Inside The Panthers

Pitt Finishes Regular Season Outside NCAA Tournament Field

The Pitt Panthers' hot streak to close the year did little to help their NCAA Tournament chances.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Finishes Regular Season Outside NCAA Tournament Field
Pitt Finishes Regular Season Outside NCAA Tournament Field /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' 81-73 win over NC State to close out the regular season did little to boost their NCAA Tournament resume, according to two bracketologists from national outlets. 

Both ESPN's Joe Lunardi and CBS Sports' Jerry Palm have the Panthers just outside their projected NCAA Tournament field. Palm has them higher up the bubble as the last of his First Four Out, while Lunardi has Pitt in the Next Four Out, down a spot from where they entered the weekend. 

Palm has Pitt listed behind Utah, Iowa and Texas A&M in the First Four Out. The Panthers have the most wins and highest NET Ranking of any team in that group. Those four are chasing the Last Four In of New Mexico, Colorado, Seton Hall and St. John's. 

Lunardi has Pitt aligned with Wake Forest, Providence and Memphis in the Next Four Out. New Mexico, Iowa, Texas A&M and Drake sit just ahead in the First Four Out. 

Pitt now clearly has some work to do in the ACC Tournament this week. They earned a double-bye as the No. 4 seed - their highest finish in the ACC standings in program history - and will play one of Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Wake Forest in the quarterfinals. 

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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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