Considering their bubble status, Jeff Capel and the Pitt men’s basketball program are forced to be scoreboard watchers and hope for the right results.
On Friday, the Panthers did have some things go in their favor but also had a few teams that continue to win, putting their spot in the Field of 68 in jeopardy.
The following results helped out the Panthers:
-Oregon losing to UCLA.
-Clemson losing to Virginia, this one was big.
-Arizona State losing to Arizona.
-Utah State beating Boise State.
The following results weren’t good for Pitt:
-Vanderbilt beating Kentucky.
-Ohio State beating Michigan State.
Since the scoreboard watching will continue on Saturday, here are some things that Pitt wants to happen.
-Purdue to beat Ohio State because the Buckeyes are turning into potential bid stealers.
-Houston to beat Cincinnati.
-Texas A&M to beat Vanderbilt.
-Memphis to beat Tulane.
-Florida Atlantic to beat UAB.
In terms of the opinions of national bracketologists, here’s what ESPN’s Joe Lunardi posted this morning.
LAST FOUR BYES
Penn State
Providence
Utah State
Rutgers
LAST FOUR IN
Mississippi State
NC State
Pitt
Arizona State
FIRST FOUR OUT
Oklahoma State
Nevada
Clemson
Vanderbilt
NEXT FOUR OUT
Wisconsin
North Carolina
Oregon
Michigan
Lunardi still isn’t calling Pitt a lock to get a bid and says it’s “too close to call” as of now.
Aside from Vanderbilt, Pitt seems to be in good position in terms of any team catching them in the First Four Out and Next Four Out group, but the thing to watch, and that could potentially be devastating, is if an unexpected team like Ohio State, Cincinnati, Tulane, UAB or Vanderbilt steals a bid by winning their conference tournament.
Pitt unfortunately doesn’t make it! They really crapped the bed down the stretch and in the ACC tournament. Hopefully they can build on this year.