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Columbus had a rotten sports day against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers assistant coach Milan Brown (left) celebrates with guard Damarco Minor (7) after Minor made a game winning three-point basket to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Columbus had a rotten sports day against Pittsburgh

It is a good thing for the Ohio State football team that it is not playing Pitt this weekend, because two of the main Columbus, Ohio sports teams had pretty rotten days against teams from Pittsburgh on Friday. Pitt men's basketball won 67-66 over the Buckeyes on a half-court shot as time expired, while the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime. 

Here is how it all happened. 

Pitt basketball beats Ohio State on half-court buzzer-beater

Pitt basketball scored the first win of the day over Columbus when it defeated the Buckeyes thanks to a game-winning shot from Damarco Minor right at the buzzer.

It is Ohio State's first loss of the season, and a much-needed win for Pitt. The Panthers had struggled against teams from top conferences so far this season (getting blown out by West Virginia and Central Florida) and entered the game coming off a stunning home loss against Quinnipiac. 

Here is Minor's game-winning buzzer-beating shot.

Minor finished the game tied for the team lead with 18 points to help improve Pitt's record to 5-3 on the season.

That is the type of win that could be significant for a potential bubble team in March. 

Pittsburgh Penguins complete comeback against Columbus Blue Jackets

Just about an hour after Minor's shot helped Pitt men's basketball to its win, the Penguins completed a come-from-behind win against the Blue Jackets when defenseman Kris Letang scored in overtime. His goal gave the Penguins a 4-3 win — as well as their first overtime win of the season — to continue what has been an extremely surprising start for the Penguins.

The Penguins won the game after trailing, 3-1, entering the third period. Goals from Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby helped send the game to overtime, while starting goalie Tristan Jarry was outstanding in net for the Penguins to continue his strong individual performance this season. 

Pittsburgh entered the season with relatively low expectations, but is occupying a playoff position going into the weekend despite dealing with some significant injuries in the month of November. The strong play of veterans like Crosby, Letang and Evgeni Malkin, as well as some under-the-radar offseason additions, and an influx of young talent, is a big reason why they are exceeding all expectations. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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