Bracketology Watch: Joe Lunardi Locks Pitt into NCAA Tournament
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have won five straight and 11 of 14 games in ACC contests. After solidifying their spot atop the conference standings by beating Florida State, ESPN's resident Bracketology expert, Joe Lunardi left no doubt that the Panthers will go dancing.
"Let's eliminate the worry now," Lunardi said during ESPN's college basketball studio show this weekend. "This [Pitt] team is going to the NCAA Tournament."
Lunardi said he believes the team's ceiling is a six seed, which would be only a marginal increase from their current standing as an eight seed in his latest bracket projections.
Other ESPN bracket forecasters are less bullish on the Panthers' odds of making March Madness. John Gasway wrote in his weekend update that Pitt "should be in" but is not guaranteed a spot just yet.
"Combining the ACC's most perimeter-oriented offense with strong interior D, Pitt has now strung together five straight wins," Gasway said. "While laptops are still markedly suspicious of the Panthers, that attitude will ebb inexorably if Jeff Capel's group continues to outscore the ACC by a healthy margin. Speaking of skeptics, mock brackets are still debating whether Pitt is a No. 8 seed or actually belongs on something closer to the No. 11 line. A favorable remaining schedule for the Panthers might direct this question's resolution toward (if not all the way to) the higher seed."
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