Men's college basketball: Pitt, Wisconsin to play for Greenbrier Tip-Off title

“It felt like a home game, honestly,� Wisconsin senior guard Kamari McGee said with a smirk. “Our fans travel well and it’s a beautiful thing to see. That’s a big reason why a lot of us came [to Wisconsin], because we know we have a solid fan base like that.�

The Badgers never trailed, shot 48% from the floor and hit 10 3-point shots, dominating the Knights from the opening tipoff on their way to a 15-point advantage at halftime before leading by 23 in the second half.

“To see that kind of start from us is good,� Wisconsin’s Nolan Winter said. “Getting off a good start offensively and defensively just set the tone for the game, and that was a big point of emphasis for us.�

UCF shot 34% from the floor in its first loss and connected on just 2 of 17 shots from beyond the arc Friday. Three players finished in double-figure scoring — Jordan Ivy-Curry with 13 points and Keyshawn Hall and Dior Johnson with 11 apiece — and JJ Taylor led the Knights with nine rebounds.

But that wasn’t enough to overcome a double-double effort from Winter, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Badgers. He had plenty of offensive firepower to back him up as McGee (14 points), John Tonje (15) and John Blackwell (17) all chipped in to help Wisconsin roll.

“A good team win where we got contributions from several,� Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.

Pitt 74, LSU 63

In the first game of the day, the Panthers prevailed behind big performances from Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett, who scored 22 and 21, respectively. They fueled Pitt in key moments, none more significant than the first few minutes after halftime.

After giving up the lead in the final minute of the first half, the Panthers responded by scoring the first 13 points of the second period and held the Tigers without a field goal for nearly seven minutes to start the half, opening up a 40-28 advantage.

“Our first game any time this year being down at the half, but I thought the way we started the second half was terrific, both offensively and defensively,� Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. “To hold their best player, [Cam] Carter to 3-for-12 [shooting], unbelievable job by Ish [Leggett] and all of our guys.�

Zack Austin had six points in that stretch and was one of four Pitt players to finished in double figures in the win. Lowe led all scorers with 22 points and stuffed the stat sheet by adding a team-high eight rebounds and six assists.

LSU was paced by 14 points apiece from Vyctorius Miller and Jalen Reed, who also tallied seven rebounds. Carter scored 11 and, despite a slow start to the half, LSU climbed back into it and cut the lead to five twice. But Pitt didn’t relent and responded each time.

“Give credit to Pittsburgh, I like their team and I think they are a team that will play deep into March,� LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “They are experienced, tough, physical, and Lowe showed today why people think he’s a first-round NBA pick at the point guard position.�

The Tigers will play in the Greenbrier Tip-Off consolation game Sunday at 3 p.m. against UCF. The championship game between Pitt and No. 19 Wisconsin will be played after that ends.