Inside The Panthers

The Athletic Adds Pitt to NCAA Tournament Bubble

The Athletic's latest NCAA Tournament projections have the Pitt Panthers on the bubble for the first time this season.

Stephen Thompson

The Athletic Adds Pitt to NCAA Tournament Bubble
The Athletic Adds Pitt to NCAA Tournament Bubble /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' recent hot streak has become impossible to ignore and after a stunning win at No. 21 Virginia, they are back in contention for an NCAA Tournament bid. 

The Athletic released a new round of NCAA Tournament projections and they welcomed the Panthers to their bubble watch for the first time this season as they pulled above .500 in ACC play with their road victory over the Cavaliers. 

"Virginia moves up a line despite Tuesday’s home loss to Pittsburgh," Justin Williams wrote. "The Hoos have earned a little grace after eight straight wins heading into that game and 19 overall. We also welcome Pitt to the bubble. The Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak with that victory over UVA, giving them a second Quad 1 win, although they still have work to do to crack the field."

The ACC has four teams included in Williams' "Locks" and "Projected to be in" categories. Duke and North Carolina are locks while Clemson and Virginia figure to be in, pending an acceptable finish to the regular season. 

Meanwhile, the Panthers are joined by Wake Forest and Virginia Tech in the "On the bubble" line. Among those five ACC teams not considered "Locks" by Williams, Pitt has the second-best strength of schedule and the second-most Quad 1 wins, but the worst strength of record, NET and KenPom rankings. 

Pitt has the marquee wins in victories over Duke and Virginia on the road and now the task becomes stacking wins before the start of the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C. during the second week of March.

The Panthers have two more chances to pick up major wins when they travel to Wake Forest and Clemson to during the home stretch of the regular season. They'll also face Louisville, Virginia Tech, Florida State and North Carolina State at home while making another road trip to Boston College at the beginning of March. 

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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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