Guard James Robinson's steal and layup with 1:02 remaining broke a tie and helped lift Pittsburgh to a 72-71 victory against Syracuse in the ACC tournament's second round Wednesday afternoon at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

After the go-ahead basket, Robinson's jumper on the next possession gave the Panthers a 72-68 lead before guard Michael Gbinije's 3-pointer for the Orange.

Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney's 3-pointer was off the mark as time expired, deflating a pro-Orange crowd.

Pittsburgh meets top-seeded North Carolina in Thursday's first quarterfinal.

Redshirt freshman reserve guard Cameron Johnson scored a season-high 24 points for the Panthers. Johnson, who had 12 first-half points, reached double figures for only the third time this season.

Robinson finished with 12 points. Forward Ryan Luther, a reserve who was averaging 4.9 points per game, added 13 points for eighth-seeded Pittsburgh (21-10). Forward Jamel Artis had 10 points.

Gbinije scored 24 points for ninth-seeded Syracuse (19-13). Guard Malachi Richardson added 13 points and center DaJuan Coleman had 11 points for the Orange, who have never won an ACC tournament game in two attempts. The outcome could cripple Syracuse's chance of reaching the NCAA Tournament.

Both teams lost their last two regular-season games.

Pittsburgh took a 31-29 edge to the halftime break. Syracuse led 22-12, but Pittsburgh used an 11-2 run to pull even with three minutes left in the half.

The Panthers extended their lead to 48-34 on what became a 34-10 stretch in their favor.

An 8-0 run for the Orange tightened the game, and it was 56-51 with 7:25 left. But Pittsburgh went on another run for a 66-54 edge before Syracuse posted the next seven points and pulled even on Gbinije's dunk with 1:58 remaining.

Pittsburgh won both regular-season meetings, scoring 30 first-half points each time.

There were ongoing clock problems in the opening minutes. Floor clocks on each baseline were used instead of clocks above the basket for the rest of the game.