hehe scott
hehe scott
Pitt has won both games easily +26 & +22, and Marq has slipped past HC +4 and Mizzou in OT... I see pitt winning this game and maybe +10 ... I should just bet the line, but like i said, I hate giving pts. the second rd. historically the better teams win and upsets peter out, altho PItt lost LY to Kent St in this same game by 5, I only see this as more motivation tonight... Marq played one tourney game LY and lost ... Calhoun said on PTI that Pitt is hungry and will be a final four team, I dont know about beating KY, but their D is more than capable of shutting down Deiner and Wade ...
ps Scott didnt you tell me you havent watched hardly any games in tourney
March 25, 2003
Pittsburgh has earned a reputation of shutting down high scorers throughout the season en route to its second straight round of 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Marquette guards Travis Diener and Dwyane Wade hope to avoid being added to the list as the teams play in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
The second-seeded Panthers entered the NCAA tournament fifth in the nation in field-goal percentage defense (38.5) and sixth in scoring defense (58.8 points per game). In Big East play, Pitt was able to consistently shut down its opponents' top scorer.
Thanks to the intense defense of guards Brandin Knight and Julius Page, the Panthers held Indiana's backcourt of Bracey Wright and Tom Coverdale in check en route a 74-52 second-round victory. Wright, the Hoosiers' leading scorer, had 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting and Coverdale, who scored 23 in the first round, had just six points.
``Pittsburgh Steelers defense,'' Panthers coach Ben Howland said. ``We're not tall. We're burly. We want kids that are tough. That's what wins.''
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Pittsburgh has limited Wagner and Indiana to just 113 points in the first two rounds, the second-lowest total among the 16 teams remaining. Yet, Howland knows every NCAA tournament opponent is tough, especially one like Marquette which is riding a hot player.
``They have outstanding talent,'' Howland said of the Golden Eagles. ``Diener is as good a shooter as there is in the country.''
A wiry 6-foot sophomore, Diener has grabbed the offensive spotlight from Wade, who led Conference USA in scoring at 21.6 points per game. Diener had a career-high 29 points in a first-round victory over Holy Cross and added 26 more as the third-seeded Golden Eagles outlasted Missouri 101-92 in overtime Saturday.
``Our goal from Day One was to win the national championship and we're not going to be happy or satisfied with anything less than that,'' said Diener, who shot 10-of-17 from 3-point range in the two wins. ``So, we still have goals in mind and we're not satisfied just to be going to Minnesota.''
Wade was no slouch in Saturday's win, adding 24 points, eight rebounds and a team-high seven assists. But the junior struggled at times finding his shot and went 11-of-34 (32.4 percent) from the field in the two games at Indianapolis.
The Conference USA player of the year hopes facing an opponent that uses a bruising style similar to that of his own team will benefit the Golden Eagles.
``That's what makes it not as hard to prepare,'' Wade said. ``You've got physical guys in practice who are going to come out and do the same thing you're going to see in the game.''
For all the talk of their defense, the Panthers again featured a balanced offense in the second round. Jaron Brown scored 20 points, Knight added 17, seven assists and five steals and Page had 13 points for Pitt, which has shot 57 percent from the field in the two victories.
The Panthers have never been to a regional final in 14 previous NCAA tournament appearances.
The Golden Eagles are looking for the first trip to a regional final since winning the 1977 NCAA tournament.
Marquette's freshmen reserves are a big reason why the team has made it this far. Steve Novak, who hit three 3-pointers in overtime Saturday, and Joe Chapman have combined to make 10-of-11 from beyond the arc in the two wins.
Novak has made 52 percent (47-for-91) of his 3-point shots this season, and the Golden Eagles have converted 21-of-34 (62 percent) in the two NCAA tournament wins.
The winner of this game plays either Kentucky or Wisconsin on Saturday.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Marquette - F Todd Townsend, F Scott Merritt, C Robert Jackson, G Diener, G Wade. Pittsburgh - F Donatas Zavackas, C Ontario Lett, G Brown, G Page, G Knight.
TEAM LEADERS: Marquette - Wade, 21.3 ppg; Jackson, 7.4 rpg; Diener, 5.6 apg. Pittsburgh - Page, 12.2 ppg; Chevon Troutman, 5.1 rpg; Knight, 6.2 apg.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Marquette - At-large bid, Conference USA; beat No. 14 Holy Cross 72-68, first round; beat No. 6 Missouri 101-92, OT, second round. Pittsburgh - Automatic bid, Big East tournament champion; beat No. 15 Wagner 87-61, first round; beat No. 7 Indiana 74-52, second round.
