Pitt Basketball

NCAA Tournament 2013 predictions: Pitt expected to win Thursday, but that's it

The majority of experts agree that Pitt will beat Wichita State Thursday afternoon, but none of them have the Panthers getting past Gonzaga in the round of 32.

By Russell Steinberg@Russ_Steinberg Mar 20, 2013, 9:22pm EDT

The Pittsburgh Panthers might be expected to beat the Wichita State Shockers Thursday afternoon, but many expect a quick exit from the NCAA Tournament after that.

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The No. 8-seed Panthers tip off at 1:40 p.m. ET from Salt Lake City against a Shockers team that went 26-8 overall and 12-6 in the competitive Missouri Valley Conference. Over at ESPN, outspoken analyst Jay Bilas likes Pitt to advance, citing its depth and rebounding prowess. But in the next round, Bilas believes Gonzaga's versatility will be too much for the Panthers to handle.

The experts at CBS agree. Out of 13 expert brackets, only Dennis Dodd has Wichita State advancing. But similar to Bilas, nobody has the Panthers making the Sweet 16.

Here at SB Nation, our resident bracketologist Chris Dobbertean is going with the Shockers. Despite Pitt being excellent on the offensive glass, Dobbertean points out that Wichita State is strong there as well. If the Shockers can clean up enough of their own misses, they could advance.

Pitt, known historically for its early NCAA Tournament exits, comes into Thursday's second round game winners of four out of its last five. That lone loss was by just three points to four seed Syracuse, showing the Panthers can compete with the best.