Gibbs Beats Buzzer as Pitt Escapes Friars

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

It wasn't supposed to be a close game. After all, Providence had lost 8 straight games and #17 Pitt was on its home court. But the way the game turned out, the Panthers needed a near-mid-court heave at the buzzer from their best shooter, Ashton Gibbs, to finally take down Providence, 73-71.

Gibbs' trey gave him a game-high 25 points. Better yet, the win gave Pitt a double bye in next week's Big East tournament, and, with a win against Rutgers (another game Pitt is "supposed" to win easily) and a Villanova loss to West Virginia on Saturday would make Pitt the #2 seed in the tourney, an enviable position, ensuring that they would not have to face Syracuse unless it was in the final.

Gibbs, who hit 9 of 13 shots and 6 of his 9 3-point attempts, was not alone in his starring role. Teammate Jermaine Dixon poured in a career-high 24 points and added 12 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. Providence was kept in the game largely due to the effort of their 6'6" sophomore stud, Jamine Peterson, who scored 24 points and hauled in 18 boards for his 15th double-double of the season. Despite the Friars being just 4-13 in the Big East, Peterson should get plenty of votes as conference player of the year. He has dominated the lane in just about every game this season.

Notable: Michigan State kept its hopes alive for a share of the Big Ten title Thursday night with a 67-65 win over Penn State in which the Spartans nearly blew a 10-point lead late in the game. The Spartans need a win over Michigan to tie Ohio State and Purdue, the Boilermakers expected to win their season-ender on Saturday at Penn State. In that case, all three would end with identical 14-4 records, but Ohio State would be the #1 seed in the conference tournament, Purdue, #2 and the Spartans, the #3 seed.

Pitt Stuns Syracuse; Unbeaten Teams Down to Four

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, January 2, 2010

So far, the new year has not been praticularly kind to unbeaten teams in the Big East. On Friday, Purdue sent West Virginia to its first loss of the season, and on Saturday, the Pitt Panthers stormed the Carrier Dome and swept away the Orangemen's dreams of an undefeated season, topping the Orange, 82-72.

Syracuse stormed out to an early lead, but the Panthers kept the game within range, down by just three points, 30-27, as the two teams headed into the break. While SU's big men were getting themselves into foul trouble and the rest of the team missing shots from everywhere, Pitt's solid backcourt tandem of senior Jermaine Dixon and sophomore Ashton Gibbs were wreaking havoc from the perimeter. Gibbs, quickly becoming one of the more fearsome long-range specialists in the Big East, banged home 6 of 9 3-pointers en route to a game-high 24 points.

Dixon had a career-high 21 points, hitting 3 of 8 3-pointers, while dishing 4 assists, grabbing 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Pitt, winners of 5 of their last 6 trips to Syracuse, harassed Syracuse's outside shooters into a season-low 1-for-13 on 3-poiint attempts.

Prior to the game, Syracuse was ranked #5 nationally, while the Panthers were unranked. Now 12-2, Pitt should be mentioned as at least a contender in the Big East and should crack the Top 25 poll which will be released on Monday.

NOTABLE: Kentucky is loaded with young talent, though most of the attention is directed at the sensational John Wall. The Wildcats might be developing one of the best big men in the country in 6'11" frosh DeMarcus Cousins, who put on a thoroughly dominating performance in Kentucky's 71-61 win over Louisville. Cousins scored 18 points and had 18 rebounds, his 4th straight double-double and 8th on the season. #3 Kentucky improved to 15-0.

Georgetown's Monroe Sends Hoyas Past Butler

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Following a disappointing season in which the Hoyas finished 16-15 and did not receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, Georgetown looked forward to a better 2009-10 campaign with a number of solid returnees, including guards Jason Clark and Chris Wright and center Greg Monroe. With a promising freshman class filling some roles, Monroe has emerged as a leader on the court, and that was evident as the 6'11" sophomore achieved career highs in both scoring and rebounding in Georgetown's handy 72-65 triumph over #22 Butler.

Monroe tallied 24 points on 9-for-20 shooting and snatched 15 boards in a dominating performance as the 15th-ranked Hoyas improved their early-season record to 7-0. Playing at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V. Classic, the Hoyas were never seriously threatened, upping their lead to as many as 17 points during the second half. Monroe is averaging a double-double thus far in 2009-10 with 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

While the Hoyas were soaring past the Bulldogs, Butler was en route to its third straight loss against Top 25 opposition. Now 6-3, the Bulldogs have already dropped home games to Minnesota and Clemson.

NOTABLE: In the first game of the Jimmy V. Classic, Indiana prevailed over Pitt, 74-64, but the Panthers seemed to be intent on getting sophomore Ashton Gibbs the maximum number of looks from the perimeter. Gibbs threw up a boatload of shots - 25 in all and 15 from 3-point range - as he led all scorers with a career-high 25 points. Gibbs was only 5-of-15 from beyond the arc, but the experience should pay benefits down the road when the youthful Pitt squad faces Big East opponents.