Panthers ousted from NCAA Tournament
BOSTON — Brandin Knight stood inside TD Banknorth Garden 45 minutes after Pitt's greatest season came to an abrupt end, staring at the empty seats, and beyond.
The assistant coach bid a few somber goodbyes and walked slowly back to a quiet Pitt locker room full of shattered dreams and broken hearts.
"Anytime you see kids end their careers like this, it's difficult," Knight said. "Levance (Fields) has been like a little brother to me. It's tough. The uncertainty of a guy like DeJuan Blair, what his future may hold.
"Levance, I will never get to see him wear that No. 2 jersey again. Tyrell Biggs the same way, and Sam Young. I am going to miss them dearly."
It took one of the most dramatic plays in recent NCAA Tournament history to end Pitt's remarkable, record-breaking season.
Junior guard Scottie Reynolds' driving layup with 0.5 seconds to play gave No. 3 seed Villanova a 78-76 victory over No. 1 seed Pitt in the East Regional final Saturday night.
The loss denied Pitt (31-5) its first trip to the Final Four in 68 years and ends the Panthers' deepest run in the NCAA Tournament since 1974.
"Reynolds just made a great play," Fields said. "It went from being a chance of going into overtime and possibly winning the game to, you know, season being over."
Fields had tied the score, 76-76, on a pair of free throws with 5.5 seconds to play. But Reynolds, a junior guard, took a pass from Dante Cunningham, raced down the right sideline, cut into the lane past Blair and made a floater over Gilbert Brown.
"It's something we do every day in practice at the end," Reynolds said. "I just make an instinct play and it's just whatever I decide. I got lucky with one tonight."
Pitt, which had survived three tight games to reach the Elite 8 for the first time in 35 years, had one last chance.
Fields, who had made so many game-winners over the years, launched a desperation shot from beyond half-court that looked true but it bounced off the glass, narrowly missing the rim, and the Panthers' season was over.
Young scored 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Blair went 9 for 9 from the field and had 20 points and 10 rebounds — his fourth consecutive double-double in the tournament — but the rest of the Pitt team combined for only 28 points.
After the game, Young and Blair were named to the all-Region team, the first time a Pitt player has achieved the honor since Billy Knight was selected in 1974.
That was no consolation for a Pitt team that entered the postseason with so many expectations after rewriting the school record books this season, including a No. 1 ranking, a No. 1 seed and a win over a No. 1 team - all firsts.
It marked the final Pitt game for Young, Fields and Biggs. It also could be the final college game for Blair, the sophomore first-team All-American and projected first-round NBA pick.
Blair, who has until April 26 to declare for NBA Early Entry, said he hasn't made a decision on his future.
"I'm taking some weeks off and relaxing," Blair said. "I'm not going to say what's next now. I'm just going to relax and chill with my family."
Four players scored in double-figures for the Wildcats, who won for the 16th time in 19 games and joined fellow Big East power Connecticut in the Final Four. Villanova will play North Carolina or Oklahoma on Saturday in Detroit.
"It's a game that could have gone either way," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "Unfortunately, we came up short."
Pitt nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback.
Trailing 76-72 with 11 seconds to play, Pitt tied the score after a Blair layup with 10.6 seconds remaining and a sloppy turnover by Villanova on an ill-advised full-length court pass to Cunningham. Jermaine Dixon grabbed the loose ball, and Fields was fouled with 5.5 seconds to play. Fields, the hero of Pitt's Sweet 16 victory over Xavier, made two free throws, setting the stage for Reynolds' heroics.
The game-winner ended a back-and-forth final 10 minutes in which neither team led by more than four points.
After the game, Coach Dixon talked about his three seniors, who won more games (112) than any senior class in Pitt history.
"They left a legacy and left our young guys with something to build on," Dixon said. "It's a game people will talk about as far as a great game. But right now, all we're reflecting on is it's just a disappointment and a loss."
