Pitt was sent packing on Sunday as the No. 3 seeded Xavier took down the Panthers 84-73.

The Panthers managed to hang with the Musketeers for the first opening minutes of the game. With a little less than 14 minutes left in the half, Pitt was within 1 point of Xavier at 14-13. But, things went south from there. With 7 minutes before the half, Adam Kunkel hit a deep 3 to put the Musketeers up 37-26.

To close out the first half, the Musketeers continued their onslaught with a beautiful slam dunk by Jack Nunge, and 2 more 3-pointers from Kunkel. Xavier entered the locker room after the first half up 14-points on the Panthers.

Nunge and Kunkel were Xavier’s top scorers, walking away with 18 points and 15 points, respectively.

Pitt got as close as 8 points late in the game, but was unable to complete the comeback.

The victory was a proving point for Xavier, who barely escaped the first round after surviving Kennesaw State. Pitt was unable to keep up with the pressure from the Musketeers. Pitt had won 2 games in the NCAA Tournament, brushing past Mississippi State in the First Four before take down the No. 6 seeded Iowa State on Friday.

This was Pitt’s 1st NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. The Panthers have not reached the Sweet 16 since 2009.