On Wednesday night, Pitt earned its fifth win in the last six games with a victory on the road over NC State.
The Panthers are red hot, winning three of their four road games dating back to the Jan. 20 upset win at No. 7 Duke.
So where does Pitt stand NCAA Tournament-wise?
Let’s break down Pitt’s resume.
PITT PANTHERS
OVERALL RECORD: 15-8
ACC RECORD: 6-6
HOME RECORD: 9-5
ROAD RECORD: 5-2
NET RANKING: 61
KENPOM RANKING: 64
WHAT IS HELPING PITT?
The Panthers have earned massive wins over Duke (on the road — No. 20 in NET), Wake Forest (at home — No. 33), and most recently, at No. 80 NC State.
Pitt’s recent win over Wake Forest was a Quad 2 win at the time, but with Wake’s recent 29-point win over Syracuse, the Demon Deacons jumped up in the NET rankings near Quad 1 range. If Wake continues to win, that win for Pitt will look great near the end of the season.
WHAT IS HURTING PITT?
The Panthers have lost two quad three games this season. Their worst losses have come against Missouri at home (No. 136 in NET) and at home Vs. Syracuse (No. 87 in NET).
BRACKETOLOGY
In Mike DeCourcy’s latest bracketology prediction, only four ACC teams made the field: North Carolina (1 seed), Duke (4 seed), Clemson (7 seed), and Virginia (10 seed).
In Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology prediction, the ACC had four teams in the field as well. Prior to Pitt’s game against NC State on Wednesday, Pitt was not even in consideration for the tournament field. Lunardi listed Wake Forest as “First Four Out,” and Miami as “considered.”
While Pitt’s win over NC State was a step in the right direction, the Panthers are now 6-6 in league play and tied for 7th in the league with two other teams, both of which beat Pitt (Syracuse beat the Panthers twice) — so it is safe to assume that they still have a long way to go to enter the bracket field. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Panthers are now in the “in consideration” portion of these predictions.
UP NEXT
Pitt now has Virginia up next on the road. The Cavaliers have won 23-straight home games, and rank as the No. 34 team in the NET rankings. This will be a quad 1 opportunity for the Panthers and will surely enter them into the conversation for the tournament with a win.
Short answer: No
Agree. Think if they beat VA then talk of even being back on the bubble could begin. Nice win and hopefully they can keep it rolling.
Pitt has 8 games left. 4 home and 4 away. 3 tough road games and at BC, and 4 home games, they will favored in all 4 home games. If they go 6-2 in those 8, they will be in the middle of the bubble talk, more than likely in the field.
What do you mean “on the bubble?” 6-6 makes us bowl-eligible, right?
This tournament selection system is complete nonsense. Anyone that is able to evaluate college basketball on any level, understands that every season the ACC, based on national talent and competition should have at least 6-8 perennialy in the tournament. Hell yes, they should at least be on the “bubble.”
The fact that Wisconsin is a projected 3 seed with the same record as a Wake that are listed as out is all you need to know about what people think of the ACC. Pure BS