Greg Elliot Believes Pitt Deserved Better NCAA Tournament Seed

Greg Elliot believes the Pitt Panthers deserved a better seed than they got.

DAYTON -- The Pitt Panthers are in the NCAA Tournament - that much is sure. But after winning 22 games in all and 15 against ACC opponents, they believe they have earned more than an extra game at First Four at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. 

Starting guard Greg Elliot believes Pitt was slighted by the Selection Committee, who awarded them an 11 seed and a trip to Dayton to play Mississippi State. The Panthers will have to earn the right to play in the first round by beating the Bulldogs, a fact that rubs Elliot the wrong way. 

“It’s cool. I ain’t been to Dayton in a while. I’ve never been in this arena. It’s cool but I don’t know how I feel about it because I feel like we shouldn’t have had no play-in game.”

Elliot can point to at least one team that he feels Pitt should have been ranked ahead of. The committee awarded NC State an 11 seed as well, but the Wolfpack headed straight to Denver, Colorado to play six seed Creighton. Elliot was confused about why they got the bye while Pitt was relegated to Dayton. 

Despite beating them on the road in their only game against one another during the regular season and finishing ahead of them in the regular season, NC State was the 41st overall seed, while Pitt was the 44th. They will get to rest and watch the Panthers. Elliot doesn't think they should be trailing the Wolfpack. 

“[We should be] maybe higher than NC State, I’ll just put that out there,” Elliot said. “We beat them at the crib. That’s all I’m going to say about that story.”

But Elliot maintained that he was unfazed by Pitt's seed and what he thought was some accompanying disrespect, especially when compared to what some other teams from around the country got. The chip that has been on his and every other Panther's shoulder since the preseason hasn't gotten any bigger and it won't motivate them any more than normal.  

“This chip," Elliot said, "is too old to get bigger.”

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!

Pitt C Federiko Federiko's Status for NC State Game Unclear

Recruiting Notebook: Elite 2026 QB Earns Pitt Offer

Pitt Aming Most Likely to Pull First Round Upset

Pitt Feels Disrespected by NCAA Tournament Seed

Pitt Players React to NCAA Tournament Selection Show

Pitt Earns First NCAA Tournament Bid in Seven Years

• Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt