Pitt Basketball: Panthers Win CBI, Lamar Patterson named MVP

By Zachary Weiss

While Pitt did not make the NCAA Tournament, they did accomplish something during the 2011-12 season that many other teams did not- win their final game of the season.

That game happened to be in the CBI Finals and the Panthers captured the CBI championship with a  71-65 victory over Washington State.

Travon Woodall led the 22-17 Panthers with 17 points and Lamar Patterson contributed 14 points to go along with eight rebounds.

The win marked an end to what many call an unusual season for the Pitt program.

“I felt we were the healthiest we were in March,” Panthers Head Coach Jamie Dixon said. “That is kind of why we continued to play. They were not happy with their season but they wanted to do more. They kept fighting and battling. They should be commended for that and they followed up and did it.”

Ashton Gibbs missed his second consecutive game due to an ankle injury and thus ended his Panthers career on the bench. Dixon acknowledges that Gibbs played with an injury all season. Cameron Wright started for the second straight game for Gibbs.

With Gibbs gone, Patterson knew that he had to step up and in this the final game, he came out aggressive and made some circus shots, drawing fouls in the process.

“I feel like coach trusted me much more and depended on me a lot more,” Patterson said. “I feel like it’s great going into next year based on the win.”

Woodall saw how Patterson’s play has improved over the course of the CBI, and compared him to a recent Panthers alum.

“He’s become really confident and is one of those guys that can keep the ball in his hands like a Brad Wanamaker type,” Woodall said. “He just instills confidence in the rest of his teammates.

The season had a lot of high points and low points. The Panthers did miss the NCAA Tournament, breaking a string of 10 consecutive year’s earning a tournament spot.  Pitt was also decimated with injuries all season. Add in the transfer of freshman big man Khem Birch, and it was a tough season all around.

However they persevered and that gives them hope for next season.

“We’ve went through a lot of ups and downs during our season and we just wanted to end on a high note and get ready for next season,” Woodall said. “This is our preparation for next season and we just have to be ready next year. We need to avoid the mistakes we made this year but we’ve got a lot more experience now with a lot of guys getting in games.”

The Panthers also minimized their mistakes and only turned the ball over three times on the night, their lowest total in that category in Dixon’s tenure as Pitt’s head coach.

“Pitt did a great job of taking care of the ball and it was one of those games where we sat back and tried to protect the paint, so we weren’t out really pressuring,” Washington State Head Coach Ken Bone said. “Pitt did a great job of taking care of the ball.”

Fans assumed that the Panthers would be accepted into the NIT or would not elect to play in the postseason.  When it was announced that the Panthers had entered the pay-to-play CBI, fans were not pleased.

At first glimpse the players didn’t even know what to make of the tournament and the opportunity to continue playing as a team.

“I’m going to be completely honest,” Woodall said. “When I first heard about this tournament I looked at it as a lose-lose situation because we’re Pitt and we’re not supposed to be in this tournament.”

Next season, the Panthers will be without Gibbs, Nasir Robinson and Nick Rivers. Gibbs will finish eighth in team history in point scored, mere points behind Ricardo Greer for seventh. Robinson scored eight points last night and ends a season full of injuries with another injury to his non-flushed knee.

Rivers in his fifth season and third as a player played four minutes and as a fan favorite received a standing ovation from the student section Oakland Zoo upon being substituted out of the game for the last time. Rivers appreciates the support and playing for Coach Dixon.

“It meant a lot,” Rivers said. “All the work I’ve put into it. I’ve never gave up and have been given a lot of opportunities to play this year, especially coach made sure that he knew that he believed in me and it feels good to show these guys that I can contribute. ”

Zachary Weiss can be reached at yngzc@yahoo.com