Five Games to Watch for Pitt's Bubble Hopes
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers, despite several devastating road losses in two of their last three contests, remain firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble with a week remaining in the regular season.
Currently projected as one of the Next Four Out by ESPN's Joe Lunardi, the Panthers likely need to prevail in each of their final three games, beginning with Boston College on Saturday, and then record a win or two in the ACC Tournament to keep their at-large hopes alive while also striving to improve their spot in the conference standings. Pitt will also need other teams both near the cut line and in the ACC to slip up along the way, starting with a few key results that it will be keeping a close eye on as part of Saturday's slate of games.
Tulane at Florida Atlantic (Noon EST, ESPNU)
Florida Atlantic, ranked as high as No. 7 in the AP poll this season, is now alarmingly close to seeing its NCAA tournament aspirations disappear into thin air. The Owls, who went on a run to the Final Four as a No. 9 seed last year, have fallen in two of their last three games and are stumbling to the finish line.
With Florida Atlantic currently projected as one of the Last Four Byes in the field by Lunardi, the Panthers are holding out hope that Tulane can saddle the Owls with a Quad 3 home loss, opening up an opportunity for other bubble teams to swoop in and overtake them.
Wake Forest at Virginia Tech (5:30 EST, The CW)
Wake Forest's road bout with Virginia Tech has implications for the Panthers as it pertains to their positioning both on the bubble and in the ACC standings.
Lunardi currently projects the Demon Deacons as one of the Last Four Byes in the field, and a Quad 1 victory against Hokies would only further cement its status as a likely tournament team. Pitt should be rooting for the Hokies in this one, as a Demon Deacons loss coupled with a Panthers win would keep one of the final at-large spots in the field up for grabs while simultaneously pushing the two programs into a tie for one of the top seeds in the conference.
Virginia at Duke (6:00 EST, ESPN)
Virginia, after dropping three of its last five games, is in danger of falling out of the field if its struggles persist. The Panthers likely won't catch the Cavaliers in the ACC standings, but a Duke win would keep Virginia on the bubble and leave one of the final spots in the NCAA tournament open for the taking. A win over No. 10 Duke on the road would tighten the Cavaliers' grip on its spot, however, so there's no debate about who Pitt would like to see take this matchup.
New Mexico at Boise State (8:00 EST, CBS Sports Network)
Fresh off of a Quad 4 loss at home to Air Force, New Mexico's slide in the second half of the season has placed the Lobos squarely on the bubble despite an 18-3 start. With Boise State's spot in the NCAA tournament all but locked up, Pitt would greatly benefit from a Broncos win, which would bar New Mexico from inching closer to a bid with a Quad 1 road victory.
Cal at Utah (9:00 EST, Pac-12 Network)
The Panthers need some help from their soon-to-be ACC compadres in this contest.
Utah projects to be one of the last four teams in according to CBS's Jerry Palm while hanging right around the cut line after losing four of their last six games. The Utes are 13-2 at home this season, meaning a Cal upset will be a difficult feat, but a potential Quad 3 loss to the Golden Bears could devastate Utah's at-large resume and in turn raise Pitt's chances.
Gonzaga at Saint Mary's (10:00 EST, ESPN)
No. 23 Gonzaga has won seven games in a row and 12 of its last 13, yet both Lunardi and Palm still included the Bulldogs as one of their last four teams in the field in their most recent projections. Despite trending in the right direction, the Zags' 24-year streak of making the NCAA tournament is very much on the line as they travel to take on No. 17 Saint Mary's.
A Quad 1 win over the Gaels may be all Gonzaga needs to secure its bid, and with few paths to the Big Dance remaining for the Bulldogs outside of winning the WCC Tournament, Pitt needs Saint Mary's to clutch out a victory late on Saturday night.
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