GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jorge Diaz Graham calmly dropped off a bounce pass to his brother Guillermo, who was rolling to the basket late in Pitt's first round game against Iowa State. The 7-foot freshman slammed it home to give Pitt a 42-30 advantage with 7:11 remaining in the game.
That sequence by the freshmen duo from Spain sparked a 10-0 run, and stretched Pitt’s advantage to 50-30. The Panthers never looked back in a 59-41 dismantling of sixth-seeded Iowa State.
“It was a blast of energy,” Guillermo said of the feed from Jorge. “That ball coming from my brother especially. I know it was going to be big time. Just grateful for the opportunity to be here with him, and it was amazing. The feeling is amazing.”
Guillermo, making only his second career start, finished with nine points, eight rebounds, and three blocks on Friday. This performance coming days after he had a game-altering block in Pitt’s dramatic 60-59 win over Mississippi State in the First Four in his first career start.
Gueillermo has gone from a bench player, averaging only 10 minutes a game most of the season, to a vital piece in the Panthers’ two game run in the Big Dance thus far. The freshman big man had a huge hand in the Panthers’ 22-2 spurt to open the game, and also the subsequent run that got Iowa State back into the game.
After picking up his second foul in the first half, he was forced to sit the bench, which certainly played a factor in Iowa State closing the gap before halftime. Diaz Graham sat final eight minutes of the first half and the Cyclones made it 30-23 at the break
Pitt buckled down after halftime and kept Iowa State at arm’s length, until that Diaz Graham to Diaz Graham connection that sparked a run the Cyclones could never come back from, as the Panthers shoot into the second round with a world of momentum.
“I don't know; It was awesome,” Jorge said of his brother’s dunk that got Pitt going in the final minutes. “Just seeing my brother doing that, and the funny thing is, like, I think it was yesterday in practice he dunk on me and Nate (Santos) and he was talking trash. So I told him, ‘Okay, you want to talk now, but just do it in a game.’ So he did, and now I have to shut up and say thank you for making my assist.”
The Diaz Grahams have brought an infectious energy throughout the season off the bench and in the locker room for this Pitt team, but on the big stage on Friday and even in Tuesday’s win, they’ve been even bigger parts to the Panthers' success.
Pitt starting center Federik Federiko missed Tuesday’s game with a knee injury. He returned on Friday and played 11 minutes, and while it wasn’t a huge performance for Federiko, his contribution was helpful to the team from a depth standpoint.
‘The minutes that Frederiko gave us were huge,” Capel said of his starting center returning. “And to be able to get him back and, number one, for him to experience this, to experience March Madness and then to come in and play well, to score in the first half, to block a shot late in the game and just the minutes that he gave us in and the energy he played with was awesome.”
Guillermo Diaz Graham has been a revelation this week, and an unexpected one at that, at least to outsiders. Pitt star Blake Hinson said he saw this performance coming from the freshman.
“Man, he’s playing good, really good,” said Hinson of Guillermo's emergence. “I’m more proud than excited, because I always felt he could do this. I’m just proud he’s actually showing it.”
Pitt has needed contributions from everyone to secure two NCAA Tournament victories this week, and getting everyone involved will be critical to a third Big Dance victory on Sunday against Xavier in the second round.
“Like I said the other night, these two guys, they love basketball,” Capel said of his freshmen twins. “They love to compete. They love the work. They're not afraid of it. They're incredible teammates, and their spirit, their energy, since I've known them, they've always been in a good mood and it's infectious. It's really infected our team.”
