Pitt Basketball: Panthers earn double bye in Big East Tournament
By Matt Shetler
Entering their final Big East Tournament in history, all that was left to be decided for the Pitt basketball team was whether they would be headed to Madison Square Garden as the No. 4 or No. 5 seed next week.
February 18, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jamie Dixon reacts on the sidelines against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 51-42. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Panthers took care of the first part of the equation with their 81-68 victory at DePaul, but Pitt also needed some help from Louisville in order to be one of the top four seeds in next week’s tournament.
Thanks to the Cardinals 73-57 victory at home over Notre Dame, the Panthers finished the regular season fourth in the very tough Big East and have earned the double bye as a result.
The good news of all of this is that the Panthers earned a double bye.
The bad news is also the fact that they earned a double bye.
In the Big East Tournament it is often referred to as the dreaded double bye, as anything can- and usually does- happen at The Garden, so rarely do the teams with the so called advantage of only having to play three games in three nights, instead of four or more, end up becoming conference champions.
However ask any coach and they would prefer to have the extra day of rest as a reward for a good season.
The top four seeds in the tournament are regular season conference champion Georgetown, followed by Louisville, Marquette and the Panthers.
Pitt will play its first game of the Big East Tournament on Thursday with the time still yet to be announced.