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.
But Wait - There's More!
Connecticut: Huskies Look Final Four-Worthy in Win Against Purdue
No. 1 Connecticut’s size and power outmatched No. 5 Purdue, propelling the Huskies to a 72-60 win. Junior center Hasheem Thabeet had 15 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks for the Huskies, and senior guard Craig Austrie led Connecticut with 17 points.
In Boston, The Day Before
Some notes from the day before all the action convenes in Boston for the East Regional semifinals.
NCAA Women: Rutgers Sub-Regional Notebook
At Rutgers, I had the opportunity to watch Rutgers and Virginia Commonwealth. The contrast in philosophy was evident as Rutgers mentor C. Vivian Stringer devoted a fair part of her 60 minutes to half court offense. The Scarlet Knights ran a lot of zone offense and after a play, Stringer took the time to make a point.
Connecticut: Huskies Might Have Violated Recruiting Rules
Connecticut could be facing an NCAA investigation after Yahoo releases a report that details numerous violations committed by team officials and representatives in the recruitment of former Husky Nate Miles.
Hoop Group Top 100 Recap
While most basketball fans this weekend were occupied by the NCAA Tournament, a number of high school players in New England made their way to Boston University for the Hoop Group Top 100. The camp featured two days of drills and games, and some good talent was on hand for the Division II and III coaches who came to check it out.
Tennessee: Chism Played Through Broken Thumb
Tennessee lost a heart-breaking 77-75 first-round NCAA Tournament game to Oklahoma State, but don’t blame junior forward Wayne Chism for failing to give his best effort. Chism finished with 11 points and six rebounds despite playing with a broken thumb he suffered in practice.
Southern Miss: Eustachy Says No to $25K
Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy returned a bonus he earned because the Golden Eagles met attendance goals for this past season. Eustachy said he did not feel that he should receive a bonus during an economic recession when the team finished only 15-17 this season.
North Carolina State: Wolfpack Lose 2 Juniors
North Carolina State juniors Brandon Costner and Trevor Ferguson won’t return to the Wolfpack next season, although they are following different paths away from Raleigh.
Utah: Grim Leaves Utes After Two Years
Utah sophomore forward Morgan Grim informed coach Jim Boylen that he wanted to play at another school for this final two seasons. Grim averaged 0.8 points and 0.9 rebounds per game in 42 games.
