nstead of setting history, though, E.T.S.U. only continued a trend as old as the N.C.A.A. tournament itself. Pittsburgh won, 72-62, in the second of four games played here Friday. But for the way E.T.S.U. had played, the remaining fans still stood and applauded at the game’s conclusion.
This game could go down as the best opportunity a No. 16 seed ever had to topple a No. 1 — at least since the last time E.T.S.U. almost did it. Those who follow E.T.S.U. said it did not play particularly well on Friday, shooting an abysmal 30.7 percent, and they made only 4 of 22 3-point attempts.
Other than the Panthers following that traveled here, the arena adopted East Tennessee State and its lovable, bearded and blue mascot, Bucky the Buccaneer, early on.
That love reached its apex near the end of the second half, when E.T.S.U. players snagged two offensive rebounds and swung the ball outside to guard Courtney Pigram, who drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to cut the deficit to 59-57. The Buccaneers immediately forced another turnover with their press. And the crowd erupted.
The aftermath sent East Tennessee State from elation to deflation, as Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair converted a 3-point play, which point guard Levance Fields followed with a driving layup for a 64-59 advantage. When Ashton Gibbs made a 3-pointer from behind the top of the key a few minutes later, Pittsburgh led comfortably, 67-59.
The epic upset bid had failed.
It was Blair who rescued the Panthers, muscling inside for buckets, playing with abandon his tight teammates seemed to lack. He finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Pittsburgh will play Oklahoma State, an athletic, up-tempo team who could pose problems for the Panthers, on Sunday afternoon in the second round.
Of course, no team seeded 16th in the N.C.A.A. men’s tournament has ever beaten a No. 1 seed. But some teams have come close. And that list, believe it or not, contains East Tennessee State.
In fact, this season marked the 20th anniversary of the E.T.S.U. team that nearly knocked off top-seeded Oklahoma in 1989. The Buccaneers took Mookie Blaylock, Stacy King and company to the buzzer, losing, 72-71. Three more N.C.A.A. tournament appearances followed.
Read whole on:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/sports/ncaabasketball/21pittsburgh.html