Inside The Panthers

Virginia Beats Wake Forest, Creates Opportunity for Pitt

The Pitt Panthers got some help from the team they just beat.

Stephen Thompson

Virginia Beats Wake Forest, Creates Opportunity for Pitt
Virginia Beats Wake Forest, Creates Opportunity for Pitt /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers entered this weekend in three-way tie for fifth place in the ACC standings but, sitting just a game back of fourth-place Wake Forest, they still have a chance to make a run at a top seed in the conference tournament. 

The first part of the formula has hit, with the Demon Deacons failing to do what the Panthers did earlier this week, and suffering a 49-47 defeat to No. 21 Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena. Pitt is now a win over Louisville later tonight away from securing a tie for fourth place in the ACC. 

Should the Panthers beat Louisville at the Petersen Events Center, they'd be tied with Wake Forest but own the tiebreaker by way of a home win against the Demon Deacons from earlier this season. These two teams still have one more head-to-head matchup with one another in Winston-Salem, North Carolina left on the schedule. 

The difference between the fourth and fifth seed in the ACC Tournament during the second week of March is massive. The fourth-place team earns a double-bye and has to win just two games to make the Championship game. The fifth-place team opens themselves up to a potential second-round loss to a double-digit seed without that extra day of rest. 

Pitt can get more help from around the ACC later today. Panthers fans should be rooting for Duke to take down Florida State (2:00 p.m., ESPN) on the road to clear up some of the logjam in the middle of the standings. 

A loss for fellow fifth-place team Clemson, who's beaten Pitt once with one more game in the season series to go, to NC State (7:45 p.m., The CW) would help as well. Virginia Tech losing to North Carolina in Chapel Hill (2:00 p.m., ACC Network) and Syracuse falling on the road to Georgia Tech (5:30 p.m., The CW) would help keep some competitors off of Pitt's heels as well. 

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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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