Pittsburgh narrowly defeats Mississippi State in First Four game

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Jamarius Burton made a go-ahead jumper with 10 seconds left and Pitt edged Mississippi State 60-59 in a back-and-forth First Four game Tuesday night that featured 21 lead changes — most in the NCAA Tournament in five years.

Mississippi State had a great chance to win at the end, but Shakeel Moore missed a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner with two seconds remaining off an inbounds play. D.J. Jeffries' tip-in attempt was off target just before the buzzer.

Nelly Cummings led Pitt with 15 points. Greg Elliott scored 13 and Blake Hinson added 12 as the Panthers (23-11) won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2014.

They slotted into the Midwest Region bracket as the 11th seed and advanced to face No. 6 seed Iowa State on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"We showed toughness, resiliency," Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. "We were who we’ve been all year, and it wasn’t pretty — but it was beautiful."

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Pittsburgh's Blake Hinson celebrates with fans after Pittsburgh defeated Mississippi State in a First Four game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

A layup by Tolu Smith gave Mississippi State a 59-58 advantage with 32 seconds left, but Pitt — after a three-minute scoring drought — grabbed the lead back on Burton's short jumper.

Guillermo Diaz Graham blocked Smith’s driving layup attempt out of bounds with 2.7 seconds left, setting up the final sequence.

"I did a block — I don’t even know how — with my left hand," the exhausted 6-foot-11 freshman said. "I usually don’t use my left hand. And I