ORLANDO, Fla. http://www.authenticpanthersshop.com/Tre-Boston-Panthers-Jersey . -- Unselfish offence, tenacious defence. When Pittsburgh plays like it did in routing Colorado 77-48 in the South Regional on Thursday, the ninth-seeded Panthers think they are capable of competing with anyone. It was difficult to argue against that after Talib Zanna scored 16 of his 18 points in the opening half and Pitt built a 28-point lead. However, coach Jamie Dixon and his players know they will have to be even better to go deeper in the NCAA tournament. "Were a better team now than we were earlier in the year," Dixon said. "Thats what you hope to be." The Panthers (26-9) shot 51 per cent from the field and played one of their best games of the season defensively in advancing to a third-round matchup Saturday against either No. 1 seed Florida or No. 16 seed Albany. Dixon said the Panthers have been feeling a lot better about themselves since winning two of three games in last weeks Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, including a quarterfinal victory over North Carolina. "I think last week opened our eyes," Dixon said. "We didnt win the tournament, but we thought we could have." Colorado (23-12) was eager to make amends for an early exit from the tournament a year ago, but had no answers for the 6-foot-9 Zanna. The Pitt centre made six of seven shots in the first half, and the Panthers didnt have any difficulty finishing off the overwhelmed Buffaloes. "Weve got to take care of the ball better and weve got to guard better and weve got to rebound better," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "We didnt do any of those things today. I dont know what Colorado team it was." Josh Scott led the Buffaloes with 14 points, however Colorado couldnt overcome a subpar performance from Askia Booker, who missed his first seven shots and didnt score from the field until 4 minutes into the second half. Cameron Wright had 11 points and Lamar Patterson finished with 10 for Pitt, which moved from the Big East to the ACC this season, where it finished fifth. Zanna, who had a monster game in the ACC tournament with 19 points and 21 rebounds against North Carolina, didnt attempt a shot in the second half, when Dixon gave his starters plenty of rest. Michael Young had nine points in 21 minutes and no regular played more than 30. "I was just trying to be patient. I know if Im open, the ball is going to come to me," said Zanna, a senior from Kaduna, Nigeria. "I was wide open just trying to run the floor, and I was just having wide-open layups." Colorado, whose 23 wins are the second-most in school history, entered the game coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the season in 20-point loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament. The Buffaloes were limited to a season-low 15 field goals while shooting 29 per cent from the field with Scott finishing with a season-low four points and two rebounds. It didnt get any better against Pitt, which is in the NCAA tournament for the 10th time in 11 seasons under Dixon. The Panthers lost in the second round to Wichita State a year ago and will be looking for their first trip to the round of 16 since 2009. "They came out from the start and got on us early and we werent able to recover," Colorados Xavier Johnson said. "No one wants to go out like that, so it hurts. But that will motivate us to get better in the off-season." Colorado shot 29.4 per cent from the field in the opening half, with Booker missing all four of his attempts from the field and being limited to two free throws. Scott had five points on 2-for-3 shooting, but an even bigger indication of the teams troubles: the Buffaloes had zero assists and 10 turnovers. Pitt, meanwhile, matched its point total for its previous game, a 51-48 loss to Virginia in the semifinals of last weeks ACC tournament. The Panthers had 13 assists on 18 baskets in the first 20 minutes, and they outscored Colorado 12-2 in points off turnovers in building the 28-point halftime lead. Booker, like Scott averaging 14 points per game, finished with six on 2-for-9 shooting. Johnson scored 11 points for the Buffaloes, who made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to avoid finishing with fewer points than Pitt scored in the opening half alone. "You go in at halftime down 28, theres not a lot you can say to your guys positively, other than the fact that we had to come out and compete -- and you shouldnt have to ask our guys to do that," Boyle said. "We never gave up. These guys kept battling. It just wasnt our day," he added. "You look at every statistical category you want to. When you have five assists and 17 turnovers, its hard." The 29-point defeat was the largest-ever for the Buffaloes in the NCAA tournament. The previous low point was a 73-46 loss to eventual national champion Cincinnati in 1962. Bene Benwikere Panthers Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings. Entering the All-Star break, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won 14 of 16 games to take over top spot, even without injured star point guard Russell Westbrook. Authentic Kony Ealy Jersey . According to Yahoo! Sports, the team has reached a five-year deal to play their home games on the roof of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie is known for stressing the positive, but he was unusually blunt Saturday. Aside from goalkeeper David Ousted, Rennie spared no players his wrath after the Whitecps dropped a 1-0 decision to a Real Salt Lake squad, which fielded mostly a second-team lineup, before a sellout crowd of 21,000 at B.C. Place Stadium. "I dont think anyone played well today, apart from Ousted," said Rennie. "It was just a terrible performance from everyone." Devon Sandovals goal in the ninth minute was the only one that RSL needed. RSL improved to 15-10-6 and gained a share of first place in the Western Conference while ending a losing skid at two games. RSL coach Jason Kreis went with 10 new additions to his starting lineup as he rested key players in preparation for Tuesdays U.S. Open Cup final against D.C. United. The winner of that game will qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League. The Whitecaps (11-11-8) saw their playoff hopes fade some more as they remain four points back of fifth-place Colorado with only four games remaining. Only the top five teams qualify for the post-season. "(It was a) thoroughly disappointing game for us," said Rennie. "Weve had hardly any like that at B.C. Place this season. But for the third game in a row, we started the game badly, which is really frustrating. Its something that weve worked on and focused (on) and made sure we were ready to go. "It wasnt a bad goal. It was a great cross and a good header, but its something we should have defended better." The Whitecaps could have also played much better offensively in the coachs view. Camilo drew into Vancouvers starting lineup after scoring two goals in a second-half substitute role a week earlier in Montreal. Whitecaps striker Kenny Miller missed the game a groin injury. As a result, Tommy Heinemann took his place after impressing in a win over Montreal. Heinemann, rarely used for most of the season, made his second consecutive, and third overall, start. Before last week, he had not started since April 20. Heinemann was dangerous at times but he and Camilo showed little chemistry and midfielders did not link up well with forwards. Rennie tried to inject speed in the second half as he subbed off Heinemann and Gershon Koffie for Kekuta Manneh and Darren Mattocks, respectively in the 54th minute. But the changes had little effect. "We put ourselves in a bad spot to start with, and then I just thought out (offensive) quality was really poor," said Rennie. "I didnt think we got good balls into the box. We didnt really connect any crosses. Our passing in the final third was poor today, and it was a disappointing performance, especially given how well wed played in our last two games." Rennie credited RSL, contending, rather charitably, that it was the best performance by a visiting team at B.C. Place this season. He insisted that his club did not take RSLs subs-turned-starters lightly. "If it hadnt been for saves that David (Ousted) made, it could have been worse for us today," said Rennie. "Im scratching my head as to the way that we performed." RSLs absentees included starting goalkeeper Nick Riimando and midfield stalwart Kyle Beckerman. Kony Ealy Black Jersey. Backup goalkeeper Jeff Attinella, who had not played since August 19 in Portland, registered his first shutout of the season while getting credit for just one save. "It was fun, as a group that doesnt get to play a lot," said Attinella. "But we have a lot of talented players and, really, a team with lot of MLS experience still on the field. "So to come out here and get a result, and kind of right the ship for our team a little bit, and then with Tuesdays U.S. Open Cup (final), hopefully, the momentum carries into Tuesday." Crediting his teams effort, Attinella did not feel overly tested, but said the Whitecaps still "pretty well" and kept him busy with crosses that defenders played well. "We got the early goal, which was huge for us to get off to a fast start," said Attinella. "And then to hold that lead on the road, on a turf field against a team that runs its own numbers forward, I couldnt be happier." RSLs lineup changes paid off early as Sandoval bounced a header past Ousted. It was the third goal of the season for Sandoval, who put in a cross from Lovel Palmer on a counter-attack after the Whitecaps had controlled the run of play in the early going. Ousted appeared to be in good position for a save if Sandoval had put his header in the air instead of sending the ball down. But Ousted still chastised himself for allowing the goal. "I think I should have come across and tried to take the (crossed) ball in the air," he said. "Maybe I get there. Maybe I dont. But (I) at least try to take the header away from him. Im not happy with that goal and Im not happy with my own performance on that goal." Like Rennie, the goalkeeper, who joined the Whitecaps in mid-season from his native Denmark after signing as a free agent, was at a loss to explain his clubs poor effort. He felt the Caps should have done better early and created more scoring chances. "Its an important stage of the season," said Ousted. "We should be able to come out and perform better and be more hungry for each ball and each goal. But we werent there today." He made sensational saves on Yordany Alvarez in the 61st minute, when he lunged to get his hand on the ball, foiled Sebastian Velasquez by diving and catching the ball in his mid-section in the 68th and then getting his body an Olmes Garcia shot from the right side of the area a little while later. But Ousted was not willing to accept praise from Rennie or anybody else. "Were here as a team," said Ousted. "So when youre talking about the team, youre talking about 11 of us (on the field), and Im in there. Im not happy with the way we performed -- myself included. We should have done better, especially in this part of the season." "Weve put ourselves in a difficult spot when we go forward," said Rennie. "But weve still got plenty of time to get the wins that we need." Notes--Whitecaps winger Omar Salgado has resumed training after recovering from a broken foot, but he is not expected to play again this season. ... Mannehs appearance was just his third in the past 10 games. ' ' '
