Notre Dame vs. Pitt: Score, Twitter Reaction for Panthers' Upset Win

No. 8 Notre Dame was upset by unranked ACC rival Pittsburgh on Saturday just three days after beating No. 4 Duke. The 76-72 victory was a much-needed result for the Panthers.

ESPN College Basketball highlighted the Pitt win:

"

Pittsburgh holds on! James Robinson's late basket ends a 11-0 Irish run, and Pitt upsets No. 8 Notre Dame, 76-72. http://t.co/X1H5Tj0lhZ

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) January 31, 2015"

The Panthers were losers of three straight entering the game and were at risk of falling out of the NCAA tournament conversation completely. A second-half surge and some clutch plays late allowed them to revive their hopes heading into the stretch run.

Pitt led by eight with just over three minutes remaining when Notre Dame began to rally. It was a one-man show by Jerian Grant, who scored nine straight points after a mostly quiet game to give the Fighting Irish the lead.

The underdogs responded with a 5-0 run of their own to close out the game. Dana O'Neil of ESPN proceeded to call it a trap-game loss by the Irish:

Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports discussed what the victory means to Pittsburgh:

Pitt moves to 14-8 overall with a 4-5 mark in conference play. It still has several more chances to make an impact on the selection committee with games against Virginia, Louisville and North Carolina. The Panthers need more performances like Saturday's game to solidify their reputation. 

As for Notre Dame (20-3, 8-2), it's a frustrating setback after the Duke win but nothing to get overly concerned about. The main focus for the Irish right now is tournament seeding, and road clashes with the Blue Devils and Cardinals give them a golden opportunity to bolster their resume.