Inside The Panthers

Joe Lunardi: Pitt Back in NCAA Tournament Picture

The Pitt Panthers are back in contention for the NCAA Tournament.

Stephen Thompson

Joe Lunardi: Pitt Back in NCAA Tournament Picture
Joe Lunardi: Pitt Back in NCAA Tournament Picture /
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PITTSBURGH -- With another major win over a ranked ACC opponent on the road, the Pitt Panthers have officially put themselves back on the NCAA Tournament bubble. 

ESPN's Joe Lunardi, widely considered one of the best NCAA Tournament projectors out there, has put the Panthers back in his latest round of projections as the No. 82 overall seed and in the "Considered" category of teams. 

Lunardi currently has four ACC teams in the field - 2-seed North Carolina, 3-seed Duke, 5-seed Clemson and 9-seed Virginia - plus three more either on the bubble or in that "Considered" category. 

Wake Forest is one of Lunardi's "First Four Out" as the No. 70 overall seed. Miami is just behind Pitt as the No. 86 seed and another "Considered" squad. 

The ACC's four teams in the field are tied with the Big East for the fifth-most among Division I conferences. Weeks ago, the ACC was being floated as a two-bid league and now, with Pitt, Virginia and others making strides in the standings, the league has earned some more national respect. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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