Brandin Knight scored 17 points, yet his defense was just as impressive as his offense. He made several key steals to help the Panthers build their lead. Knight also made one great pass after another in the paint as the Panther big men controlled the game inside. ChevonTroutman finished with 10 points and Ontario Lett added 9 as the Panthers once again spread the scoring around.
Julius Page added 13 points but like Knight, his defense was the key. He held the Hoosiers key player, Tim Coverdale, to just 6 points. George Leach was the Indiana leading scorer with 15 points, but Indiana needed much more than that from him inside the paint. Jeff Newton also added 14 points for the Hoosiers and displayed a nice shooting touch, but it wasn’t enough as the Panthers were never in any serious trouble.
The Panthers struggled early in the game with several missed layups by Lett and Troutman, but were able to shake that off and keep the game in their control.
They also struggled at the line in the first half, but shot well from the line down the stretch.
Once Pitt shook off some early game jitters, they took control and went into halftime with a 31-21 lead. After halftime, it was the Jaron Brown show as he took over with one running jumper after another. Carl Krauser also played a very nice floor game when Brandin Knight went to the bench with some early foul trouble. That depth was a missing component last season, but not any more as Krauser just keeps getting better as the season goes on.
Next up for the 28-4 Panthers is Marquette in the Sweet 16 in Indianapolis.
--Brian Gold
PittInsiders.com