Pitt Keeps Pace in Crowded ACC Standings

The Pitt Panthers avoided falling further behind in the ACC with a win over Virginia Tech.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers didn't get much help from around the ACC during the early portion of the weekend in college basketball but they made up ground with a 79-64 win over Virginia Tech. 

Wake Forest and N.C. State both picked up wins, putting the Panthers in a hole heading into their own date with the Hokies. But with a win, Pitt improved to 9-7 in ACC play. The Wolfpack were a half a game up on the Panthers but are back locked into a tie for fifth place and the Demon Deacons, who held a game and a half-advantage over the Panthers in fourth place, are back to holding just a one-game lead. 

The Panthers will eagerly await the results of the final game of the day between Clemson and Florida State. They hold identical 8-7 records in league play and made up half of a four-way tie for fifth place alongside Pitt and N.C. State heading into the weekend. 

Duke and North Carolina have separated themselves atop the league standings but there is still a chance for a handful of ACC teams to reach as high as third place by the end of the regular season. Virginia, who's lost two in a row and three of their last four, is losing their grip on third place and has 11 conference wins. 

With four games left in the regular season, the Panthers could still feasibly earn a coveted double-bye in the ACC Tournament, given to the top four seeds, if they win out and get some help from elsewhere around the league. 

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