Gibbs’ outside shooting gives top seed a big lift
When seeds No. 1 and No. 16 get together in the NCAA tournament, there’s rarely any madness or mayhem.
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Pittsburgh’s 74-51 victory over UNC Asheville was no exception.
Two days after surviving an overtime game with Arkansas-Little Rock, UNC Asheville hung in as long as it could before the Big East regular-season champs asserted their 50-27 edge on the boards. Pittsburgh (28-5) got stellar play outside from junior Ashton Gibbs (26 points), who hit six of nine shots from beyond the arc, and muscular work inside from seniors Gary McGhee (seven points, 11 rebounds) and Gilbert Brown (nine points, nine rebounds). The Panthers face No. 9 Butler on Saturday.
“They’re a very physical team,” Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said of Butler. “We gotta be prepared for a physical defense from them.”
UNC Asheville (20-14) grabbed an early lead, but Pittsburgh answered with a 16-2 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Lamar Patterson and Gibbs, for a 23-11 advantage. After that, the Panthers never trailed.
Pittsburgh didn’t seize control until the second half, however, as UNC Asheville hung close behind Matt Dickey (21 points) and J.P. Primm (14 points). Dickey twice pulled the Bulldogs within three points after intermission, but Gibbs quickly hit a 3-pointer and another jumper.
“Ashton obviously shot much better in the second half,” Dixon said. “I just think it kind of opened up.”
Inside the 10-minute mark, back-to-back 3-pointers by Gibbs and Brown sealed it, allowing Pitt to go about the business of this weekend — preparing for the round of 32.
“We’re really focused on the next game,” Dixon said. “That’s what we’ve been saying all year, and it’s the next game.”
There is no next game for UNC Asheville, just like every other No.?16 seed since the tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
“We knew they were going to be a really good team,” Bulldogs coach Ed Biedenbach said. “We knew they rebounded well. We knew they shot the ball well. And they did those things tonight.”
