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The wait is over and Pitt found out yesterday evening the who, what, where, and when for the first round of the NCAA Tournament that begins Tuesday with a few play-in games. As expected, the Panthers avoided the play-in round and came in at a number nine seed for the Tourney. Some felt they would sneak a little higher, but this is more or less where most of us expected Pitt to fall. Landing in the number one overall seed's half of the bracket did catch a few people by surprise, though.
Colorado started the year off hot with a 14-2 beginning, but an ACL injury to major contributor Spencer Dinwiddie mid-way through the year leaves the Buffs with a 23-11 record. After Dinwiddie went down (including the game he was injured in), Colorado's record went from the mentioned hot start to 9-9 to finish the year. Like Pitt, they faced the injury bug with a big player like Dinwiddie. The difference is that Pitt seems to be getting healthier in the last week and that could play into their favor.
Pitt's game will tip-off in Orlando, FL at 1:40 p.m. on TBS on Thursday. If you are one of the fans who will not be able to get away from work, try XM radio or your CBS app to check out the game. Should the Panthers eliminate Colorado on Thursday, they would play the winner of the game between Florida and the Mount St. Mary's/Albany winner (see Gators, Florida) on Saturday. The time and channel for that game would be announced probably in the early morning hours of Friday.
Which team will show up for "The Big Dance" for Pitt? The one that opened the season, the one that stumbled down the stretch, or the healthier version that played very tough in the conference tournament? Tune into CBS' numerous channels to find out (CBS, TruTV, TNT or TBS).