The Pitt Panthers will not be competing in NCAA March Madness this year, but they will still be heading to the postseason, taking part in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Panthers (19-14) will host George Washington (21-12) at the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the first round of the NIT. The game will be televised on ESPN. The winner will play the winner of the game between the #1 seed Temple Owls and #8 seed Bucknell Bisons.
The NIT features 32 teams that were not invited to the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament. All regular-season conference champions are invited as well as at-large teams that did not receive a ticket to the big dance.
The first three rounds of the NIT are held on the campus of the higher-seeded team. The NIT’s final four will be played on March 31 and the final will be on April 2. The finals and semi-finals will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Jamie Dixon’s squad lost their final three regular season games to Wake Forest, Miami and Florida State, and was one-and-done in the ACC Tournament, losing to North Carolina State 81-70 in the second round last Wednesday.
The Panthers, whose lineup features only three seniors and 13 underclassmen, will benefit from continuing to play and practice, and hope to be back in the big dance in 2016.
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