(1) Pittsburgh 72, (16) East Tennessee State 62
Sophomore forward DeJuan Blair was unstoppable for Pittsburgh, which needed his dominating inside presence to cover up for poor ball control in the Panthers’ 72-62 win against No. 16 East Tennessee State. Pittsburgh committed 18 turnovers, which allowed the Buccaneers to hang around for most of the game. Pitt did not stretch the lead to double digits until the final seconds of the game. Blair’s 27 points and 16 rebounds helped the Panthers hold off East Tennessee State, which couldn’t hit enough shots to take advantage of its greater energy level. The Bucs grabbed 19 offensive rebounds despite Blair’s presence in the post.
