By From the Archives

Published: March 20, 2009

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
DAYTON, Ohio – The Bucs nearly pulled it off. And they almost made history.
The No. 16 seed East Tennessee State University men’s basketball team played the No. 1 seed Pittsburgh Panthers tight and close Friday afternoon before falling, 72-62, in an NCAA Tournament East Region first-round contest at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
ETSU pulled within 59-57 after senior guard Courtney Pigram nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4 minutes, 28 seconds left in the second half. But Pitt finished the game on a 13-5 run, ending the Bucs’ hope of becoming the first-ever 16 seed to knock off a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“It hurts,” Pigram said. “It hurts for us to go out like this.”
East Tennessee State’s inspired effort buzzed and thrilled a crowd of 12,499, and chants of “Let’s go Bucs!” soared through the arena as the Buccaneers pushed for the upset.
“We really believed that we would win this game,” ETSU coach Murry Bartow said.
The Buccaneers (23-11) came close.
And Bartow said victory – and history – would have belonged to ETSU if it had shot better.
The Bucs were held to 30.7 percent (23 of 75) shooting from the field, hit just 18.2 percent (4 of 22) of their 3-point attempts and shot 50 percent (12 of 24) from the free-throw line. In addition, ETSU’s big three of Courtney Pigram, Kevin Tiggs and Mike Smith were a combined 27.5 percent (16 of 58) from the floor.
In contrast, Pitt shot 43.6 percent (24 of 55) from the field and 73.9 percent (17 of 23) from the line.
“We was making shots, we could have come away with the win,” Pigram said.
The Buccaneers’ cold hand negated an inspired effort from an ETSU squad that outhustled, outworked and outplayed Pittsburgh (29-4) from the opening tip.
The Panthers (29-4) entered the contest as the No. 4-ranked team in the country in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. But ETSU dictated the action and controlled the tempo. The Bucs took 20 more shots than the Panthers, and East Tennessee State outscored Pittsburgh 25-7 on second-chance points. The Buccaneers also forced the Panthers into 18 turnovers.
“We were just turning the ball over a little too much. We were a little careless,” said Pitt senior forward Sam Young, who recorded a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds and was 4 of 6 on 3-point attempts. “We came out just a little sluggish, just not taking care of the ball.”
Tiggs scored a team-high 21 points on 6-of-21 shooting to lead East Tennessee State, while Pigram added 17 points in a 7-of-23 outing.
DeJuan Blair recorded game-highs with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 16 rebounds to top the Panthers.
Pittsburgh advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face No. 8 Oklahoma State, who downed No. 9 Tennessee, 77-75, Friday afternoon in a first-round game.
“This is a very good win against a very good team,” said Panthers coach Jamie Dixon, who stated that the Buccaneers were a much better opponent than their 16 seed hinted at.
East Tennessee State has a history of playing heavily favored teams close in The Dance. The No. 15 seed Buccaneers fell, 76-73, to No. 2 Wake Forest on March 21, 2003. And No. 13 ETSU was defeated, 80-77, by No. 4 Cincinnati on March 19, 2004.
Friday’s game was played on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the Bucs’ 72-71 loss to Oklahoma on March 16, 1989, in which the No. 16 ETSU came within a point of knocking off the No. 1 Sooners.
“We want to get over the hump,” Bartow said. “But it’s hard. When you’re a 16 seed playing one of the top three or four teams in the country, everything’s got to go right.”
Everything nearly went right for ETSU in the first half.
The Bucs jumped out to a 5-3 lead following a swished 3-pointer by Pigram sent home from the top of the key. An 8-0 Pitt run followed. But a Pigram to Tiggs alley-oop dunk connection evened the contest at 11. A mid-range jumper by Smith then made it 15-13 ETSU, sending a buzz through the arena with 12:08 left in the first half.
East Tennessee State’s early message was clear: The Buccaneers were for real, and they were not intimidated or afraid of the Panthers.
“We came here to win,” Bartow said. “We didn’t come here to play a close game.” 
The Bucs hung close and looked sharp throughout the first half. ETSU’s full-court press defense left the Panthers reeling. And while Pittsburgh played flat and appeared lifeless, the Buccaneers soared.
The Bucs trailed 26-23 at halftime. They ran into the locker room shouting and pumping their fists, and they had momentum and belief.
East Tennessee State initially showed no drop off after the break. The Buccaneers again turned to their full-court press, and the Panthers were again sent into chaos.
A 3 from the left baseline by Smith then tied the contest at 26 early in the second half.
But a swished 3-pointer by Young from the right wing made it 33-29 Panthers. And another 3 by Young gave the Panthers a 53-45 advantage.
ETSU quickly fired back, as Tiggs nailed a pull-up 3 from the right wing and pulled the Bucs within 53-48.
Pigram then dropped in a fade-away 3 from the right wing, making it 59-57 Pitt with 4:28 to go. He lifted his hand toward the rafters and the crowd inside the arena stood and roared.
It was the closest ETSU got to making history.
“We were right there. We were close,” Bartow said. “But we just couldn’t get over the hump.”