Men’s basketball: Pitt upsets No. 3 Villanova in 70-65 victory

In a battle of the Big East’s leading offense and defense yesterday at the Petersen Events… In a battle of the Big East’s leading offense and defense yesterday at the Petersen Events Center, defense won.

No. 3 Villanova came into the game averaging a league-best 85 points a contest, but matched its season-low by scoring just 65 in defeat to No. 19 Pitt. The Panthers allow a league-low 61.2 points per game.

The Wildcats (22-4, 11-3 Big East) lead the league in scoring thanks to their slashing offense and quick guard play, which the Panthers limited.

“We were able to contain their penetration,” Pitt Coach Jamie Dixon said after his team’s 70-65 win.

Part of how the Panthers (21-6, 10-4) accomplished this was throwing constantly changing defensive looks at Villanova.

“They have guys like [Nasir] Robinson, [Gilbert] Brown, [Brad] Wanamaker that can all guard one through three,” Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds said.

With guards like Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Reggie Redding and Corey Stokes, Villanova also likes to play up tempo and run the court, something the Panthers didn’t allow the Wildcats to do.

“They were going deeper into their shot clock than we were, because we were able to control them defensively,” Dixon said.

But cutting down on Villanova’s penetration to the hoop wasn’t the only way Pitt controlled the pace of the game.

“They ran the clock, and if they missed they were able to get offensive rebounds and do it all over again,” Villanova Coach Jay Wright said. “They control the tempo.”

The Panthers out-rebounded Villanova 40-34, including 21-12 on the offensive glass. Gary McGhee pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, eight offensive. Including McGhee, the Panthers had eight players with at least two rebounds each.

Eight Panthers also scored at least two points.

“The balance of this team excites me,” Dixon said. “We ran sets for four or five different guys down the stretch.”

The Panthers were led by Ashton Gibbs’ 21 points. He has now scored at least 20 in three of the last four games after being held to less than 20 the four games prior to those.

“We knew we couldn’t over-commit to Gibbs,” Wright said. “He waits for his shot. That’s why he hits them. He doesn’t take many bad shots. He knows that he is always a weapon.”

Gilbert Brown was second on the team in scoring, netting 16 off the bench. Jermaine Dixon added in 10, but shot just 3-for-15 on the afternoon.

“They were running a triangle-and-two on Ashton and Brad, so I was getting a lot of looks,” he said. “I just wasn’t knocking them down.”

While he didn’t shoot particularly well, Dixon helped the victory in other ways. He finished with six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals.

“It’s his team,” Jamie Dixon said. “He’s the leader. When he wants to leave the pregame meal, we go. I follow him.”

Jermaine Dixon also had the task of being the primary defender on Reynolds. The senior guard finished the game with 20 points, 17 in the second half.

The win gives Pitt its third victory against a top-five team this season. The Panthers beat then-No. 5 Syracuse 82-72 on Jan. 2, and then-No. 4 West Virginia 98-95 in triple overtime Feb. 12. Pitt is 7-0 all-time against teams ranked in the top five at the Petersen Events Center.

The Panthers are also 4-0 all-time when wearing their alternate gold jerseys, which they were sporting yesterday in front of the 12,920 people in attendance. It was the largest on-campus crowd for a basketball game in school history.

“The Pete just brings a different type of atmosphere to the game,” Brown said.

Pitt is now tied with West Virginia for third in the conference. The top four teams get a double bye in the Big East Tournament. Syracuse leads the Big East at 12-2 and Villanova is second. Only four games remain in the regular season, and not one is against a team over .500 in Big East play.

The Panthers start the final stretch of their season Wednesday when they travel to Notre Dame at 7 p.m.