Men’s Basketball: Comeback win against West Virginia shows growth for young Panthers

It seems unfair that Friday night’s three-overtime Pitt-West Virginia game only… It seems unfair that Friday night’s three-overtime Pitt-West Virginia game only accounts for one victory in the win-loss column.

However, if this young group of Panthers can retain the lessons they learned from this particular Backyard Brawl, the Pitt basketball team will be just fine heading into the future.

Sometime between the opening tip-off and the final whistle three hours later, the Panthers gained the confidence and poise of an elite basketball team and walked off the court with a 98-95 victory.

There is no better example of in-game growth than redshirt freshman Travon Woodall, who came off the bench to accumulate 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

“The guy who really stood out to me was Travon,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “He really played well. He really played within himself and he was big for us in so many ways.”

When Jermaine Dixon fouled out of the game with 49 seconds left in regulation, Woodall didn’t wilt under the pressure of replacing the senior guard. Instead, he sparked Pitt’s comeback with two confident drives to the basket.

“[Woodall] played like a veteran and I’m proud of him,” Jamie Dixon said.

Listed at 5-foot-11, Woodall spent some possessions defending West Virginia’s 6-foot-9 forward Devin Ebanks. While Woodall didn’t stuff the Mountaineer big man, he did display resilience and grit.

“It was a tough matchup, but it’s not the size of the player, it’s the size of your heart,” Woodall said.

Woodall’s sentiment can be applied to his teammates as well. Over three extra periods the Panthers willed their way to a victory over the No. 5 team in nation.

“We didn’t play great but we played with heart. We played with character,” Jamie Dixon said.

That character was reflected in the play of Ashton Gibbs, who had struggled mightily in recent Big East contests but came alive against Pitt’s biggest rival.

Gibbs scored 24 points while knocking down six 3-pointers, including the dramatic basket that drew the game level with 24 seconds left in the second half.

What shouldn’t be forgotten is this team’s youth. Gibbs is a sophomore, Woodall is a freshman and outside of Jermaine Dixon, Pitt doesn’t rely on any seniors for a significant amount of minutes.

“They’ve been told for the last nine months how young they are and how inexperienced they are and I continue to tell them that those things don’t matter,” Jamie Dixon said. “We’ve got to play older than what we look like on paper. Freshmen can’t play like freshmen.”

The inexperienced critique is one that the Panthers shouldn’t face after Friday night’s contest. For anyone who saw the game, it can certainly be described as an experience.

It is an experience that most of the Pitt roster can carry into the future. It is a game that can be pointed to as a defining moment.

“I really feel this team, probably more than any team we’ve ever had, is a team that can get better,” Dixon said.

Dixon isn’t using “coach-speak” or employing a motivational tactic — he’s stating his true belief. The victory over West Virginia was just another step toward Dixon’s vision, but it was a colossal step.

On Friday night, Pitt showed what it takes to be considered a successful basketball program. It takes a commitment to improvement and a consistent unwillingness to lose.