Prediction for Pitt in the NCAA Tournament

While the Big East tournament didn’t go quite as planned for the Panthers, the most important tournament is now upon them. Awarded with a No. 3 seed in the west bracket, they will face Oakland, the champions of the Summit League, in the first round in Milwaukee, Wisc on Friday at 2:45 p.m. With that being said, I guess it’s time for my bold prediction on how Pitt will fare in the NCAA Tournament.

            March Madness is known for its wild upsets, but I really don’t see Oakland beating Pitt. The Golden Grizzlies, like the Panthers, will try to slow the game down and limit the number of offensive possessions which should at least keep the game close for awhile. But Oakland simply can’t execute offensively or defensively as well as Pitt nor does it have the same kind of athletes that Panther do and that will be the difference in the game.

            Pitt should be able to move on to the next round where it will take on the winner of No. 6 Xavier and No.11 Minnesota. Both teams can cause Pitt problems. Minnesota has plenty of size down low and are coming into the tournament riding a hot streak that took them to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament. The Panthers don’t need anyone to tell them how good Xavier is, as they escaped with a five point win against them in last year’s Sweet 16. The Musketeers are virtually the same team as last year with key returners in guards Jordan Crawford and Terrell Holloway with center Jason Love.

            Yet, if Pitt is focused and plays like it has in several big games this season, it should be able to advance to the Sweet 16 where its most likely opponent will be Kansas State. In my opinion this is where the Panthers season will come to an end. The Wildcats are very balanced. Guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen give them as good of a backcourt as any team in America while forwards Jamar Samuels, Curtis Kelly and Dominique Sutton are also very solid in the paint. They can also match Pitt’s intensity, something that not many teams can say, which is a reflection of their fiery coach Frank Martin

            By no means do I think that Pitt can’t beat Kansas State, I just don’t think that they will. The Wildcats could also lose before they even get to the Sweet 16 which would drastically improve Pitt’s chances to advance past that point. Either way, if you told me before the season started that Pitt would be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament I would not have believed you. That’s a testament to just how good the Panthers season has been already.

            Let’s hope it continues.