DAYTON, Ohio -- Leave it to Pitt's most reliable weapon to isolate himself on Mississippi State's best defender, only to hit the most clutch jump shot of the game, of the season, and of his career.
Jamarius Burton had plenty of time to think about it, having sat on the Panthers' bench for more than half of Tuesday's 60-59 NCAA Tournament First Four victory over the Bulldogs at UD Arena because of foul trouble. His thoughts materialized into the most memorable shot in the seven years the Panthers have experienced since last making the NCAA Tournament.
The moment arrived with 14.7 seconds remaining, as Burton drew the matchup with a switched-on Bulldogs center Tolu Smith atop the left wing. Burton crossed his dribble through his legs and over to his left hand, took on Smith in isolation, took two dribbles, and stopped on he line dividing the paint from the rest of the inside of the 3-point arc.
He pump-faked once, recollected, and hoisted up a rainbow which netted off the back of the rim to give Pitt that 60-59 lead with 10.0 seconds to play in regulation. The lead which stood until the final horn, sending the 11th-seeded Panthers to a date with No. 6 Iowa State Friday at 3:10 p.m. in Greensboro, N.C. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
JAMARIUS BURTON FOR THE LEAD WITH 10 SECONDS TO PLAY ❄️#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/LBH3vkjHXi
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 15, 2023
"When I had the ball in my hands the last 30 seconds or so, I just told myself I was built for it, and I just got to a spot and let it go, and I had complete confidence in myself," Burton said. "That was pretty much everything that went down."
The shot capped what was otherwise an off-night for Burton, as the first-team All-ACC guard was caught in foul trouble midway through the first half. His first came with 11:07 to play in the opening 20 minutes, which ordinarily is not a big deal, but in an uncharacteristic way, he was whistled for a second reach-in just 12 seconds later, thus sending him to the bench for the next 5 minutes, 31 seconds of game time.
Already without center Federiko Federiko, who is nursing a knee injury, the Panthers were left without their best player again throughout key points of the second half, as he committed his third foul with 1 minute, 16 seconds off the clock after halftime and was sent back to the bench for another stretch lasting more than 5 minutes.
Burton checked back in with 13:37 to play -- with Pitt down by two -- and committed his fourth foul 1 minute, 11 seconds into that stint, thus sending him to the bench again with 12:26 left.
Pitt's captain had nearly 7 game minutes to reflect, compose his thoughts, and gear back up for one final stretch run on the floor with no room for error.
"Yeah, for me, I was just talking to God most of the time, being engaged with my teammates, encouraging them the whole time, and just understanding that I'll have a moment and have a chance of getting back out there and making an impact for the team," Burton said.
He finished with six points for his lowest total since Feb. 7 agains Louisville while playing just 19 minutes, a season-low.
But, while limited, Burton was still efficient when he was on the floor. He made 3 of 5 attempts from the field and was tied for a team-high plus-5.
