(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers (30-4, 15-3 Big East) vs. No. 4 Xavier Musketeers (27-7, 12-4 A-10)
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16—East Region
Thursday, March 26—7:27 PM ET on CBS
Preview
Xavier's mid-major ticket to the Big Dance has come to be expected at this point—they've been to the NCAA Tournament four consecutive times, and have made it in eight of the last nine seasons.
This has been a season of firsts for Pitt—they were the top-ranked team for the first time in the school's history, and they received a one-seed for the first time. After a year off, the Panthers are back in the Sweet 16 and looking to make it to the Elite Eight for the first time since the tournament expanded.
Both squads feature a ton of quality players. Pitt's DeJuan Blair was named as the co-Big East Player of the Year, and he and Sam Young were named to the All-Big East First Team. Senior point guard Levance Fields was named on the All-Big East Third Team.
Senior guard-forward B.J. Raymond was named to the Atlantic 10's All-Conference First Team, junior forward Derrick Brown was named to the All-A10 Second Team, and C.J. Anderson received Honorable Mention for the Musketeers.
This is clearly a game featuring two elite teams—one from the best conference in college hoops and the other a mid-major, who hasn't had the press they deserve this season. Will Xavier be able to pull the upset and move into the Elite Eight for the second straight year, or will Pitt be able to make it past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974?
By The Numbers
| Record | Conf | ATS | RPI | SOS | PF | PA | |
| No. 4 Xavier | 27-7 | 12-4 | 17-10-1 | 17 | 47 | 72.5 | 62.6 |
| No. 1 Pittsburgh | 30-4 | 15-3 | 16-11-1 | 2 | 8 | 77.8 | 64.0 |
| FG% | D. FG% | 3P% | D. 3P% | FT% | RPG | SPG | APG | TPG | BPG | |
| No. 4 Xavier | 46.5 | 39.1 | 40.0 | 33.4 | 67.4 | 42.5 | 5.4 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 5.0 |
| No. 1 Pittsburgh | 48.3 | 40.7 | 35.5 | 33.0 | 67.6 | 42.8 | 7.0 | 17.9 | 12.2 | 3.9 |
Stats Leaders
| No. 4 Xavier | No. 1 Pittsburgh | |
| PPG | B. Raymond - 14.1 | S. Young - 18.5 |
| D. Brown - 13.8 | D. Blair - 15.9 | |
| C. Anderson - 10.2 | L. Fields - 10.6 | |
| RPG | D. Brown - 6.0 | D. Blair - 12.3 |
| APG | D. Jackson - 2.8 | L. Fields - 7.5 |
| SPG | D. Jackson - 1.3 | J. Dixon - 1.5 |
| BPG | J. Love - 1.2 | D. Blair - 1.0 |
Prediction
Please head over to The Sports Chat Place to see Ryan's FREE Pick Against the Spread final analysis!
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