Pitt Drops to Fifth in ACC Standings
WINSTON-SALEM -- The Pitt Panthers' five-game winning streak was put to an end on Tuesday night in a 91-58 blowout road loss against Wake Forest, worsening their record to 8-7 overall in the ACC.
Despite their status as one of the country's hottest teams over the past several weeks, the Panthers remain a part of a crowded group within the middle of the conference standings. Pitt began Tuesday tied for fourth place with Wake Forest and NC State but dropped to a tie for fifth place with the Wolfpack and Florida State following its loss to the Demon Deacons.
Pitt first moved into fifth place after defeating Virginia last week and were deadlocked with both NC State and Florida State at that point in time as well. It's a familiar placement for the Panthers, who finished in that same spot last season before defeating Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament on their way to an NCAA Tournament berth.
The Panthers currently hold a tiebreaker over the Wolfpack after defeating them 67-64 on the road on February 7, though the two programs will face off once again at the Petersen Events Center in the regular season finale on March 9. After losing to Syracuse on Tuesday, NC State's next contest comes at home against Boston College on Saturday (2:00 EST, ACC Network).
The Seminoles' home win over Boston College on Tuesday catapulted them up from seventh place where they were tied with Clemson, who represents their next opponent in a road game on Saturday (7:45 EST, The CW). Pitt will play Florida State only once this season, with the matchup set to take place on the Panthers' home floor on March 5.
While the odds are now stacked against the Panthers in their pursuit of Wake Forest and a top four seed in the ACC Tournament, they could do themselves a favor with a win over tenth place Virginia Tech at home on Saturday (5:30 EST, The CW). If the Hokies were to win, however, they would move into a tie with Pitt while also possessing the tiebreaker. The Panthers are also holding out hope that Duke can hand the Demon Deacons their first loss of the season at home earlier in the day (2:00 EST, ESPN).
Clemson and Syracuse enter Wednesday in a tie for eighth place and half a game back of the Panthers, which bears watching considering both teams hold the tiebreaker over them. The Orange, after defeating the Wolfpack on the road, will square off against Notre Dame at home on Saturday (Noon EST, ESPN) while the Tigers travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech later today (7:00 EST, ACC Network).
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