While I’m not sure Pitt or any team should feel good about the idea of having a No. 1 next their name — whether it is ranking or seeding — this year, I still think Pitt will get a #1 seed. Of course, I can’t help but think if Pitt somehow got bumped to #2, that would put a huge chip on their shoulder that would really help.
Right now, best guess: UNC, Pitt, Louisville and Memphis/Duke.
Obviously that would change if Louisville loses tonight and/or Duke loses its semi or the ACC Championship game.
Oklahoma is done for the #1 seed. They have struggled down the stretch with and without Blake Griffin. They and plenty of other teams stumbling in the conference tournaments works really well for Pitt in that it further minimizes their importance.
Michigan State probably had the best case and played like crap against Ohio St. in the semi to cost them. Live by the argument that the way they were rolling and going through a conference tournament, die that way, Mr. Izzo.
Pitt is ranked #2. They still holds the #1 RPI. Their SOS is #8 and Pitt holds a 8-3 record against RPI top-50 competition.
Best guess, Pitt will still be going to Dayton for the first round of action. After that…
North Carolina will be in the South Region, but the Panthers could end up in the Midwest (Indianapolis), West (Phoenix) or East (Boston) regional.
Sophomore center DeJuan Blair isn’t much concerned with where and when Pitt will play in the NCAA tournament. He said Pitt’s seed in the NCAA tournament is secondary to fixing some of the problems the team faces in the next few days before its first NCAA game.
“We can’t worry about where they put us or worry about anything else,” Blair said. “We just have to worry about us. The sky is still the limit for this team. We had a little bit of a letdown, but everything is going to be all right for us.
“We’ll just keep playing, and Coach will keep motivating us. We can’t worry about anybody else, where they put us or our head won’t be on the game. … We’ll be all right.”
Hopefully.
