Pitt Makes Major Gains in NET Rankings
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are red-hot, the hottest in the ACC, having won six of their last seven and climbed up into a tie for fifth in the league standings. Their odds of making the NCAA Tournament have skyrocketed as well, thanks in no small part to their position in the NCAA NET rankings.
Pitt rose seven spots in the NET rankings from No. 60 to No. 53 in the immediate aftermath of their upset win at No. 21 Virginia, when they snapped the longest home winning streak in college basketball, then picked up another spot while they were idle the following night. They now sit at No. 52 nationally and No. 6 among ACC teams.
These NET rankings will have a direct impact Pitt's NCAA Tournament chances and the Panthers are closing in on a resume that makes it a near lock to make the Big Dance. According to The Portal Report's Matt Kraemer, no team ranked No. 37 or better has been left out of the NCAA Tournament since the full NET rankings were made publicly available three years ago.
MORE: Inside Pitt Postgame Report: Panthers Revive NCAA Tournament Chances
The ACC now has eight teams ranked in the top 75 of the NET. According to Kramer, the lowest-NET ranked team to make the NCAA Tournament over the past three seasons has been No. 77 Rutgers in 2022. 2022 Pitt (No. 67 NET), was the third-lowest rated team to make the field over that same span.
Two teams ranked 70th or lower, five teams ranked 60th or lower and 10 teams ranked 50th or lower have made the NCAA Tournament via an At Large bid over the past three seasons. 10 out of 108 total at-large bid teams, or roughly 10%, were ranked below 50th in the NET.
Pitt has chances to improve their resume with a pair of Quad 1 games at Wake Forest and home against Clemson left on the schedule, plus any potential matchups in the ACC Tournament.
The Panthers have made some massive gains but there is still a long way to go if they want to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
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