Pitt Cracks New National Power Rankings
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' late season push for the postseason only got stronger last week as they notched key wins over No. 21 Virginia and Louisville. Now national media is catching up to what kind of hot streak they are on.
CBS Sports and NCAA men's basketball analyst Andy Katz slotted the Panthers at No. 28 in his latest Power 36 Rankings.
"The Panthers beat Virginia and have won five in a row to sneak back into bid contention," Katz wrote.
He has Pitt as the third-highest-ranked ACC team, behind only North Carolina and Duke, who rank 11th and 12th, respectively. No. 29 Virginia and No. 30 Clemson trail close behind. No. 36 Wake Forest, Pitt's next opponent, dropped out of the rankings after consecutive losses this week.
The Panthers are knocking on the door of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Before and after a blowout win over Louisville, Pitt had been widely pegged as one of the "Next Four Out" on the bubble. The Panthers continue to climb in the NET Rankings, but with Quad 1 opportunities against Clemson and Wake Forest still on the table, they'll have chances to potentially lock up their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth before the ACC Tournament begins.
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