(1) Pittsburgh 60, (4) Xavier 55
Senior guard Levance Fields delivered a 60-55 victory to No. 1 Pittsburgh after No. 4 Xavier appeared to have the Panthers on the ropes. Trailing 54-52 with less than a minute to go and the shot clock winding down, Fields stutter-stepped and lifted above the defender to drain a go-ahead three-pointer. At the other end, Fields stole the ball from B.J. Raymond and sprinted in for a layup that gave Pittsburgh a three-point lead.
The Panthers’ defense helped Pittsburgh rally from a 37-29 halftime deficit and held the Musketeers to seven made field goals in the second half. Sophomore forward DeJuan Blair elevated his energy level after halftime, finishing with 10 points and 17 rebounds after having only four first-half rebounds. Senior forward Sam Young led Pittsburgh with 19 points.
