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Odd To Win The 2009 NCAA Tournament: Pittsburgh Panthers

Written by Jimmy Boyd

pitt-31909 While Pitt did not win the Big East regular season title, many experts feel it has the best chance of any team in the conference of going the distance. Pitt enters the Big Dance with a 28-4 mark and captured a No. 1 seed in the East Region. This team has experience, talent, and size all in its favor, but will it be able to navigate the loaded East Region to make the Final Four? Jimmy Boyd takes a look at Pitt’s projected tournament path in this article. The Pittsburgh Panthers are listed at +500 to win the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Pitt gets East Tennessee State from the Atlantic Sun Conference in round one and odds makers have the Panthers moving easily into the second round. Pitt is listed as a 20-point favorite in its first round game.

Pitt seems to have it all; an experienced floor leader in Levance Fields, a dominant post presence in DeJuan Blair, and a dynamic wing scorer in Sam Young. Blair is a monster and his play earned him co-Big East Player of the Year honors. He averages 15.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Young leads the way for Pitt with 18.8 points per contest. He can slash to the bucket in the half court, is great in transition, and is a streak shooter from the outside. Fields is the floor general, averaging nearly eight assists per game. Pitt is a much better team when he is on the floor. He has been slowed by a groin injury of late and the Panthers really can’t afford to see it linger on much longer. If this team has a weakness, it is three-point shooting. The Panthers rank just 114th in the nation at 35.4 percent per game. When they are hitting their threes, no one can beat them.

Getting back to the bracket, Pitt will see either Tennessee or Oklahoma State it the second round. Neither of those teams are as balanced as the Panthers. Athletically and physically the Vols stack up better, but the Cowboys could be more dangerous because of their ability to light it up from deep. I have Pitt moving on past either opponent into the Sweet 16. They will most likely see Xavier or Florida State there. FSU is dangerous because of Toney Douglas, but Jermaine Dixon is a very good defender for the Panthers who I think could handle the assignment. If he has trouble, the Panthers could guard him with the taller Sam Young as well to bother his shot. Xavier knows what it takes to make deep tourney runs, winning three tourney games before getting punched out by UCLA last season. Either team can give Pitt a game, but I have the Panthers moving on to the Elite Eight. A number of teams could come out to meet them there, including No. 3 seed Villanova who beat them during the season. I think it will be Duke, and in that case, the Panthers have a big advantage on the interior with Blair. The Blue Devils will have to shoot lights out to beat Pitt. Hopefully we will all get the matchup we were hoping for with Pitt taking on North Carolina in the Final Four to see who goes to the title game.

If you think Pitt is the team to beat, make sure to place a futures wager on the Panthers to win it all. Do your college basketball betting on Jimmy’s NCAA basketball picks throughout the tournament for the most winners against the basketball lines.

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Written by Jimmy Boyd on March 19, 2009 · Filed Under NCAA Basketball Betting Articles, News & Previews

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