Bracketology 2023: Texas, Indiana and Saint Mary’s among week’s biggest winners

Pittsburgh Panthers

It’s been years since the Panthers have been even close to the NCAA Tournament conversation. After losing at home to Florida State, which counts as a Quad 4 defeat, they were firmly on the bubble at the cutline. The metrics have hurt them from the first week, with blowout losses to both West Virginia and Michigan holding them back.

The recent three-game stretch for the Panthers was Quad 1 and 2 opponents in Wake Forest, Miami, and North Carolina. After beating both the Hurricanes and Demon Deacons at home, they had just one game this week, on the road at the Tar Heels, who were looking for revenge after losing to the Panthers in Pittsburgh a month ago.

It was yet another close game for Pittsburgh, going back-and-forth with the Heels until the final seconds, with a pair of Jamarius Burton free throws giving them the 65-64 victory and a Quad 1 resume builder. The past couple of weeks has been good for them, with several other teams on the bubble falling, putting Pitt in the 9-10 seed range instead of “Last 4 In”.

Going forward, the Panthers just have to take care of business. They have a home game against Louisville, along with a chance to avenge an earlier defeat to Florida State, going to their place this weekend. If they can go 2-0, they’ll be in a great place to return to the Big Dance,