BOSTON – The time for dreaming is over.
Wagner College must look the Pittsburgh beast square in the eye today and not blink. If the Seahawks flinch, the Panthers will pounce. Make no mistake about it, the first five minutes of today’s first-round NCAA Tournament game in the FleetCenter are crucial if Wagner wants to play miracle-worker.
“I think it’s extremely important to get a good start,” said Wagner coach Dereck Whittenburg. “And more importantly, defend, rebound and run your offense. If we could do those things early, I think it will help you psychologically in your game.”
Pittsburgh, the No.2 seed in the Midwest Region, is one of the most dangerous teams in this tournament because of its physical, in-your-face defensive style. The Panthers don’t just beat teams, they beat up on them, breaking their opponents’ will.
Consider the Panthers’ (26-4) run to the Big East Conference tournament championship. As soon as they got Boston College power forward Craig Smith in foul trouble, the Panthers bit down on the Eagles in a 61-48 win. In Pittsburgh’s 74-56 win over Connecticut in the championship game, the Panthers led 55-51 with about five minutes remaining. They broke the Huskies down the stretch with their relentless style.
The Panthers aren’t looking past the Seahawks.
“We’ve been on both ends of the stick,” said Pitt point guard Brandin Knight. “We’ve been a team that people didn’t think was that talented. We had to go out and show and prove it. I think we understand what a team like Wagner feels like coming into this game. We understand how to guard against letdown.”
The Seahawks (21-9) have seen Pitt on television enough to know it will take a near-perfect game for them to become only the fifth 15th-seeded team to win a first-round game. “The [selection] committee didn’t make [the Panthers] a two-seed for nothing,” said Wagner star Jermaine Hall. “But we’re going to come out and play hard and play aggressive. One thing about us, we respect all of our opponents but we fear none.”
The Seahawks can’t play with fear, especially early. Nor can they remain caught up in the emotion of being the first Wagner team to get to the Big Dance. When asked what the mood was like on Staten Island, Whittenburg quipped, “I had a lot of Italian guys named Tony and Joey kissing me.”
Pittsburgh will look to plant a quick kiss of death.