As if taking a cue from TNT's tagline, "We Know Drama," the Pitt Panthers have made the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament a stress-inducing event.
Twice now, they've had opportunities to lose. Twice, they've come through in the clutch.
That's a good sign heading into a Sweet 16 matchup against fourth-seeded Xavier on Thursday.
The Panthers will be favored, but the aura of invincibility has been knocked off.
With a sound defeat to West Virginia and two close calls in the NCAAs, there's nothing to fear about this squad.
When opponents step onto the court for the opening tip, they're not afraid of this team. There's no David vs. Goliath -- it's turned into Equal vs. Equal.
These aren't the big, bad Panthers everyone was glowing about heading into the Big East tournament.
The loss to WVU was supposed to give them time to rest and prep for the big tournament.
Instead, it's been a time of struggle.
Off the top of my head, I can't remember a time when a No. 1 seed struggled like Pitt has and had opponents walk away from the game thinking they let one get away.
I pointed out a quote from an East Tennessee State player in my previous entry.
The same happened in reading dispatches from Sunday's game.
"We were right there. We were never out of it," Oklahoma State's Byron Eaton said.
Take that Pitt. They want another shot.
Of course, you must give Pitt (30-4) credit for finishing the job. In previous years, they would have crumbled down the stretch.
With DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and the rest, it still can be a memorable tournament.
A good rout of Xavier can go a long way in restoring things to the way they were earlier this season.
Besides, we've had enough drama for one tournament.
Twice now, they've had opportunities to lose. Twice, they've come through in the clutch.
That's a good sign heading into a Sweet 16 matchup against fourth-seeded Xavier on Thursday.
The Panthers will be favored, but the aura of invincibility has been knocked off.
With a sound defeat to West Virginia and two close calls in the NCAAs, there's nothing to fear about this squad.
When opponents step onto the court for the opening tip, they're not afraid of this team. There's no David vs. Goliath -- it's turned into Equal vs. Equal.
These aren't the big, bad Panthers everyone was glowing about heading into the Big East tournament.
The loss to WVU was supposed to give them time to rest and prep for the big tournament.
Instead, it's been a time of struggle.
Off the top of my head, I can't remember a time when a No. 1 seed struggled like Pitt has and had opponents walk away from the game thinking they let one get away.
I pointed out a quote from an East Tennessee State player in my previous entry.
The same happened in reading dispatches from Sunday's game.
"We were right there. We were never out of it," Oklahoma State's Byron Eaton said.
Take that Pitt. They want another shot.
Of course, you must give Pitt (30-4) credit for finishing the job. In previous years, they would have crumbled down the stretch.
With DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and the rest, it still can be a memorable tournament.
A good rout of Xavier can go a long way in restoring things to the way they were earlier this season.
Besides, we've had enough drama for one tournament.
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