Inside The Panthers

Pitt Makes Dramatic Leap in ACC Standings

The Pitt Panthers' win over Notre Dame rocketed them up the ACC standings.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Makes Dramatic Leap in ACC Standings
Pitt Makes Dramatic Leap in ACC Standings /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are one of the hottest teams in the ACC right now, having won four of their last five games and as a result, they've rocketed up the ACC standings. 

Pitt entered their weekend contest with Notre Dame at the Petersen Events Center in a three-way tie for 10th place in the ACC standings. And after downing the Fighting Irish, 70-60 at the Petersen Events Center, and getting some help from elsewhere around the league, the Panthers are proud co-owners of a three-way tie for eighth place in the league. 

Virginia Tech lost early in the day, 82-74 on the road at Miami, and Clemson suffered a one-point setback against Virginia at home shortly after, which opened the door for Pitt to leapfrog them into a tie for ninth if they beat Notre Dame. 

And about an hour and a half after the Panthers knocked off the Fighting Irish in Pittsburgh, Wake Forest handed Syracuse their sixth ACC loss in blowout fashion, 99-70, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

With identical 5-6 records in league play, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia Tech share eighth place with five weeks of regular season play left until the start of the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C.

The Panthers are now in a position to earn a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament. The top nine teams in the conference do not play during the first day. Pitt will have plenty of chances to keep climbing as well, with six of their final nine games coming against teams ahead of them in the standings right now. 

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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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