ETSU Won’t Back Down From Pittsburgh

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Kevin Tiggs still had his trademark smile. The East Tennessee State University senior forward put up shots, tracked down loose balls and glided across the court, smiling the entire time. And while Tiggs kept things loose and free, the ETSU men’s basketball team appeared upbeat and sounded optimistic Monday afternoon before practice began inside the Memorial Center.

There was little sign that ETSU was four days away from facing the Pittsburgh Panthers and one of biggest first-round challenges in the NCAA Tournament. Little sign that the Bucs were intimidated or scared straight. And little sign that East Tennessee State (23-10) prepared to treat its East Region contest against the Panthers (28-4) as anything other than what it is: a game. And that’s just the way Bucs coach Murry Bartow wants it.

“All I can do for our team is get our team ready to play,” Bartow said. “We can’t get overly concerned with who we’re playing. Obviously, we’re playing one of the best teams in the country, and it’s a hard matchup because of [their] strength and size. But all we can do is keep keeping on; keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

What ETSU has been doing is winning games. The Buccaneers have claimed five straight victories heading into The Dance, outscoring opponents by an average of 19.6 points during the stretch.

Bartow called the Bucs hot. And East Tennessee State’s recent hot streak saved a season that appeared to be heading for the rocks, handing the Buccaneers the Atlantic Sun conference tournament championship and sending ETSU to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.

Now, the Bucs must deal with Pittsburgh, ranked No. 4 in the country in polls released Monday by the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today.

The No. 16 seed Buccaneers will take on the No. 1 seed Panthers at 2:55 p.m. Friday at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The game is expected to be televised live in a national broadcast carried locally by CBS (11).

A 16 seed has never defeated a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But ETSU senior guard Courtney Pigram said the pressure is on the Panthers, not the Bucs.

“We know we got to win every game to stay in, so it’s nothing,” Pigram said. “We just gotta play to win.”

Bartow admitted there were valid reasons for the precedent of a No. 1 seed never falling to a 16, namely that first-seeded teams normally deserve their ranking. But he said there’s no reason ETSU should change its game or approach, just to play up to the Panthers.

The Bucs earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament by relying on the big three of Tiggs, Pigram and Mike Smith for offense. On defense, ETSU rebounded by committee and utilized a full-court press defense to wear down and disrupt their opponents.

Bartow said ETSU has an advantage in players like Tiggs, who are making their first-ever appearance in the tournament. And Tiggs said the Bucs’ first-round contest against the Panthers was an opportunity – the East Tennessee State’s season was over at this point last year.

“It ain’t nothing but a game of basketball,” Tiggs said. “So, why would you be down? We get another chance to play again.”
Bartow said Tiggs’ optimistic outlook and wide-eyed approach should aid ETSU.

“That’s the beauty of Kevin,” Bartow said. “Kevin’s not going to look at it as analytically as I look at it. Kevin, he could care less who we’re playing. And he could care less if it’s in the [National Invitational Tournament] or the NCAA Tournament. He’s just hooping, he’s just playing.”

But optimism will only go so far. The Panthers have their own big three, composed of sophomore forward DeJuan Blair, senior forward Sam Young and senior guard Levance Fields. The trio will be a major test for a young, undersized ETSU squad.

Bartow said Blair is one of the most powerful players in the country and called Young “a pro.” Meanwhile, Bartow said Fields is one of the top five point guards in the country, and also paid tribute to the Panthers’ rebounding ability and coaching staff.

But for the Bucs, there is still hope and promise. Bartow said his main desire is for ETSU to play well and to show up competing to “win that darn game on Friday,” not just be content to be in the NCAA Tournament.

“When you look at it statistically, it doesn’t look good,” Bartow said. “But the beauty of the tournament: teams lose. Teams lose. It’s not an NBA best-of-seven series. It’s a one-game shot. That’s it.”

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Who: East Tennessee State University (23-10) vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (28-4)
What: NCAA Tournament first round men’s basketball game
When: 2:55 p.m., Friday
Where: The University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio
TV: CBS (11)