Bracketology 2023: Creighton, West Virginia and Baylor among week’s big winners

Pittsburgh

Things have been rough at Pittsburgh in recent years. It wasn’t too long ago that Jamie Dixon had a pretty consistent program with these Panthers, but it’s not been great the last six or seven years. This season has been markedly better, and Pittsburgh could actually find itself in the Big Dance for the first time in nearly a decade, though the jury is still out.

Two important wins this past week certainly helped that cause, starting with their close 81-79 win against Wake Forest to start the week. After last week’s loss to Florida State, avoiding a second letdown was vital, but the Panthers did more than that this week. On Saturday, they won 71-68 against #20 Miami, getting 21 points and 8 rebounds from Blake Hinson and a 19-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist outing from Jamarius Burton.

Now 8-3 in ACC play, Pittsburgh is working itself onto the right side of the bubble. They got a very good win over Miami, even with some rough play on the offensive side of the ball. Pair that with some earlier wins in conference play, including against Virginia, and you have an ACC squad that’s slowly proving they belong. What’s important for the Panthers is to avoid further letdowns, though this should be a Tournament team if the field was announced right now.