Zanna leads ninth-seeded Pittsburgh to 77-48 blowout of Colorado in NCAA tournament

Pittsburgh forwards Michael Young (2), left, and Talib Zanna (42), right, defend Colorado forward Xavier Johnson (2) as he loses control of the ball during the first half in a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 20, 2014, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) (The Associated Press)

Colorado head coach Tad Boyle screams at his team in the first half during the second-round game against Pittsburgh in the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 20, 2014, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) (The Associated Press)

Talib Zanna scored 16 of his 18 points in the opening half, helping Pittsburgh build a 28-point on the way to a 77-48 rout of Colorado in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.

The Panthers (26-9), seeded ninth in the South Region, shot 51 percent and played stifling defense in advancing to a third-round matchup Saturday against either No. 1 seed Florida or No. 16 seed Albany.

Colorado (23-12) was eager to make amends for an early exit from the tournament a year ago, but had no answers for the 6-foot-9 Zanna. The Pitt center made six of seven shots in the first half, and the Panthers didn't have any difficulty finishing off the overwhelmed Buffaloes.

Josh Scott led the eighth-seeded Buffaloes with 14 points, however Colorado couldn't overcome a subpar performance from Askia Booker.