Oakland at Pittsburgh

Jamie Dixon has put together some rugged, experienced and talented Pitt teams over the last decade, but they often lose their way and underachieve in the big dance. This team lacks the experience of many of those teams. The Golden Grizzlies were battle tested early, and it helped this team come together and improve game by game, finishing out at 20-1 in their last 21. Keith Benson is a tough match-up for anyone with 17 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game, and at 6'11" will be a handful for Pitt inside. Derick Nelson gives them the perfect inside-out game as he connects on 40% of his 3's. Oakland has gone for 70 in 18 of their last 20 games, and Pitt isn't as "sticky" defensively as they have been in the past. Oakland hangs tough here and gets the call.