Pittsburgh March Madness Predictions

Article Updated March 14th, 2010

The Pittsburgh Panthers are hoping to exceed last year’s performance where they were knocked out after a tough loss to Villanova in the Elite Eight round. Pittsburgh has played great all year, but were surprised by Notre Dame on Thursday in the Big East quarterfinals by a score of 50-45. The Panthers come into the March Madness tournament with a impressive 24-8 overall record, and are projected at a #3 seed for the tournament.

Pittsburgh Panthers Tournament Prediction

The Pitt Panthers have appeared in 43 total NCAA Tournament games and hold a tournament record of 23-22. This is Pitt's longest consecutive streak of NCAA appearances at nine from 2002-current. Last year’s Elite Eight appearance was the farthest the Panthers have made it in 35 years, and the school has only made one Final Four appearance that dates all the way back to 1941. Although the Panthers have lost their three top scores from last year, I look for Gibbs, Brown, and Dixon to step up and perform, using their experience from last year’s tournament to give this team it’s sixth Sweet Sixteen appearance this decade, and possibly more.

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Article Written February 24th, 2010

Team Offense – The Panthers offense was dominated by Ashton Gibbs in the first half of the season, where he led or tied for the team lead in scoring 11 times in the team's first 15 games, but the second half of the season has been a much more balanced offense. Three other players Brad Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown, and Jermaine Dixon are all averaging over 10 points per game, and in Pitts current five game win streak, three players have scored in double figures in each game. Pitt averages just under 70 points per game this year, and will need to continue to get production from all their players on offense in March if they hope to outdo last year’s performance and make their way into the Final Four.

Team Defense – The Panthers defense is led by junior Gary McGhee who leads the team with 121 defensive rebounds and 49 blocks in 27 games played. The Panthers defense has given up an average of 61.4 points per game, and has held opponents to under 50 points in four different contests this year. The only game Pitt has given up 80 or more points this year was in a 98-95 win against No. 8 West Virginia. Pitt’s defense will need to continue to play solid all the way into March and help this team win some games and take them on a deep run at this year’s NCAA March Madness Tournament.