Pitt Panthers Edge Stanford in ACC Tournament Thriller

0:00On March 10th, the Pitt Panthers edged out Stanford 64-63 in a thrilling first-round ACC tournament matchup. Fifth-year guard, Demarco Minor, sealed the win with a second chance layup off his own miss, putting Pitt up by one with under a second left. As the 15th seed, they advanced after a back-and-forth battle, they came down to the wire. Pitt grabbed a 31-23 halftime lead behind strong defense, and an 18-5 run early in the first half. They forced turnovers and capitalized with layups and dunks from freshmen like Roman Sulepa and Omari Witherspoon. Stanford shot well from three early, but couldn't keep pace as Pitt locked down. Minor has a knack for late-game magic, including a buzzer beating three against Ohio State back in November. This victory avenges a February loss to Stanford and gives Pitt a two-to-one edge since joining the ACC. Fans are buzzing about the heart-shown, despite injuries like sophomore Nojus Indercitus leaving early.

1:00The second half saw both teams trade leads multiple times, with Stanford grabbing a brief one-point edge late. Pitt responded with key threes and rebounds, navigating foul trouble for senior Cameron Corrin. Sulepa stepped up big in the post without Corheen for stretches. Pitt now heads to the second round against seven-seated NC State on March 11th at noon. Expect another intense clash as the Panthers keep their tournament run alive.