The Pittsburgh Panthers are firmly considered a bubble team to make the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers are set to play the North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC semi-finals on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Pitt beat Wake Forest in the quarter-finals to advance to the semis.
Despite being 22-10 and in the ACC Tournament semis, the Panthers' chances of making the NCAA Tournament are still in doubt.
Will Pitt make the NCAA tournament?
Many experts are torn on whether the Pitt Panthers should be in the NCAA Tournament, but ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi put the Panthers into March Madness following their win over Wake Forest.
ESPN's college basketball reporter Jay Bilas, meanwhile, thinks Pitt should be in the Tournament regardless of what happens against UNC.
"This is a tournament team," Bilas said after watching Pitt defeat Wake Forest. "There's no doubt in my mind."
A big knock on Pitt is their non-conference schedule, which is why the Panthers are still in the bubble. But, their win over Wake Forest likely eliminated the Demon Deacons from being in the tournament, as they were a bubble team like Pitt was.
According to Rocco Miller of The Bracketeer, Pitt needs to at least make it to the ACC Tournament Finals to make March Madness.
“You look at Pitt compared to a Villanova, Wake Forest, St. John’s, or New Mexico, all these teams that are right on the bubble,” Miller said, via Post-Gazette.
“Pitt’s got a way better record than all of them. The initial instinct is to put them in the field with that, which is why I’m not writing Pitt off. But the one thing that’s killing Pittsburgh is the non-conference schedule.”
There is no question that if Pitt can pull off the upset and beat UNC on Friday evening, it would do wonders for their March Madness chances.
Ultimately, if the Panthers beat UNC or keep it within a score or two, Pitt will likely be the first team out or the last team in.
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