NC State Hurts Pitt's NCAA Tournament Hopes

The Pitt Panthers' path to the NCAA Tournament got much narrower.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers had already bowed out of the ACC Tournament but the team that knocked them out, North Carolina, was in position to give them a boost as they pursue an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

But with North Carolina State's victory in the ACC Tournament finals, they have stolen an at-large bid to the big dance, making the path that much smaller for the Panthers, who sit on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday with few spots remaining. 

The Wolfpack were not projected to make the NCAA Tournament heading into postseason play in Washington, D.C. but after winning five games in five days, have played their way into one of the dwindling 36 at-large bids to the sport's biggest event. Now, the Tar Heels take up an unexpected at-large bid while NC State is the automatic qualifier. 

The Panthers currently sit as one of Jerry Palm's Last Four In but are on the wrong side of the bubble, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, who has them tabbed as one of the Next Four Out. 

Either way, it'll be a stressful Selection Sunday in the Steel City. 

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