Ishmael Leggett Would Not Let Pitt Die
WASHINGTON, DC -- It was no secret. The line was repeated by every college basketball analyst and NCAA Tournament forecaster repeated the line over and over from the moment Wake Forest knocked off Notre Dame up through tip off of the Pitt Panthers' quarterfinal matchup - who ever loses this game has no shot at making the big dance. Your season, would essentially be over.
The high stakes made for a tight, physical game and when the Panthers needed one more play to keep a desperate Wake Forest team at bay, it was Ishmael Leggett who answered the bell every time. In a homecoming game, Leggett did everything - scored, commanded the offense, defended and sacrificed his body time and again for loose balls.
Pitt needed every bit of Ishmael Leggett in their 81-69 win over Wake Forest and he gave them every bit of himself.
“I saw a dog, man. I saw a dog," freshman guard Jaland Lowe said. "I saw a leader. I saw one of the best players in the country, that’s what I saw.”
Leggett led the Panthers in scoring with 11 points in the first half but his defense was even more impressive. He quarterbacked a stifling defensive effort against one of the most effective offenses in the ACC and the country, notching four first half steals, primarily by helping on 7' center Efton Reid, sneaking behind him to swipe easy steals away.
The Panthers forced eight turnovers in all during the first 20 minutes and held Wake Forest to just seven made field goals against their half court offense.
"I thought we did an outstanding job collectively as a group of being in gaps early, not allowing them to see space, and we didn't get knocked back on their drives. They took that challenge and obviously did a good job in the first half. Saliss got going a little bit in the second half, but we were able to in the first half - our team defense was outstanding."
Pitt led by 12 at halftime and 19 with 13:14 left in the second half. Then Hunter Sallis got hot and the Deacons cut it to 11. Then Cam Hildreth scored an and-1 layup to get it under double digits. Eventually, Wake Forest ground it down to just a 3-point deficit.
Each time things began to look dire for the Panthers - when foul trouble hit or one of Wake Forest's excellent shooters started to get hot, Leggett had an answer with a defensive play or offensive breakthrough.
"It was a game of runs. We've been in that position before and we know what it to win."
Leggett scored seven points in a row to break a 9-2 Wake Forest run early in the second half. After the Deacons cut it to five points, he scored on back-to-back possessions to make it six-point game again. He had 12 of the Panthers' final 18 points of the game, each critical as they cling to progressively smaller leads that never collapsed because of his steady hand.
Leggett is a stopper of runs on both ends. He can defend the perimeter with the best of them and punch above his height down on the block. Then, on the other end of the floor, he is as good a finisher through contact as you will find at his position anywhere in college basketball.
"He was everywhere. He just kept making plays for us when we needed the big basket, we went to him," Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said. "He stepped up, he made free throws. I thought he should have had three and-ones. But he played through contact and he played with force, and that's who he's been all year for us. It was awesome for him to be able to step up in a huge way on this stage."
Relegated to a bench role midway through the season, Leggett was essential to the Panthers all season and particularly in the postseason opener against Wake Forest. They couldn't afford to sit him for more than a few moments. Pitt outscored the Demon Deacons by 12 with Leggett on the floor and played them to a 7-7 tie in his five minutes on the bench.
A starter for the first half of the season, Leggett has had no trouble accepting a role as a reserve. He was rewarded as the ACC's Sixth Man of the Year at the end of the regular season but wins like these matter more to a player like Leggett.
"Ish is a winner, and he's about winning. He hasn't won a lot in his college career. Coming to our place, I think he was attracted to the culture that we created last year where everyone is about winning, everyone wants to be a great teammate, everyone wants to see each other be successful," Capel said. "Ish was able to accept what this team needed, but I think why he was able to accept that is that he understands his value to the team. Him not starting doesn't mean he's less valuable. In fact, he's become even more valuable for us."
Leggett isn't much like his other Pitt teammates, who are. He 's more subdued and serene even in the biggest of moments. In the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, Leggett was still the loudest player in the arena.
His 30-point effort is the most by a bench player in an ACC Tournament game since 2017 and his five steals are an ACC Tournament record. Leggett saved his best for when his team was up against the wall. At this point in the season, there are no second chances anymore and Ish Leggett made sure they didn't need one.
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