Wake Forest Win Lifts Pitt in NET Rankings

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Pitt Panthers gave their NCAA Tournament resume a massive boost with a Quad 1 win over Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament and the computers have rewarded them for it.

Pitt moved up five spots in the updated NCAA NET Rankings from No. 45 to No. 40 and they've inched ever closer to the No. 37 spot, which is critical because no team ranked 37th or higher has been left out of the NCAA Tournament since these rankings were made public two years ago.

Pitt picked up two Quad 1 victories this week despite playing just one game. They defeated then No. 36 Wake Forest team on a neutral court and N.C. State's wins over Louisville, Syracuse and Duke meant that the Panthers' home win over the Wolfpack in the regular season finale was elevated from a Quad 2 to a Quad 1 win.

Pitt now has four Quad 1 wins in all this season - at Duke, at Virginia, at N.C. State and on a neutral court against Wake Forest. It owns a 9-8 record in Quad 1 and 2 games and a 13-2 record against Quads 3 and 4.

The Panthers are the fourth-highest-ranked team in the ACC, trailing only North Carolina, Duke and Clemson, who are all considered locks to make the big dance.

Pitt has another chance to pick up a Quad 1 win in the ACC Tournament semifinals when they square off with top-seeded North Carolina. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with ESPN carrying the broadcast.

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