PITTSBURGH — There is nothing flashy about James Robinson.

Not his build. Not his shot. Not his numbers. Yet the Pittsburgh senior guard has spent the last four years steadily improving, to the point where he can be whatever coach Jamie Dixon needs from him on a possession.

Against Georgia Tech on Wednesday night, that turned out to be a little bit of everything.

Robinson scored 18 points — including seven straight at one point during a first-half run — to go with eight assists as the 24th-ranked Panthers held off Georgia Tech 89-84 for their ninth straight win.

“He’s one of the most underrated players in the country,” Yellow Jackets coach Brian Gregory said. “He just knows how to play ... he looks like he’s been here for about 14 years but he makes the right play all the time.”

Dixon brought Robinson in to run the offense but he’s become an increasingly effective scorer during his career thanks in part to the development of Jamel Artis, who sometimes works as a point forward, allowing Robinson to work without the ball in his hand.

“He’s playing lower, playing a little stronger,” Dixon said. “His conditioning is better. Just being a senior. He’s gotten better each year.”

This version appears to be the best yet and so does this version of the Panthers (13-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Artis finished with 18 points, five assists and four rebounds. Michael Young scored 17 points despite being limited to 17 minutes with foul trouble.

Adam Smith led Georgia Tech (10-5, 0-2) with a career-high 30 points, including eight 3-pointers and Charles Mitchell had 20 points and 17 boards as the visitors hung around into the final seconds.

Pitt appeared to be firmly in control when an Artis putback pushed the Panthers in front 73-58 with 6:34 to play. Smith, a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, basically kept the Yellow Jackets in it by dropping in a series of jumpers, including one at least 5-feet behind the 3-point line.

Georgia Tech drew within 83-77 with 1:20 to play and forced Pitt into only its fourth turnover but Smith’s ensuing 3-point attempt was well off.