4-1-Zoo: Pitt Got Best Draw
PITTSBURGH — Pitt received a No. 1 seed in the Southeast Region and, on paper, it looks like the Panthers have been placed in a very favorable situation.
Pitt was likely the last team to receive a No. 1 seed, but they are accompanied by seemingly the weakest set of 2-4 seeds compared to any other region. Look at these and compare:
East Region:
1 - Ohio State
2 - North Carolina
3 - Syracuse
4 - Kentucky
West Region:
1 - Duke
2 - San Diego State
3 - UConn
4 - Texas
Southwest Region:
1 - Kansas
2 - Notre Dame
3 - Purdue
4 - Louisville
And here's Pitt's competition:
Southeast Region:
1 - Pitt
2 - Florida
3 - BYU
4 - Wisconsin
Ohio State seems to be the consensus No. 1 seed overall, yet has the toughest path. The Buckeyes have to contend with UNC, which has steadily improved all year to be in the top 10 and play for the ACC title Sunday against Duke.
They also have Syracuse, which has played steady in the Big East this season, and Kentucky, which just won the SEC Tournament. As the top seed, it seems like an oddly tough draw for Ohio State.
Duke jumps in to the West with San Diego State at the bottom of its bracket — an SDSU team that has been in or near the top 10 all year. The Blue Devils will contend with Big East Tournament champion, UConn, and Texas, which was in the conversation for the top spot in the country for the better part of the second half of the season.
As for Kansas, Notre Dame — which many say deserved a No. 1 seed over Pitt – will provide a tough game if the two meet. So will Purdue and Louisville, which was three points away from winning the Big East Tournament.
And now we move on to Pitt.
The Panthers have No. 2 seed Florida at the bottom of their bracket. To me, it's ridiculous that Florida is a No. 2 seed while SEC Champ Kentucky is a No. 4 seed. Can someone remind the selection committee that those teams played in the SEC championship and Kentucky won?
BYU is the No. 3 seed and, while the Cougars possess the top scorer in the country, Jimmer Fredette, they are without their top forward for the rest of the season and play in a much weaker conference than the Big East — the Mountain West.
And finally, the No. 4 seed in the Southeast is Wisconsin. The Badgers had an impressive win against No. 1 Ohio State back on Feb. 12, but lost the very next game at Purdue. They lost the season finale at Ohio State in a blowout and then lost to Penn State — yes Penn State ... in basketball — in the Big Ten Tournament.
So as far as top competition goes, it appears Pitt will have the lesser of the four regions. Now, that's not to say the depth of the bracket isn't great. There are definitely some teams in the Southeast that worry me and I'll break those down tomorrow.
But Pitt, a team that doesn't lose to inferior opponents, seems to be in a bracket full of inferior opponents.
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Chris Gates | Area 4-1-Zoo Blog
Twitter.com/Chris_Gates
Chris.Gates@cbsradio.com
