Pitt's NCAA Tournament Odds Lifted by Providence Loss
PITTSBURGH -- While the Pitt Panthers were busy finishing a win over NC State in their regular season finale, a number of teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble across the country were also in action. With a double-bye in the ACC Tournament in tow and their at-large hopes alive, the Panthers remained in need of several outcomes to swing in their favor in order for their hopes to receive another boost.
Perhaps the most important development for Pitt elsewhere on the bubble was Providence's loss at home to No. 2 UConn. The Friars stunned the Huskies early by jumping out to a 15-2 lead four minutes into the contest, but UConn went on to outscore them 40-9 in the first half from that point forward. The Huskies' lead grew to as many as 26 points in the second half as they went on to capture a 74-60 win.
After dropping a pivotal matchup against Villanova last week as well, Providence's stock continues to fall. ESPN's Joe Lunardi placed the Friars among his First Four Out in his latest projections, which were released shortly before their game ended on Saturday night, while CBS Sports' Jerry Palm had them off the bubble entirely even ahead of their bout with UConn.
As the game clock struck zero in Pittsburgh, New Mexico was fighting to secure its spot in the field during a road contest against No. 22 Utah State. The Lobos outscored the Aggies by nine points over the final four minutes of the first half and carried a 44-39 lead into halftime.
The two sides exchanged leads on multiple occasions throughout the first handful of minutes in the second half before New Mexico captured a 65-59 lead, its largest of the game, at the 11:02 mark. Utah State went back in front at the 7:42 mark, though the Lobos knotted the score at 84-84 with less than a minute to go.
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The Aggies would emerge victorious, however, sending New Mexico packing with an 87-85 loss after Darius Brown II nailed a three-pointer with five seconds left.
The Lobos, who began the season 18-3, now sit at 22-9 and have seen their tournament chances take a hit. Both Lunardi and Palm set them as one of their Last Four In teams, but they could see a dip after Saturday's results while the road is only going to get tougher in the Mountain West Tournament.
Another game that held relevance to Pitt was Seton Hall's bout with DePaul. Following a momentous victory over Villanova their last time out, the Pirates were tasked with facing a Blue Demons team that was winless in the Big East coming into the day and held an overall record of 3-27.
The win was never in question for Seton Hall as it crushed DePaul 86-62 in a contest that the Pirates never trailed past the 15:41 mark of the first half. Lunardi classified them as one of the Last Four Byes in the field after the game concluded while Palm designated them as one of the Last Four In at the beginning of the day on Saturday.
Pitt fell out of Lunardi's Next Four Out ahead of its matchup against NC State but would appear likely to leap back into that category after a win. Palm projects the Panthers a bit more favorably as one of his First Four Out teams.
It's clear Pitt still has some more work to do in order to feel comfortable going into Selection Sunday. It is staring down a key opportunity in its first ACC Tournament game in Washington, D.C. as the No. 4 seed on Thursday with another bubble team in No. 5 seed Wake Forest as a potential opponent. A win there could set up a battle with No. 1 seed North Carolina in the semifinals, where a victory would likely lock the Panthers into an NCAA Tournament berth for a second consecutive season.
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