Pitt Panthers Save Season With OT Win at Boston College

In an 18 game season, calling the second game of conference play a must-win might be a little extreme. But with the non-conference schedule not quite going the way the Pittsburgh Panthers had planned, falling to 0-2 in the ACC with a loss at Boston College Tuesday night would have put an early damper not only on thoughts of the Panthers finishing in the top half of the conference, but it would have already put them squarely on Bubble Watch for the NCAA Tournament in March.

Thanks to reserve sophomore guard Josh Newkirk, Pitt lived to see another day, topping the Eagles in overtime, 61-60. Pitt trailed by as much as 10 late in the game, but rallied and Newkirk not only hit the shot that forced overtime, but he also scored the winner in the extra frame, capping off a 15-point night — double his season average.

Newkirk also was key in getting the entire Pittsburgh offense out of its doldrums early in the game. He finished with a game-high seven assists in one of his best performances of the season. This coming in a game that with a loss, would have dropped the Panthers to 10-5 overall and 0-2 in the ACC.

Now, with home games coming up against Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh not only has a chance to turn its season around, but the Panthers can build some positive momentum before the schedule toughens beyond this upcoming three-game home-stand.

Having lost to Hawaii, Indiana and San Diego State in non-conference play, Pittsburgh entered the conference schedule without much of the leeway it had gained a season ago when the Panthers were 12-1 entering the league gauntlet. With the conference being even tougher this year thanks to the addition of Louisville, Pittsburgh can’t afford to pile up any more losses early against teams like Boston College that it should be beating.

Pittsburgh has six conference games remaining against teams currently in the AP Top 25, including two with No. 5 Louisville, and single games against No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Virginia, No. 13 Notre Dame and No. 18 North Carolina. A slip-up tonight at BC would have been a serious blotch on Pitt’s NCAA Tournament resume. Newkirk arrived just in time to not only let the Panthers win tonight, but save their season as well.

Ed Morgans is an ACC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @writered21 and add him to your network on Google.