Inside The Panthers

Pitt Stays Steady in NET Rankings, Bracketology

The Pitt Panthers are on the right track for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Dominic Campbell

Jan 25, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Damian Dunn (1) reacts to a three-point basket against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
Jan 25, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Damian Dunn (1) reacts to a three-point basket against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
In this story:

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers have won their past two games, which has helped them keep their goal of making an NCAA Tournament alive.

Pitt defeated Syracuse on the road, 77-73 back on Jan. 25, which ended a four-game losing streak that threatened their postseason hopes. They then overcame numerous deficits and defeated North Carolina at home on Jan. 28, 73-65, finishing the game off on a 14-2 run.

This moved the Panthers up one spot in the NET rankings from No. 34 to No. 33, with the victory over the Tar Heels a Quad 2 victory. They had dropped to No. 36 after the Quad 3 win over the Orange, but improved two spots the following day.

Pitt dropped 26 spots from the start of 2025 to after the Syracuse game, falling three spots to No. 13 after their 86-74 Quad 3 win over Cal (No. 118) on New Year's Day and moving down two spots to No. 15 after the 83-68 Quad 2 win over Stanford (No. 68) on Jan. 4, both home victories.

They also dropped five spots from No. 15 to No. 20, following their defeat to the Duke Blue Devils (No. 3) on Jan. 7, seven spots after their loss to the Louisville Cardinals (No. 26) to No. 27 on Jan. 11, four spots to No. 31 after their loss to the Florida State Seminoles (No. 82) on Jan. 15, and then two more spots following their defeat to the Clemson Tigers (No. 30) to No. 33 on Jan. 18, all Quad 1 defeats, except for the loss to the Seminoles, which is Quad 2.

The Panthers are 13-1 against teams not in Quad 1, who they are 1-5 against, which gives them no poor losses.

Pitt is also still on the right side of the bubble, when it comes to recent bracketology.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN still has Pitt in the "Last Four Byes" and as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region. He has them facing No. 7 seed Missouri, at-large bid from the SEC, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

The winner of that matchup would face the winner of No. 2 Marquette, automatic qualifier from the Big East, vs. No. 15 Bryant, automatic qualifier out of the NEC, in the Second Round.

Mike DeCourcy of Fox Sports also put Pitt in his "Last Four Byes," but as a No. 11 seed. He has Pitt facing No. 6 St. John's, at-large bid from the Big East, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in the East Region.

The winner faces the victor of No. 3 Kentucky, at-large bid from the SEC, vs. No. 14 Towson, automatic qualifier from the America East, in the Second Round.

Pitt faces a great test in Wake Forest on Feb. 1, a Quad 1 game that would massively benefit their chances of making the NCAA Tournament if they win it.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt

Published
Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.

Home/Basketball