Inside The Panthers

Pitt Drops in Latest Bracketology

The Pitt Panthers suffered a suite of losses and dropped in the latest Bracketology.
Dominic Campbell|
Dec 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jeff Capel reacts on the sidelines against he Sam Houston State Bearkats during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jeff Capel reacts on the sidelines against he Sam Houston State Bearkats during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Panthers

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers lost their past two games, which saw them drop the latest Bracketology.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN has Pitt as the lowest No. 8 seed, moving them down from the No. 6 seed they occupied in recent weeks.

He placed Pitt in the West Region, going up against No. 9 San Diego State, an at-large bid out of the Mountain West Conference, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at the Fiserv Fourm in Milwaukee.

The winner of this matchup would face the winner of either No. 1 Iowa State, the automatic qualifier out of the Big 12, or the winner of the First Four Four matchup of No. 16 seeds Long Island, the automatic qualifier of the NEC, vs. Old Dominion, the automatic qualifier out of the Sun Belt.

Michael DeCourcy of Fox Sports also has Pitt as a No. 8 seed in his Bracketology. He has them facing No. 9 UCLA, an at-large bid out of the Big Ten in the South Region in the First Round.

The winner of that matchup would face the winner of either No. 1 Auburn, the automatic qualifier out of the SEC, vs. a First Four matchup of No. 16 seeds in Colgate, the automatic qualifier out of Patriot League, and also LIU.

Pitt suffered back-to-back losses last week, a blowout 76-47 defeat to then ranked No. 4 Duke on the road on Jan. 7 and a close 82-78 defeat to Louisville at home on Jan. 11, ending a 15-game winning streak at the Petersen Events Center.

They've also dropped 17 spots in the NET Rankings since the start of 2025. falling three spots to No. 13 after their 86-74 win over Cal (No. 125) on New Year's Day and moving down two spots to No. 15 after the 83-68 win over Stanford (No. 79) on Jan. 4, both home Quad 3 wins.

Pitt also dropped five spots from No. 15 to No. 20, following their defeat to the Blue Devils, a Quad 1 road loss, and seven spots after their loss to the Cardinals to No. 27.

The Panthers are 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, still the second highest ranked team in the NET Rankings in their conference.

They'll look to use their strong non-conference showing and get back to winning ways in the ACC, as they fight for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, after just missing out last season.

Pitt faces off against Florida State on the road on Jan. 15, a Quad 1 opportunity for a team that needs it immensely when they head into the upcoming postseason.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.

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