Pitt’s streak snapped at 18

HARTFORD, Conn. – Antonio Graves had the opportunity to send the game between No. 8 Pittsburgh… HARTFORD, Conn. – Antonio Graves had the opportunity to send the game between No. 8 Pittsburgh and No. 4 Connecticut into overtime, but his shot fell inches short, hitting the front of the rim, giving the Huskies a 68-65 victory.

But head coach Jamie Dixon still saw the game as a moral victory.

“I told this team I have never been more proud of them after they battled and competed in a great college game,” head coach Jamie Dixon said. “It hurts to lose [as a head coach] just as much as it did to lose as an assistant and as a player. I know the key now is how we respond.”

Even with the Panthers’ first loss of the season, this game marked the first meeting between long-time Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun and Dixon, Pitt’s first-year coach. As the game played out, both coaches matched each other move for move, using each team’s substitutions and timeouts in order to give their team the best chance to win.

“[Calhoun] is a legend,” Dixon said. “Five years ago we looked at UConn to see how a college program is run. Calhoun puts out a heck of a model.”

Dixon saw that Emeka Okafor had been playing down low, guarding Chris Taft, making it virtually impossible to drive into the lane. Before an inbound pass from the Panthers, Dixon substituted Mark McCarroll into the game, replacing Taft, causing Okafor to cover McCarroll at the three-point line. Carl Krauser, who finished with a career-high 24 points, then drove the lane, and hit an easy layup to give Pitt the lead 63-62 with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

Two minutes later, with less than a minute remaining, and Pitt down 68-65, the Panthers were to inbound the ball from under their own basket. Calhoun, probably having watched Krauser tie Miami on a last-second drive, called for the Huskies to put on full-court pressure. The pressure proved significant. Denham Brown guarded Krauser all the way down the court. Krauser tried driving the paint much like his buzzer beater at Miami, but this time Connecticut had Brown on one side of Krauser, Ben Gordon on another, and yet another player, Okafor, trying to block the shot. Krauser’s shot hit the front of the rim and Pitt was forced to foul Brown.

Brown missed the front end of the one-and-one opportunity, leaving Pitt with a chance to tie the game with 5.5 seconds remaining in the game. Dixon took a timeout to set up another play from under Pitt’s own basket.

Dixon took out all of his big men and put in better three-point shooters, including Graves. Calhoun responded by putting in all his guards and Okafor. It was to be the game-winning move for Calhoun. As Krauser dribbled up court, he looked as if he was going to shoot the three himself, but Okafor recognized this and put his hand right in Krauser’s face, causing him to pass to the open Graves on the left side. Graves took the shot, but it hit the front of the rim.

Despite getting his first career loss, Dixon expressed no regret at the strategy.

“I would put Antonio [Graves] out there anytime,” Dixon said.

The entire Pitt bench, disappointed by the missed shot, still ran off the bench to console Graves. The Panthers and Huskies have played in the last two Big East Championship games and several nail-biting regular season games.

“I was just so glad to see that [Graves] actually shot the ball,” Krauser said. “I told [Graves] that great players live to make shots like that.”

The loss drops Pitt to 18-1 (4-1), while Connecticut improves to 15-2 (3-0). No one expected the Panthers to go undefeated all season, including Julius Page.

“It was going to come sooner or later,” Page said. “I mean, you never want to lose, but losing today, I think we still made a statement.”

Page finished with 14 points, while Jaron Brown had 12 points. Taft was held to only eight points all game. For the Huskies, Denham Brown finished with a team-high 20 points, and Gordon finished with 16. All told, Pitt and Connecticut played in a game that included six ties and 10 lead changes. Pitt out-rebounded the Huskies 37-30, but Connecticut outscored the Panthers in the paint, 34-24.

Pitt got into trouble in the first half when Page picked up his second foul within the first four minutes. Three minutes after Page’s second foul, Krauser picked up his second foul as well. Both were forced to sit back for the rest of the first half, allowing opportunities for the Huskies’ offense.

Denham Brown took complete advantage of Pitt’s foul troubles. Guarded by Page, Denham Brown scored 12 first half points on five-of-seven shooting. Gordon, guarded by Krauser, had nine first-half points.

The Panthers fell behind by as many as ten points in the half. The 10-point deficit was the largest Pitt has faced all season. Dixon was forced to use three 30-second timeouts in the half. But the Panthers battled back, going on a 10-2 run to cut the Connecticut lead to two. Krauser led the way with 11 first-half points, including three critical three-pointers.

On the back of a quick transition offense, Connecticut scored nine points off turnovers in the first half including six fast break points and took a 39-32 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Pitt came out in a fury, scoring 17 of the first 25 points to take a slim 49-47 lead on a Jaron Brown jumper. With 10 minutes left in the game, the Huskies tied the score at 54 on a Josh Boone jump shot. Boone finished with 10 points on the night.

Pitt held Okafor to only 11 points, but his dunk with less than five minutes remaining in the game gave Connecticut a 62-61 lead and ignited the crowd of 16,294.

“Tonight’s game was not for anyone,” Calhoun said. “We haven’t faced anyone as tough as [Pitt]. I think they are better then they were last year.”

Pittsburgh and Connecticut will meet again at the Petersen Events Center on February 15th, and both teams might be on course to meet for the third straight year in the Big East Conference Championship Game in Madison Square Garden.