Pitt Could Be the #2 Overall Seed
As other teams fall (besides Nebraska), things are looking good for the Panthers.
If there's one Instagram account I would encourage you to follow over the next three and a half weeks, it's @VBracketology.
While the account itself is new, the actual Bracketology has been honed for several years. The anonymous Bracketologist has been projecting the NCAA Volleyball Tournament since 2012 on the VolleyTalk forums, nailing more than 96% of the at-large teams and more than 93% of the hosts for the opening rounds. They know their stuff!
The account's latest projection should come as welcome news for Pitt fans:
Yep, @VBracketology sees Pitt as the #2 overall seed after Texas dropped two big matches over the weekend – on Halloween night in College Station and then being swept at home by Kentucky. Since Pitt swept Kentucky on a neutral floor back in September, you can rightly give them the edge over the Wildcats.
This would be dynamite for Pitt. If there's any path to a National Title for a team other than undefeated Nebraska, that path involves *avoiding* the Huskers for as long as possible – and hoping some other team knocks them out along the way.
The reality is, Nebraska is the heavy favorite to be the champion, currently on a streak of 40 consecutive sets won (longer than Pitt's streak from last year, and Nebraska is doing it mostly in conference play) and an unmistakable air of Big Red confidence. I'll take anything Pitt can do to get on the other side of the bracket as that.
As a reminder, the Top 4 overall seeds in the NCAA Tournament can host matches through the Elite Eight. As I've detailed previously, being on the correct side of that Top 4 line has been shown to triple your chances of making the Final Four.
The Panthers face two significant tests the rest of the way – a trip out to Palo Alto to face @VBracketology's #11 Stanford next Friday and a rivalry battle against #9 Louisville at the Pete as a pre-Thanksgiving treat.
Obviously if Pitt wins out, they're on easy street. But even if they drop one of those two big matches, I could see them grabbing the #2 or #3 overall seed – and either one keeps them away from #1 Nebraska until a potential National Championship match.
While there's no need for out-of-town scoreboard watching of other teams just yet, I wouldn't say no to Kentucky or Texas taking upsets in the next couple of weeks or early in the SEC Tournament, if only to offset the upsets on Pitt's résumé against Florida and Miami.
You never control your own destiny when a committee holds your fate, and Pitt is currently #3 in RPI and #4 in KPI – the committee's two favorite metrics – so certainly we need to root for more wins in these final weeks before Selection Sunday on Nov. 30.
For what it's worth, ESPN.com's Charlie Creme – who usually does Bracketology for women's basketball – also has Pitt among the Top 4 seeds. But he lacks the history and experience that @VBracketology has, so I'll take his projections with a healthy dose of salt.
Thank you for your generosity!
Two weeks ago, I used this space to encourage you to donate to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. $1,390 seemed like a Pitt-friendly goal.
James Santelli
You all destroyed that mark in less than two hours time.
So I raised the bar again to $4,239. Again, you gave generously (including a $500 anonymous donation!) and we cleared that mark.
I am so grateful to all of the friends, family, readers and Bluesky followers who dug deep and gave so generously. From our fundraiser alone, the Food Bank will be able to provide about 13,000 meals to our neighbors.
With that, we conclude this particular fundraiser. Of course, there is still a lot of need out there, and I encourage you to help other organizations and groups who are serving others in your community.
