Pittsburgh's résumé still needs quite a bit of work, but the Panthers took a big step in the right direction Saturday in halting a three-game losing streak with an impressive 76-72 victory over No. 8 Notre Dame.
It was the first victory over a top-10 team for the Panthers in two years and it came at a great time. Pitt was reeling entering the game having lost three straight, including, perhaps, the low point of the season, losing in overtime at Virginia Tech.
Prior to Saturday's victory, Pitt's best win probably came way back in November when it got the best of Kansas State in the Maui Invitational. One top-10 win isn't going to be enough to get the Panthers into the NCAA tournament, but if they can build off this one and keep some momentum, maybe they'll look back on this victory as a turning point.
A three-game stretch in mid-February against Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia will tell us if Pitt has a chance of going any further than an NIT bid in March.
Pitt's five starters were responsible for scoring 71 of its 76 points. Jamel Artis was big in this one, scoring 20 points with eight rebounds and three assists. Michael Young had 16 points and James Robinson scored 15.
While Pitt played like a team desperate for a win, Notre Dame followed up its home win over No. 4 Duke on Wednesday with a rugged outing and likely missed a chance to move into the top-five in the next polls. The Irish still managed to make a run late and take the lead in the final minute before falling.
Jerian Grant was brilliant in the win over the Blue Devils earlier in the week but he didn't seem to show up until the final seven minutes. Grant scored 14 points but didn't grab a single rebound. It was quite a dropoff from the 23 points and 12 assists he produced in beating Duke.
Still, he made enough plays down the stretch once again to put his team in position to win, but Pitt needed this one more.
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