Let’s call it how we saw it: Pitt basketball did unspeakable things to 6-seed Iowa State Friday night. The Panthers leapt out to a 22-2 lead and never looked back, cruising to a 59-41 victory. With the win, they continue the streak of a first four teams advancing past the first round.

The Panthers played elite defense Friday, paired with a poor shooting performance by the Cyclones. On top of that, 3 Panthers scored in double digits to solidify Pitt’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2014, not counting the First Four.

Pitt kind of backed into the NCAA Tournament, too. The Panthers lost 3 of their last 4 games of the season, beating only Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament.

They now advance to take on a Xavier squad that squeaked past a Kennesaw State team with nothing to lose. The Musketeers erased a 13-point deficit late in the 2nd half to move on to the Rounds of 32.

Tip times for Sunday have not yet been announced.