Wake Forest-Pitt Has Huge NCAA Tournament Implications
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Pitt Panthers will square off against Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Thursday as both teams pursue a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
After losing three of its last four games in the regular season, No. 5 seed Wake Forest has itself in position to make a run at a bid after defeating No. 12 Notre Dame 72-59 on Wednesday. Its upcoming contest with the No. 4 seed Panthers, the third of the year between the two programs, may serve as both an NCAA Tournament elimination and play-in game depending on the happenings throughout the country.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi placed the Demon Deacons among the First Four Out in his most recent projections while CBS Sports' Jerry Palm has them on the bubble despite not being one of his first eight teams out of the field coming into the day.
Wake Forest, who currently sits at No. 38 in the NET rankings, likely won't see much of a boost after capturing a Quad 3 win over the Fighting Irish. Surviving another day was more important than moving closer to the cut line, however, as a loss would've more or less eliminated the Demon Deacons from NCAA Tournament contention.
With Pitt currently arranged within Lunardi's Next Four Out and Palm's First Four Out, the importance of its quarterfinal matchup can't be overstated enough. A victory would result in a Quad 1 triumph over the Demon Deacons that could theoretically move the Panthers into the field while a loss, as stated before, would end all hopes of a second consecutive appearance in the Big Dance.
If Pitt, the No. 44 team in the NET, does escape with a win on Thursday before losing to the winner of No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 9 seed Florida State in the semifinals on Friday, it would find itself in a stressful situation as it waits for its name to be called come Selection Sunday. That outcome would also force the Panthers to keep a closer watch on how other bubble teams perform during their conference tournaments.
Two victories in the ACC Tournament, however, would all but lock Pitt into a spot in the field. The Panthers, for all intents and purposes, control their own destiny in terms of reaching the NCAA Tournament even if it doesn't mean winning the whole thing.
The road to its desired destination won't be easy to traverse, but Pitt has shown time and time again this season that it can rise above pressure and answer the bell when the going gets tough.
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