FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Pitt Panthers overcame their shortcomings on the court Monday night to beat Kansas State, 63-59, in the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers TipOff semifinals at Suncoast Credit Union Arena.
Those shortcomings were painfully apparent, though, and each could have normally cost a team a game by themselves. They committed 21 turnovers. They shot 1-16 from 3-point range. Only two assists.
And yet, with 11 seconds remaining, Xavier Johnson was able to give Pitt the lead with a bucket off the glass:
"Just making the right play," Johnson said.
That right play was the 13th lead change of the half, and after getting a stop via a Mike McGuirl charge on the other end, they completed the upset over the Wildcats, a team that has won 25 games each of the past two seasons.
"I'm very, very proud of our guys," Jeff Capel said. "I thought they showed a toughness and a grit ... I thought we showed toughness, togetherness and resilience."
Not to overshadow toughness, grit and resilience, but it was togetherness that might have been the difference Monday. While that is cliched, there was a collective energy among the group Monday. The bench was animated, teammates were quick to celebrate a bucket or stop.
"Everybody just wanted to win," Johnson said. "Nobody cared about how many shots they were taking. Nobody cared about, 'Hey, I was open,' this and that. But [we] just wanted to win."
Words are good, but actions are better, and Johnson had such a moment. With the Panthers up 61-58 with the clock winding down, the Wildcats took the ball down the court, looking to attempt a three. Instead, Johnson purposefully fouled Cartier Diarra, putting him at the line for two, virtually clinching the win. The personal significance of that foul was it was Johnson's fifth, taking him out of the game.
Capel has been preaching togetherness all season long, and he saw more of it Monday than he had recently.
"We talked over and over with our guys about how much they need each other," Capel said. "... All of them have strengths they bring to our team. They have to embrace those and not try to think about other things that they think they can do, or maybe an outside voice that's telling them they can do.
"Everyone has a role on our team. Everyone's a role player. Everyone. Managers, coach[es], everyone's a role player and you need to embrace your role, fall in love with your role and star in your role. So we've talked about that. How much they need each other in order for us to be the best team, the version of who we can be. We need each other."
Capel believed he saw that togetherness in the first game of the season but felt they had drifted since then. That his team started thinking they were better than they were and might not need everyone.
A couple of losses changed that.
"Getting punched in the mouth a little bit and not playing well brings you back to reality," Capel said.
The team got the message.
"We're starting to play together more," Eric Hamilton said. "We realized if we play together, everyone is going to accomplish what they want to accomplish, which is to win."
Ok then, Johnson. Do you think the Panthers would have won this game a couple weeks ago?
"No," Johnson said. "I actually think the thing that has changed with this team is that we genuinely love each other. Before, coach told us we're just a group of individuals, but now I think we qualify as a team."
• The Panthers stumbled out of the gate, not taking care of the ball and falling behind 9-0 early. The Wildcats extended that lead to 27-17 with four minutes remaining in the half. To make matters even more difficult, the Panthers would have to cut the deficit without Johnson, who picked up two fouls in the opening minutes and sat the rest of the half.
But the Panthers started chipping away in those closing minutes of the half. Four different players: Hamilton, Justin Champagnie, Ryan Murphy and Trey McGowens, scored during an 11-3 stretch.
"Everyone that stepped on that court really fought and did a good job," Capel said.
With some effective zone defense, the Panthers went to the locker room down 30-28.
"We were a little bit stronger, a little bit more decisive, a little bit more movement," Capel said. "Guys were able to make some plays."
That momentum carried into the second half, and the Panthers had a 57-51 lead with 3:48 left on the clock. However, a quick three, a turnover and two fastbreak points brought the Wildcats back to within 1 in just 21 seconds time.
While the Panthers would turn the ball over their next three possessions as well, the Wildcats were unable to build their lead. Johnson then played the hero and added two free-throws for insurance shortly after.
• Sorry to sound like a broken record, but 1 for 16 from three-point range. And that only bucket came from Murphy after the defender wiped out.
They had some open looks. There were just some bad shots. You won't win many games like that.
• Johnson may have hit the winner, but Hamilton was the game's MVP. He delivered 30 key minutes off the bench, scoring 13 points with 12 rebounds, earning his first double-double with the Panthers.
It was his second consecutive quality performance. On Nov. 21, he delivered 12 points and eight rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Before those games, he and Capel had a one-on-one conversation in the coach's office.
"Coach just flat out said, 'You have one defensive rebound over your last five games. That's just unacceptable,'" Hamilton said.
After that conversation, Hamilton went back and began to focus on what he was doing when he came to Pittsburgh. In an effort to do so, he, like Johnson, joined the no social media club. He wanted to clear his mind, so he deleted the apps from his phone, eliminating the temptation.
"I'm not distracted by any of that outside noise," Hamilton said. "I've just been coming in, worried about doing my job."
• The stat sheet might not show it, but Terrell Brown gave the Panthers some quality minutes Monday, especially in the second half. After a slow start, the Panthers center scored six points, blocked a pair of shots and picked up two rebounds after halftime.
"When he came to the bench, he didn't pout," Capel said. "He actually got into the game more with his talk from the bench. And he was very vocal. He was into it. When he came back in, he as just able to play, not think."
Brown finished with eight points and three rebounds.
• Never underestimate the power of the free-throw. The Panthers were 18-21 at the line. The Wildcats were 3-13.
The Panthers also out-rebounded the Wildcats, 40-30.
• That is three wins in a row for the Panthers. The last time that happened was Dec. 15-29, 2018.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE STARTING LINEUPS
For Capel's Panthers:
Xavier Johnson, guard
Trey McGowens, guard
Ryan Murphy, guard
Justin Champagnie, forward
Terrell Brown, center
And for Bruce Weber's Wildcats:
Mike McGuirl, guard
Cartier Diarra, guard
Xavier Sneed, forward
Makol Mawien, forward
Antonio Gordon, forward
THE SCHEDULE
The Panthers will play for the tournament championship Wednesday against Northwestern. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. I'll be there to cover it.
THE COVERAGE
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