The Pittsburgh Panthers face the Clemson Tigers in an ACC matchup on Tuesday, February 27. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. Pitt is trying to fight their way back into the NCAA Tournament bubble watch. Their latest game saw them bounce back from a tough 33-point loss to Wake Forest with a 79-64 win over Virginia Tech. Clemson defeated Pitt by nine points earlier this season and recently grabbed a win over Florida State. The Tigers are currently projected to earn a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Clemson enters as a 7-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Bubble watch: Pittsburgh vs. Clemson
A win here would be a huge boost for this Pitt team, who are not currently in the bubble picture at ESPN or CBS. The ACC is currently projected to earn five bids into the NCAA Tournament, making the race to the Big Dance more competitive than some other Power Five conferences. Both Pitt and Clemson are 9-7 in ACC play, but Pitt ranks 54th at KenPom while Clemson ranks 24th. The Tigers are 4-3 against Quad 1 opponents, and the Panthers are 3-5 against Quad 1.
A loss here might push Pitt out of the picture entirely until the ACC conference tournament rolls around. They close out the season with games against Boston College, Florida State, and NC State, none of which fall into the Quad 1 category. A win would put them back into the bubble picture, potentially around the first four out — but not quite on the inside.