DAYTON, Ohio — The Pitt Panthers picked up a hard-fought 60-59 NCAA Tournament win over Mississippi State on Tuesday night. It was the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory in nine years and the first overall under head coach Jeff Capel. The game was what was expected between two evenly matched teams and created plenty of storylines.

Comfortable in crunch time

Pitt had played in nine one-possession games in the regular season. The Panthers went 6-3 in those contests and finding different ways to win close games has been a big part of the story for this team. Pitt edged North Carolina twice in tight games. They held off a late push from Syracuse in December, and then surged ahead late in their victory over Miami. No matter the circumstances, Pitt has thrived in those situations and it also prepared them for what happened on Tuesday night in Dayton.

Pitt and Mississippi State played a barnburner in the big dance. The teams traded the lead 21 times throughout the game, and from nearly the 9 minute mark of the first half until three minutes left in the game, it was a one possession game in either direction. Blake Hinson’s deep triple created a brief moment of separation for the Panthers, only for the Bulldogs to storm right back with a 7-0 run to take a brief lead.

Jeff Capel has said throughout the season that his team does not blink in the face of adversity, and the final 30 seconds proved that. The Panthers put the ball in their star player’s hand and Jamarius Burton made a clutch game-winning basket. Mississippi State had three chances to tie it, but the Panthers survived that final push and walked away with a win.

It is fitting in a way Pitt won an NCAA Tournament game by a single point. The NET rankings, one of the metrics that goes into evaluating college basketball teams, takes into consideration margin of victory in their algorithm.

In a sense, winning close games is considered to be luck, and not a skill.

Pitt’s NET ranking was always lagging behind other tournament teams, and the Panthers penchant for playing in close game probably played a role in that. Pitt is now 7-3 in one possession games, and whether winning those type of games is luck or a skill, it does not matter. The Panthers are moving on to the next round.

Burton has his March moment

There were plenty of big moments in Pitt’s win over Mississippi State, but none bigger than Jamarius Burton’s go-ahead basket with 9.8 seconds remaining to give his team the last lead of the game. The NCAA Tournament is always about letting your star player make plays when it counts the most, and that’s exactly what transpired on Tuesday.

Burton got into a set he liked, attacked the defense, and calmly buried a mid-range shot like he has plenty of times this season. The weight of the moment did not get to him, and his stoic demeanor carried through in the biggest play of the game.

It was not uncommon for Burton to make a key play down the stretch for his team, but it was not the type of performance Pitt has been accustomed to from its star player. Burton only finished with six points on 3-of-5 shooting. He was limited to only 19 minutes of action due to foul trouble. Burton picked up his third foul not even two minutes into the second half, and his fourth came around the 12-minute mark.

Pitt has to play extended stretches without its best player and team leader on the floor, but they found a way to make it work. Nelly Cummings emerged as the playmaker for the offense and ACC Sixth Man of the Year Nike Sibande filled in the gaps of playing time for Burton, and the Panthers managed to stay in the game despite long periods with Burton on the sidelines.

If Pitt wants to continue to make a run in March, it is unlikely they can do it with Burton only scoring six or playing 19 minutes. He has been the most valuable player in this team’s 23 win season to this point, and will need to be at his best if they want to make it 24. Burton can still greatly impact a game at any given moment, and he picked the right time to deliver on Tuesday.

Gritty Guillermo

Guillermo Diaz Graham scoring three points and grabbing five rebounds is not a performance to write home about. Despite his modest production, Pitt’s 7-foot freshman center perhaps could be considered the most valuable player in the team’s win over Mississippi State.

Federiko Federiko being out against Mississippi State was a worry among Pitt fans for the 24-hour build up to the game on Tuesday. If he couldn’t go, then the Panthers would be undermanned in general, but especially so in facing Tolu Smith. The 6’11” big man is the centerpiece of the Bulldogs roster and was an All-SEC selection this year and not having Federiko to stand in against him would certainly be a detriment, if not a deciding factor in the outcome.

Once word got out Federiko was out, it was announced Guillermo Diaz Graham would be making his first career start in an NCAA Tournament game against a talented and experienced big man. It was certainly not great on the surface, and let’s face it, Guillermo struggled at times. He did not finish some easy shots inside, missed some rebounds Federiko probably would have grabbed, and seemed to be in over his head somewhat. He continued to fight through it, however.

Diaz Graham was giving up plenty of muscle to Smith, but stood toe to toe with him for the entire game. He played a season-high 37 minutes and was tasked with guarding the opponent’s best player in Pitt’s biggest game of the year. Diaz Graham received support from his teammates in the way of double teams and gang rebounding, but there were times he was on as island, and the native of the Canary Islands stood tall.

Smith finished with 13 points, but did so on just 5-of-11 shooting and committed five turnovers in the game. In the late sequence of the game, Diaz Graham made life difficult on Smith right down to the very last play, as his final shot attempt was blocked out of bounds.

Pitt needed every single contribution from every player that stepped on the floor on Tuesday. Some of those contributions came in the way of clutch baskets, steals, or rebounds. But for Diaz Graham, it was all about standing his ground, staying out of foul trouble, and making life difficult on Smith. It was not a performance that will draw outside attention, but it was the type of game Pitt needed from the freshman.