Pitt Gets Help From Around NCAA Tournament Bubble
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers maintained their position on the NCAA Tournament bubble following a 90-65 road win over Boston College on Saturday while there was plenty of movement elsewhere around the country.
The Panthers, labelled as one of the Next Four Out in ESPN's Joe Lunardi's latest projections, still have work to do in order to climb out of that group. With two regular season games and the ACC Tournament remaining, however, the ball is very much in their own court.
The rest of the Next Four Out, according to Lunardi, is composed of Kansas State, Drake and Iowa. Kansas State suffered a heartbreaking 74-72 loss to Cincinnati on the road, a game in which it possessed the lead within the final 10 seconds that would've also registered as a Quad 1 win had they held on.
The Wildcats won't be penalized too heavily, though Iowa may have superseded them after capturing a massive 87-80 road victory over a Northwestern squad that was previously 14-1 on its home floor and will be participating in the Big Dance for a second consecutive year.
As for Drake, it squares off at home against Bradley on Sunday afternoon in a battle of two Missouri Valley heavyweights. A win would keep the Bulldogs in the mix for an at-large bid while a loss could require them to win their conference tournament in order to secure a bid.
Jumping up a tier, Lunardi's First Four Out of the field features Providence, St. John's, Colorado and Utah. Providence fell at home to a fellow bubble team in Villanova by a score of 71-60, though the Friars likely won't move from their current post despite the loss and remain right on the edge of the cut line.
Utah improved its standing with an 88-59 blowout home victory against Cal while both Colorado and St. John's were inactive on Saturday. The Buffaloes are scheduled to take on Stanford at home on Sunday night in a must-win contest against a Quad 3 opponent before the Red Storm return to action on the road on Tuesday night against DePaul.
Lunardi's Last Four In as of Saturday night included Wake Forest, New Mexico, Seton Hall and Villanova. Wake Forest was dealt a Quad 1 loss on the road against Virginia Tech and could now find itself out of the field. Villanova, on the other hand, is likely on the right side of the bubble after defeating Providence and winning five of their last six games.
New Mexico's stock continues to plummet after an 89-79 road loss to Boise State that essentially punched the Broncos' ticket to the tournament. Seton Hall did not play on Saturday and instead will face No. 3 UConn on the road on Sunday afternoon in a contest that would potentially clinch the Pirates' spot in March Madness if they can pull off the massive upset.
FAU and Gonzaga, two of Lunardi's Last Four Byes, earned wins over Tulane and Saint Mary's, respectively, as the Bulldogs are now a probable lock to make their 25th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament while the Owls won't see much movement.
TCU and Virginia round out the rest of that group, though the Cavaliers are now in danger of a serious drop after being throttled by Duke on the road in a 73-48 defeat. TCU missed out on a Quad 1 win in an 87-75 road loss to BYU, but it did little to change the fact that the Horned Frogs will likely hear their named called on Selection Sunday.
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