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Pitt lacks style, not wins

Louisville's Taquan Dean, center, tries to keep control of the ball as Pittsburgh's Keith Benjamin reaches in to pull it away Sunday. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Louisville's Taquan Dean, center, tries to keep control of the ball as Pittsburgh's Keith Benjamin reaches in to pull it away Sunday. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

The nation’s most unexpected undefeated team isn’t much on style.

Good thing, because there wasn’t much to go around during No. 12 Pittsburgh’s 61-57 win over No. 10 Louisville on Sunday in Louisville, Ky.

The Panthers shot just 38 percent from the field, battled foul trouble and allowed the inexperienced and injury-riddled Cardinals three potential game-winning shots in the final 30 seconds.

“It wasn’t our prettiest game,” Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said. “It was tough and we battled through.”

The Panthers (14-0, 3-0 Big East) are one of three unbeaten teams remaining in Division I, along with top-ranked Duke (16-0) and No. 2 Florida (16-0). And while the Panthers lack Duke’s pedigree and Florida’s buzz, they do have the kind of depth that makes them a difficult matchup.

Nine Panthers played at least 11 minutes against the Cardinals (13-3, 1-2), who wore down in the second half, allowing a seven-point lead to slip away. Louisville is winless in three games against Top 25 opponents.

Freshman reserve guard Levance Fields scored 13 points to lead five Panthers with at least eight points and center Aaron Gray added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Panthers, who are 14-0 for the second time in three seasons under Dixon. Forward Terrence Williams scored a career-high 25 points for Louisville.

(14) Michigan State 62, (19) Ohio State 59 (2 OT): At Columbus, Ohio, Drew Neitzel hit a runner and two free throws in the final 44 seconds of the second overtime to lead the Spartans. Paul Davis, who scored 18 points for the Spartans (14-4, 2-2 Big Ten), cemented the lead with two free throws with 11 seconds left. The Buckeyes’ Jamar Butler then missed a 3-pointer and Matt Sylvester – who had earlier hit two big 3s to pull his team back – failed on a short follow in the final seconds. Terence Dials led Ohio State (12-2, 2-2) with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

(23) Maryland 90, Wake Forest 86: At College Park, Md., Mike Jones scored 22 points, D.J. Strawberry added a career-high 18, and the Terrapins kept the Demon Deacons winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Justin Gray scored 38 points for Wake Forest (11-5, 0-3), which cut a 17-point deficit to two with 2.9 seconds left. Strawberry then clinched it with two foul shots. Nik Caner-Medley scored 17 points to help the Terrapins (12-4, 2-2) bounce back from losses at Miami and Duke. Gray went 12 for 20 from the field, including 7 for 11 from 3-point range.