Pitt Volleyball Awaits NCAA Tournament Selection Show

Pitt Panthers volleyball awaits NCAA Tournament Selection Show.

Dominic Campbell | 20 Hours Ago

Pitt Volleyball Celebrates Point Against Penn State / Courtesy of Pitt Athletics

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers volleyball team had a fantastic regular season and awaits their future in the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.

Understanding the NCAA Tournament Selection Show

The NCAA Division I Selection Committee will have a great deal to work with this season, as they do each year when determining seeding, at-large bids and where teams should play.

The NCAA Tournament has 64 teams, with 31 teams earning an automatic qualifier by winning their conference and 33 teams earning an at-large bid.

The top 16 teams will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and the top four seeds have the chance to host through to the Final Four, as long as they win the first two rounds, which they almost always do.

There are also 32 teams seeded overall, with teams No. 1-8 seeded in each quadrant of the bracket, meaning one seeded team (No. 17-32), will face a seeded team (No. 1-16) on the road.

The NCAA Division I Selection Committee tries to keep the next 16 teams facing teams close by if possible, less than 400 miles if possible.

This doesn't always occur, as Pitt has hosted No. 7 BYU in 2022 and No. 8 USC in 2023, both teams much further than 400 miles. It all depends on the seeding of teams and where it most makes sense.

There are also two non-seeded teams that will play in each of the first two rounds. These two teams also are generally near the host, making it easier on travel expenses, and are mid-majors or teams that just missed the cut for seeding.

Pitt played Coppin State (Baltimore, Md.) and UMBC (Maryland-Baltimore County) faced USC in 2023. They also played Colgate (Hamilton, N.Y.) and James Madison (Harrisonburg, Va.) faced BYU in 2022, with all teams less than or around 400 miles away.

Where Does Pitt Volleyball Land in the NCAA Tournament?

Pitt should earn, at least, a No. 1 overall seed (top four) and potentially, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

They finished the season 29-1 overall and 19-1 in the ACC. They won the ACC Title outright, making it three straight conference championships and six in the past eight seasons.

Pitt had 11 ranked wins on the season, including two victories each over No. 3 Louisville and No. 19 Georgia Tech, home-and-away, plus No. 6 Stanford, No. 10 SMU, No. 21 Florida State and No. 25 North Carolina, all at home, helping them win the ACC Title.

They also had big non-conference wins over then ranked No. 3 Penn State on Sept. 18, in a sold-out Petersen Events Center, plus road victories over then ranked No. 10 Oregon in the season opener on Aug. 30 and then ranked No. 23 USC on Sept. 11.

Pitt only dropped 10 sets all season and their sole loss came vs. then ranked No. 15 SMU on Oct. 12 on the road. The 10 sets dropped is the least of any Division I team.

Two non-conference teams that may end up in the First Round in Pittsburgh, are Cleveland State, who won the Horizon League, and Delaware State. Colgate, who won the Patriot League, is still a possibility as well.

Who Else Joins Pitt Volleyball as a No. 1 seed?

Nebraska and Penn State are almost certain to join Pitt as No. 1 seeds. They both won a share of the Big Ten Title and have just two losses on the season each.

Louisville should also earn a No. 1 seed as well, but losses to Pitt at home on Nov. 27 and Stanford on Nov. 30 may potentially allow either Stanford or Creighton, who only have losses on the road to Nebraska and Louisville in five sets, to get in.

Does Pitt Volleyball Get the No. 1 Overall Seed?

Nebraska would've came into the NCAA Tournament Selection Show as the consensus No. 1 overall seed, as they had more top 25 RPI wins over Pitt.

They lost on the road in four sets to Penn State on Nov. 29, which allowed Penn State to win the Big Ten outright.

Pitt came into this week the second team in RPI, but with wins over Louisville and Georgia Tech, plus the Nebraska loss, they have a good shot at getting the No. 1 overall seed.

Regardless, Pitt will host, which is what head coach Dan Fisher and his players wanted the most coming into this season.

The Panthers hosted in 2021 and 2023, which helped them make the Final Fours that season.

How to Watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show

ESPN will broadcast the NCAA Tournament Selection Show at 6:00 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 1., which will show where all 64 teams are placed. ESPN+ will also stream the event.

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Published 20 Hours Ago