NEW YORK — Twelve days and two season-defining wins ago, Michael Carter-Williams felt the frustration of more than 30,000 fans.

As he rose up from the top of the key against Louisville — 40 seconds remaining, fading slightly left — the Carrier Dome crowd groaned with disdain. His shot clanged off the rim, clinching a win for the Cardinals, and sharpening the blade of his double-edged sword.

“You win or die with Mike,” C.J. Fair said. “That’s what we look at.”

And on Thursday Syracuse won.

Carter-Williams was brilliant in the final nine minutes of SU’s 62-59 win over No. 17 Pittsburgh, scoring 10 of his 11 points in that stretch and making a crucial steal that cut short a ferocious comeback by the Panthers. He made four free throws in the final 28 seconds, shaking off early misses to lead No. 19 Syracuse to a victory at the season’s most vital point and set up a semifinal matchup with archrival No. 5 Georgetown.

Twelve days and gobs of renewed confidence later, Carter-Williams’ pivotal stretch began with the very jump shot that eluded him two weeks earlier. A 13-point halftime lead dwindled to four when he lined up a 3 from the top of the key, his first attempt in a close game since missing against the Cardinals.

This time it swished home, touching only the net, and a vicious celebration ensued. Carter-Williams pounded his chest three times, his face contorted into a scowl.

It was a shot for the doubters, and a shot toward a win.

“It kind of reminded me of Scoop Jardine, you know what I mean?” Brandon Triche said. “With Scoop last year he was just one of those guys that always took that shot, and a lot of times it went in.

“When Mike has a shot like that, I don’t think twice about it. I want him to shoot.”

From there Carter-Williams controlled the last four minutes, invigorated by his gutsy 3-pointer and gladly accepting the weight of a game that fell squarely on his shoulders. He attempted six free throws in the final 3:48, making five of them, and kept at bay a Pittsburgh team that clawed to within a single point.

That he responded so well — especially at the free-throw line — is particularly impressive considering his struggles in the exact same building earlier this season. He missed eight free throws in a four-point loss to Temple in Madison Square Garden in December.

But on Thursday afternoon he was cool and composed, knocking in all but one of his attempts in the closing minutes.

“Sometimes you have to go through those bad experiences to be able to come back in this situation and be able to make them,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “And they were huge. I mean, I don’t think we win the game if he doesn’t go to the line and make those free throws.”

Mixed in among the free throws was a slicing left-handed runner in the lane that extended the Syracuse lead to six with 2:20 remaining. He rose above the Pittsburgh defenders, relying on every inch of his 6-foot-6-inch frame, and laid the ball in to the delight of the pro-Orange crowd.

On arguably his team’s most important possession, Carter-Williams came through. And when the Panthers had theirs, Carter-Williams sized that opportunity, too.

He sprung into the passing lane with 11 seconds remaining, snatching James Robinson’s pass — and Pittsburgh’s only chance for a game-tying field goal — before coasting into the frontcourt and into the semifinals.

“I’ve always said the thing that separates Michael from a lot of people is his belief in himself,” Syracuse assistant coach Gerry McNamara said. “I think the best players, the ones that are on different levels when it comes down to making plays and winning games, they have that mentality. You want guys like that when it’s all said and done.”

So when this game was done, and his play symbolized everything that needed to be said, Carter-Williams turned to the Syracuse pep band and smiled. Chants of “We want Georgetown!” rained down from the Orange-clad musicians, and the point guard simply pointed in their direction and nodded.

Twelve days ago they groaned. On Thursday they cheered.

“I had a chance to put away the game and help my team win,” Carter-Williams said. “And that’s what I did.”

Published on March 14, 2013 at 7:59 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13