Joe Lunardi answered me today during his ESPN chat. I’m hoping for the 4 seed:

Matt, Baltimore, MD: Joe, every year the selection committee seems to seed Pitt lower than you have them. Currently, you have Pitt as a 3 seed. Should I be expecting a 5 seed?

Joe Lunardi: (1:06 PM ET ) Let’s split the difference. Pitt should be no worse than a No. 4 seed after running the table in New York.

I’d love to see some mediocre big conference team like an Ohio State or Arizona State in the first round that limped into the tournament. I’d prefer this over seeing a South Alabama or comparable small conference team, Bradley flashbacks anyone? The current Lunardi bracket would be ideal. San Diego wouldn’t be bad in the first round, plus Michigan State (who’s faded terribly this year) or Temple in the second round. Texas as our 2 seed wouldn’t be the worst thing for Pitt either.

I’d also like to avoid a region with UNC or Kansas, I think we’d match up terribly with these teams. UCLA is banged up and I don’t think Tennessee or Memphis would be terrible for us either. As has been mentioned before, I’d just like to dodge a team with very athletic guards, quick swingmen, and big men that can step out and shoot it.

I would go with a 4/5 seed, don’t really care who they face.

Pitt is capable of making a nice run this year.

I concur with Panther Fan with the exception that I think that Texas is the more dangerous team than Kansas. Other than that, what he said.

First, it is oh so sweet to be THE BIG EAST CHAMPION!!! Second, I don’t care what bracket we play in, the high seed only buys you one perceived easy game in the first round (see Syracuse vs. Vermont in 2006), so it’s no big deal after that. If our tournament history tells us anything, it tells us that there are no easy paths to the final four. You have to win six games in a row to win it all, and all of those wins will have to come against teams that can definitely beat you if they have their day and you don’t (Pacific?). For the record, this Pitt team can beat any team in the country on any given day. Yes, they would have to play even better than they did last night to beat of few of them, but they can do it. For example, last nights game with 70% FT shooting is a blow-out win for Pitt. Just bring it on…any bracket…any team…any site…let the games begin!!!

I want to avoid Kansas. I live in Kansas and these people keep trying to make me a KU fan. It isn’t ever going to happen. Three years in a row we were scheduled to meet them in our bracket but either we or they were upset to keep it from happening. I don’t want to listen to the KU fans out here having a win over Pitt to hang over my head.

Though, if Pitt was going to beat KU, that would be ok.

We’re going to be in the West bracket with UCLA the one seed. Thats how the committee gets its shits and giggles every year.

When we the last time we WEREN’T in the same bracket with UCLA?

07? Check.
06? Check.
05? Check.
04 – ucla didn’t make tourney.

Any hope of us going to DC for the first round?

Tony, that’s my hope. I know there’s a solid number of Pitt fans in the DC area and it’s close enough to travel there from here.

I just looked though, and it’s a Thursday-Saturday location…it will be impossible for me to go Thursday, and nearly impossible to go Saturday! Crap!

Kansas won the Big XXII so now the four #1 seeds have to be: KU, UNC, Memphis, and UCLA

If I had to be a bracketologist for a moment:

1 — Kansas, UNC, Memphis, UCLA
2 — Tennessee, Georgetown, Texas, Wisconsin
3 — Louisville, Stanford, Duke, Drake
4 — Pitt, Notre Dame, Clemson, Xavier

To be honest, I have no clue. Whatever.

Tony/Dennis,

I had the DC dates on my work vacation calendar for awhile – I told them that it’ll either be Thurs or Fri, depending on when Pitt plays – and am currently monitoring Ebay for tickets (pricey, though.) I’m really, really hoping that a) Pitt can get a protected seed and b) gets placed in DC. Anyone care to organize a DC meetup for Pitt fans whether or not we actually get placed here?

Knight is a disgrace, he besmirches the hallowed Pitt Knight family name. His shtick: You say X, I’ll say Y; and if you say Y, I’ll say X.

I think at this point, you give Coach Dixon what he wants. If he can do this without any Burger King All-Statesmen, imagine what he can do with 2. This also proves that our boys have a bigger heart than a small conference hero. Pay him!

Still waiting…

Nice to see Villanova get in. Midwest looks good.

Big East gets 8 teams in though, with Nova. Some respect for the conference, maybe it gets us to a 3?

DENVER?????

SERIOUSLY?

#4! nice…. We get the fighting dentists.

clemson gets a five…good news for us, right?

I bet they gave UConn the DC pod, based on the fact that we lost to them earlier this year. Damn it.

Michigan State is a tough second round match. If we stop Neitzel, then we play Memphis in the sweet 16.

….that’s if we beat Oral Roberts of course. We will, we will.

4 seed, could of been much worse based on history

wow listen to the love pitt is getting, doesn’t happen often

whatev.

Philly got some sweaty love huh?

Much better to be playing Memphis in the sweet 16 than MU who has to play Texas, right? Good thing we got that 4 seed….

Well, at least we either get to shut up or add fuel to the fire of all the Calipari lovers.

This is assuming some stupid ass white kid doesn’t light us up for 100 3s….

And they couldn’t knock Xavier or LU off that 3 line for us? Not like when we were both healthy on a neutral floor we beat them or anything…

i love our seed. MSU is a tough game, but were so hot. I dunno whos gonna guard neitzel, levance i guess. but sam young is better than raymar morgan and our bench is great. they still got izzo though. if we get to texas, thats a really tough game. texas in houston, home game

How is it that Oral Roberts, Pitt, Temple, and Michigan State wind up in Denver? Oral Roberts is the closest team (Tulsa)! At least the games will be later, not a noon game, I guess.

Heck of road trip if anyone can go. Will it be like the Pacific game when we got snowed out and had travel issues and lost?

Yes!!! I hope we make it to the sweet 16 and face Memphis. What a game that would be!!!!!

I’m not sure I’d prefer to play texas over memphis anyway

I hate to look ahead to MSU…but…, I think we can stop Neitzel. Just don’t get fooled into a mismatch , for example, Biggs on Neitzel. I think Brown has stepped up his defense so his height would help stop their guards.

As for OR, I think our guards have their shooters already wetting themselves. They have good guards I suppose for The Summit League but we have Big East talent.

Actually, the Big Ten stinks. Don’t count out playing Temple.

yes, definately, much better to be marquette and have to play kentucky, who were 2nd in the SEC, in the first round than pitt playing oral roberts… such a shame we didn’t get that 6 seed

There might be noon games in Denver because they need to play 4 games that Thursday???

How the fuck are we a 4 seed, and have to play a 13 seed that is a TEN HOUR DRIVE from the tournament site? We have to fly across the fucking country, again.

I’m not worried about any big ten team, just a white kid that shoots 1000 3s. We’ve been through that before.

FC, yeah, but a noon game in Denver is 2 pm in the East.

when do game times come out?

Hey kamesh – first, it wouldn’t be a home game for UK, and second, have you seen UK play? They’re awful. They’re no better than ORU. Second is the SEC means the SEC is garbage this year. I’d rather play UK that ORU – at least we can get tape on them, and i KNOW they’re garbage.

….Digger, VATech did not deserve to get in. If you lose to Penn State, that should count as 2 strikes.

I love Digger Phelps insanity…yeah, Va Tech should get in because they LOST. Hell of a resume.

Hahahahaha, now we get Bob Knight saying there should be 128 teams in the tournament. Lay off the crack, Sweater Vest.

I love knight on these shows. All the talking heads want to have the argument they’re told to have, Knight wants to argue about what arguement they *should* be having. The rest sit there and are like….”that’s not what we’re supposed to argue about…” Its great.

Seth Greenberg is the biggest douche i’ve ever heard. “There are no winners and losers, we should all get ‘participant’ ribbons!” Shut up. STFU now.

Why is it that the ESPN crew always rants about the team who’s coach petitions the committee? VT this year, Syracuse last year…it never ends. VT sucks! They’re 1-7 against the top 50. They make the case about playing UNC close…THEY STILL LOST THE GAME. AGAIN…THEY LOST. THEY DIDN’T WIN. THEY LOST. does it have to be more difficult than that?

I hope we don’t shit the bed again and lose in the first round.

A game with Memphis could be really exciting.

Ideal situation: Beating Duke in the Final Four!

That schtick is getting old. Douche Vitale comes on and “raw deal” this “vbdi” that – same as last year. This year its VT (you KNEW that was coming, its the all crap conference baby!) instead of SU. Some shit. No one cares. Win some games and we won’t have to laugh at you come selection sunday.

How the crap is WVU playing in DC as a 7 seed, and we have to fly all the way to fucking Denver and we are the highest seed in our firs-second round bracket! That’s crap!

And then the Sweet 16 is in Houston, I was hoping for Detroit!

Jesus, why don’t we just have a tournament with the 512 best teams from Divs. I, II, III, and NAIA?

God, I hate ESPN.

Is it just me, or does every single team that has come up on all the “Snubbed” list just suck? I mean, seriously, Ohio State?

You know when Vitale is making the most sense, you need to shut down your studio show and start over.

“Snubbed” teams are pointless. If you are that close to the Bubble, you probably aren’t going to win more than one game, and you definitely won’t make it past the Sweet 16! Sure, they got left out, but it saved you the embarrassment of losing in the first round, and now you have some home NIT games, so people need to quit bitchin!

Aaron,

We should also include the Argentinian and Spanish Collegiate Champions as well. Heck, let the Croatians play as well.

…. yes, Vitale doesn’t need Viagra to get hard during ACC games. Give it up, Miami sucks too.

Digger is a heck of an analyst–not only does he have trouble forming coherent, complete thoughts, but when he does they are illogical and nonsensical.

Put him on TV as much as possible!

MSU lost to Penn State at State ….like our matchup…

Its a shame the ACC got 4. They only deserved 3.

As much as i want to play a big ten team, i don’t want to play a white kid that chucks up 3s all day. Haven’t we all learned by now.

But seriously, how is everyone not outraged? “Protected” seed? We have to play a team that is a 10 hour drive from Denver. No other 4 seed is further from the site than the 13. Awful.

Bob Knight officially loves Pitt.

Stuart, see my original post, and I quote:

“DENVER?????

SERIOUSLY?”

Yeah, it makes no sense to me either. What it does tell me is that Pitt was the last 4 seed, as they basically got thrown in to whatever pod was left.

Don’t like traveling to Colorado and playing a Thursday. Also, think ORU is much better than 13 seed – look at their preseason schedule and almost all their losses were at big schools away (at TX, ARK, TX A&M).

Biggest fear is them not coming back down to earth from Big East — remember, Syracuse won 4 straiight at BET, and then lost to Vermont a few days later

Syracuse lost to Texas A&M the year they won the tourney playing 4 games in 4 days. The year they lost to Vermont was Hakim Warrick’s last season. Not the same team.

Am I using fuzzy math, or did the Big East get nine (9) teams in the NCAA tourney this year?
Rock on!

eight teams.

i like our bracket. we can handle memphis and texas.

Hey, Darren… We stole a keg from your apartment on Neville Street one Saturday night. Sorry about that. The beer was pretty good though.

Bobby Knight just picked Pitt to win the whole freakin’ thing!! I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.

He got to the point where he saw who he put in the final and I think he was a little surprised to see Pitt vs. UNC. He then said he would go out on a limb and pick Pitt…let’s hope he knows what he’s talking about.