Morrison, Gonzaga knock off Pitt in Elite Eight

This story is based on a simulation of this year’s NCAA Tournament on Xbox. The game of… This story is based on a simulation of this year’s NCAA Tournament on Xbox. The game of choice? College Hoops 2k6.

It was all a dream.

The bubble burst for Pitt men’s basketball as the Gonzaga Bulldogs edged the Panthers in the Oakland regional final, 81-78.

With time running out, Panthers junior guard Antonio Graves clanked a deep 3-pointer from the left wing off the front rim, ending Pitt’s tournament run.

In their first trip to the Elite Eight since the expansion of the NCAA tournament to 65 teams, Pitt (27-8) played two different halves.

The first period saw the third-seeded Gonzaga (31-3) shoot just 32 percent, giving the Panthers the lead heading into the break, 37-27.

The final 20 minutes belonged to Gonzaga junior forward Adam Morrison, who scored 27 of his 31 points in the second half.

Pitt took a 2-0 lead on its first possession and would not relinquish the lead for the next 26 minutes.

Junior center Aaron Gray took his offensive game right at Bulldogs’ senior center J.P. Batista, scoring eight of Pitt’s first 13 points.

The Panthers stormed out to a 13-5 lead, capitalizing on three early offensive rebounds and four consecutive Gonzaga turnovers.

With eight minutes remaining in the half and Pitt leading 31-14, player of the year candidate Morrison found junior sharpshooter Derek Raivio in the corner for a momentum-changing 3-pointer.

The 3 cut the Panthers’ lead to 14 and began a Bulldog 13-0 run that brought Gonzaga within four at the two-minute mark.

Pitt responded with a run of its own, scoring three consecutive baskets to expand its lead to 10 at the half. Just one half away from the Final Four, Pitt senior guard Carl Krauser took control of the game.

Krauser scored seven of his 13 points in the first five minutes of the second half to bring Pitt’s lead to 44-33.

Gonzaga then staged a frantic rally as Morrison nailed three consecutive 3-pointers, cutting the Panthers’ lead to two points at 44-42.

Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon called a timeout in an attempt to rally his troops for the final 12 minutes, but the run could not be stopped.

Out of the break, Raivio stole an errant inbounds pass, stormed down the court and tossed an alley-oop to junior forward Sean Mallon to tie the game.

With the score knotted and over 11 minutes left, Morrison took over.

On the ensuing possession, Pitt guard Levance Fields sliced into the lane and bricked a floater off the back rim. The loose ball found Morrison’s hands and the fast break was on.

The lanky forward dribbled down the left side of the court, crossed over at the 3-point line and laid in a left-handed finger roll.

Gonzaga’s half-court offense then settled in, scoring on its next five consecutive possessions.

Pitt continued to look for Gray in the post and the center kept the Panthers in the game as he scored six of his team’s next eight points.

The two clubs, separated by almost the entire continental United States, played similar styles of basketball heading into the final minutes of the game.

With the clock edging toward five minutes, the Panthers tied the game at 63.

Morrison then hit two consecutive field goals to give Gonzaga a four-point lead.

After the Panthers’ 17th turnover, Batista banked in a jump hook from the left block, prompting Dixon to call his final timeout with more than four minutes left in the contest.

As the clock dipped below the four-minute mark, Ronald Ramon hit his fourth 3-pointer to cut the Bulldogs’ lead in half.

What happened next could be regarded as the one of the most stunning individual runs in NCAA tournament history.

Morrison nailed three straight trifectas, bringing his tally for the night to 28, but he wasn’t done yet and neither was Pitt. With the score showing 78-73, Pitt ran a high screen for Fields, who drew in three defenders and found Krauser on the wing for a trey.

After a timeout, Bulldogs freshman guard Jeremy Pargo lost the ball, giving the Panthers a chance to tie.

Fields stole the rock from Pargo, sprinted into the frontcourt and found freshman Sam Young on the opposite block.

Young flushed home his eighth point to tie the game with just 28 seconds left.

With the game on the line and the whole world watching, Morrison made his final case for player of the year. He caught a bounce pass on the left wing, took two dribbles to his right and fired a 3-pointer over junior forward Levon Kendall’s outstretched hand.

Signed, sealed, delivered.

Morrison finished the game with 31 points on 10-for-26 shooting, scoring all 12 of his team’s points in the final four minutes.

Gray finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds while Ramon (14 points) and Krauser (13) combined for 27 backcourt points.

Morrison’s supporting duo, Raivio and Batista, scored 30 points combined, while grabbing 12 rebounds and tossing eight assists as Gonzaga advanced to their first Final Four appearance in school history.

See an alternate ending for the Pitt basketball team? Send it to Jeff at jag59@pitt.edu.