One shining moment
Tony Allen can only take so much tough talk. For days he had been hearing about how tough Pittsburgh plays, how the Panthers' New York City-bred players like Carl Krauser and Chris Taft exude nothing but toughness. "I know tough," Allen said. "Tough is my cousin." The Panthers may have some players from the bruising boroughs of the Big Apple, but growing up in Chicago is no picnic, either, Allen said. "I have a saying, a motto, that I roll with: I ain't scared. If you want to get physical, I'll get physical. If you want to talk [trash] the whole game, then we'll be talkin' the whole game." It didn't take long for the game to get physical for Allen. Early in the first half, Krauser, the Panthers' point guard, drove the lane, ran into Allen and gave him a love tap -- an elbow to the lip. "Then he said something real smart," Allen said. "I said, 'OK, it's gonna be one of those games.'" Allen scored only five points in the first half for the sluggish Cowboys, who fell prey to the Panthers' plodding Big East tempo and failed to match their, uh, toughness in the lane. But the game turned in the second half when Allen found room to operate, using his superior athleticism -- he gets so much air on his jumper, it seems he has all night to adjust the shot in mid-air -- to get to the rim and finish. Allen scored 13 of his 23 points in the second half, the most crucial being a 3-pointer from the corner in Panthers guard Jaron Brown's face that gave the Cowboys a 53-47 lead with 4:02 left in the game.
Player who impressed me
You have to like a 6-foot-2 point guard who isn't afraid to drive the ball into the land of the giants and dish out elbows as much as assists. For some reason, Krauser appeared to be the only Pittsburgh player who knew an Elite Eight berth was at stake in this game. Although his final stats were less than impressive -- 6-of-17 shooting, three assists, four turnovers -- Krauser left an impression on the Cowboys, often in the literal sense. Aside from the run-in with Allen, there was another play in the first half in which Krauser drove the lane and drew a blocking foul. After the whistle blew and the play was dead, the sophomore from the Bronx sneaked an elbow on Oklahoma State guard Daniel Bobik's rib cage just out of sight of the official. Krauser's play alternated between brilliant (a Sherman Douglas-lollipop floater over the entire Cowboys front line) and stupid (fouling a Cowboys shooter on a fadeaway jumper), but he made a fan out of Cowboys star Allen. "He's got a great future," Allen said. "I like his game." After playing with the most emotion on his team during the game, it was only fitting that Krauser was clearly the most dejected player in the locker room afterward. Asked why Pitt failed to stick with the inside game in the second half, a defiant yet classy Krauser said, "Maybe so, but things like that happen in a basketball game. Some of the opportunities just weren't there like they usually might be, and some of that might have to do with [Oklahoma State]."
Courtside confidential
At least one of Pitt's distinguished alums made it to the game. Former Panthers QB Dan Marino chatted with CBS colleague Jim Nantz at courtside during halftime. ... Pitt's reputation for being a vintage, chuck-and-duck Big East squad is well-earned. The Panthers shot 36 percent for the game, including a ghastly 3 of 17 from 3-point range, and this was by no means a case of "iron unkind." From inside the paint the Panthers were fairly efficient, but anything from the perimeter made them look positively Doug Gottlieb-like, and anything from 3-point range was a akin to a shot in the dark. In fact, this would make a great pre-1987 club; if the 3-point line didn't exist, this would be your hands-down national champion. ... The Pitt band paid a tribute to Broadway with a stirring rendition of All that Jazz just before tipoff. ... Pitt faithful apparently have a case of Los Angeles sports fan syndrome. Many of them didn't arrive until well after tipoff, and you wouldn't have known they were there at all until Krauser's putback six minutes into the game cut the Cowboys' lead to 7-6. From then on, the crowd was decidedly pro-Pitt.
Championship formula
This game was a case of too much, too soon. If the Big 12 tournament finale -- an Oklahoma State victory -- had not been played so late on Selection Sunday, and if Pitt could have eked out a win in that Big East title game against UConn, then the Cowboys would have been a top seed and the Panthers would have been at least a No. 2 seed. Instead, we got to see a Final Four-caliber matchup in the Sweet 16 round, which is great for college hoops fans but lousy for the team that has to go home -- Pittsburgh. It also spells trouble for the Cowboys' next opponent, St. Joseph's, and perhaps two more foes beyond that. Sure, St. Joe's depends on terrific guard play, but so does Oklahoma State. "They're definitely a great defensive team," Krauser said. "They have great athletes who are very quick off the floor and quick to rebound, and they have a great leader in Allen, who is stepping up." Perhaps the running-and-gunning Cowboys' biggest strength from here on out is what they showed Thursday against Pittsburgh -- the ability to play a slow-tempo, halfcourt game that requires patience. The Cowboys also have a variety of options on offense, with Allen and co-Big 12 MVP John Lucas in the backcourt and forwards Joey Graham and Ivan McFarlin also averaging double-digit points per game.
