Should Pitt Be a #1 Seed?

In arguably the most surprising upset of the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball season, the #1 ranked University of Pittsburgh Panthers (25-3, 12-3) fell to the un-ranked Providence College Friars (17-11, 9-7) on February 24th. Trailing by 18 points at halftime, the Panthers were never able to claw their way back to overtake the Friars. While this is undoubtedly a shocking win and benchmark for the Providence program, the bigger question at the moment revolves around the upcoming NCAA Tournament: Has Pittsburgh cost itself a #1 seed?

Just weeks after defeating their first ever #1 ranked opponent, the Panthers once again find themselves clawing for a resume building win to keep the other top ranked teams off of a #1 seed. The loss to Providence (RPI 77) was the Panthers' first to a team outside of the RPI Top 15, with their previous defeats coming at the hands of the Louisville Cardinals (RPI 11) and Villanova (RPI 10). On their heels for a #1 seed are the UCONN Huskies, Oklahoma Sooners, UNC Tar Heels, and the fast rising Memphis Tigers.

With 2 losses last week, to Texas and Kansas, the Oklahoma Sooners appear to be fading without their star Center, Blake Griffin. Griffin averages 22 Points per contest along with a nation leading 13.8 Rebounds per game and is the favorite for National Player of the Year. He went out early in the 1st half of the Texas game with what looked to be a severe concussion, and would miss the team's game against Kansas. Both contests resulted in losses for the Sooners who now sit at 25-3.

The UCONN Huskies appear to be a lock for a #1 seed with just 2 losses this season (vs. Georgetown, vs. Pitt). Many thought the Huskies would stumble when their starting Shooting Guard, Jerome Dyson, went down with a torn ligament in his knee earlier in February, but they have rebounded going 5-1, with their only loss to the Panthers. UNC is also making a strong case for a #1 seed, playing in one of the toughest conferences in the nation, with wins over Clemson, Duke, and Florida State.

The wild card that could end up costing Pitt their #1 Seeding is the Memphis Tigers. Runners-up in last year's National Title Game, Coach John Calipari has coached the Tigers to an undefeated conference record, and 25-3 overall. With the nation's longest winning streak, 18, the Tigers are showing the Selection Committee the consistency needed to prove worthy of a top seed.

Even with all of these factors, the Pittsburgh Panthers still appear in very strong position. They have the top RPI in the country, the most wins vs. the RPI Top 25 (6). They hold a win over Connecticut and are in 3rd place in the tough Big East. They, however, are not out of the trouble yet, with games against #8 Marquette (23-5, 12-3) and #2 UCONN (26-2, 14-2) still on their schedule.

As we near March Madness, only the Panthers will be able to prove if they are worthy of a coveted #1 seed. With 7 possible games left, including the Big East Tournament, there are plenty of opportunities to both solidify and destroy their elite status.

RPI statistics from RealTimeRpi.com.

Rankings and Records from ESPN.com