Pirates (17-16).

4. JJ Starling heading to Syracuse

Syracuse will adjust to life without Jim Boeheim next season. Maybe JJ Starling can ease that.

The 6-4 guard, who averaged 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists for Notre Dame this season, will head to Syracuse for the 2023-24 season and play for new coach Adrian Autry.

A former 5-star prospect, Starling struggled at times during his freshman season, shooting just 42 percent from the field and a paltry 29.9 percent from deep. But he's from upstate New York and says he's looking forward to putting his dynamic playmaking skills to work.

“My relationship with coach Autry is very strong,” Starling told On3.com. “That is a guy I know I can trust and he isn’t sugarcoating anything he’s telling me. I know he is going to be a coach that allows his players to play with freedom and also instills confidence in them whenever they need it. Lastly, the style of play fits perfectly because we are going to look to push the ball in transition a lot and be put in positions that allow us to do what we do best.”

Also in notable transfer portal news:

5. Get the man some silver

Sometimes, I think the whole October, November, December, January, February, Izzo thing is a little overdone. Don't get me wrong. Tom Izzo's a legend. The guy's been to eight Final Fours and won it all in 2000.

But it's a little absurd that this will be his 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, breaking Coach K's streak of 24.

25 years! Every season since 1998!

That's the third-longest streak in NCAA Tournament history, trailing only Kansas (33, and active) and North Carolina (27, from 1975-2001). And he's done it on his own. Pretty remarkable.

(Makes mental note to mention Bill Self's streak next season, which will be 25 years with three separate schools.)

The bubble in real time

Nevada (22-10) and Arizona State (22-12) were the last two at-large bids for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. For all the moaning about tournament expansion, we'll get to see a live version of how an expanded tournament might look tonight. Will it be a high-level basketball? Not sure. Will it likely come down to the final minute and be entertaining? Hell yeah. And isn't that the point? (9:10 pm ET, truTV)

More games to watch (All times ET)

  • Fairleigh Dickinson (19-15) vs. Texas Southern (14-20), 6:40 pm (truTV)

  • NIT: Oklahoma State at Youngstown State, 7 pm (ESPN+)

Cool(ey) customer?

Plenty of schools have already made coaching changes this season, but there's one school that's dominating the news because of who is rumored to be their hire. So what's going on with Georgetown and all the Ed Cooley rumors? And is he able to focus on what's ahead for Providence? Matt McCall, LaVall Jordan and Greg Waddel discuss.

Links as you change you bracket picks for the 18th time.

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