March Madness: The good guys and the bad guys in the NCAA Tournament

As Pitt fans join other Americans in filling out NCAA Tournament brackets this week, they will… As Pitt fans join other Americans in filling out NCAA Tournament brackets this week, they will notice the glaring omission of the Panthers from the tournament for the first time in 10 years.

After accepting the strange, depressing reality that Pitt’s decade-long streak of NCAA Tournament bids — as of last year, the longest in the Big East Conference — is over, Panther fans should try to look at the positives of a Pitt-less bracket.

With zero trips to the Final Four and only one Elite Eight appearance to show for the past decade, at least Pitt can’t suffer another early tournament exit that breaks the hearts and brackets of Panther supporters annually.

An NCAA Tournament without Pitt also serves as an opportunity to find other teams to root for throughout the pandemonium of the three-week-long tournament commonly referred to as March Madness.

So before you fill out your bracket, consider this guide to which teams you should be pulling for to cut down the nets at the Final Four in New Orleans and which teams you should hope suffer the heartbreak of defeat:

The Good

Syracuse — As a No. 1 seed, the Orange enter this year’s tournament as one of the favorites to make a run for the national championship, and of all the legitimate contenders, Syracuse easily relates the most to Pitt. The Panthers and the Orange have always had a friendly rivalry within the Big East, and now that the two schools are leaving the conference for the Atlantic Coast Conference in the near future, Pitt and Syracuse fans have even more of a connection.

Murray State — As their team name suggests, the Racers play a fast, entertaining style of basketball that has garnered many plaudits on the team’s way to an Ohio Valley Conference championship and a 30-1 record. OVC Player of the Year Isaiah Canaan and the rest of the Racers should be fun to follow as they hope to repeat the recent heroics of other small schools such as Butler and Virginia Commonwealth and make a run at the Final Four.

Marquette — A few weeks ago, Golden Eagles head coach Buzz Williams instantly became a popular figure among Pitt fans when he danced on West Virginia’s court to the tune of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” — the Mountaineers’ popular post-game song — after his team pulled off a tough road victory. He later apologized for the action after WVU fans responded angrily, but Marquette and its passionate coach are still good candidates for Pitt fans looking for teams to support in this year’s bracket.

Davidson — This Wildcats team isn’t as dangerous as it was in 2008 when star guard Stephen Curry nearly led Davidson to the Final Four, but it does have a connection to Pittsburgh in sophomore guard Tom Droney. The Sewickley Academy graduate, who won WPIAL and state championships in high school and drew interest from schools like Pitt and Notre Dame before signing with Davidson, plays solid minutes off the bench for the Wildcats.

The Bad

West Virginia — The most obvious team at which Pitt fans can channel this season’s frustrations is that of the Panthers’ hated rivals from Morgantown. With West Virginia going to the Big 12 next season and Pitt jumping to the ACC soon thereafter, there’s uncertainty about whether the two schools might be forced to stop playing each other in both football and basketball. The Mountaineers got the last laugh in both sports this year, but an early exit from the NCAA Tournament by WVU would give Pitt fans some joy.

Kentucky — Even though the Wildcats have started five underclassmen all season, they will head into this year’s tournament as the nation’s top team following an undefeated Southeastern Conference regular season. Head coach John Calipari recently dismissed the notion that the Wildcats’ program takes advantage of the NCAA system by recruiting athletes who plan on spending a single season at the school before entering the NBA draft, but the fact that Kentucky will likely have an entire new starting lineup next year speaks for itself. Fans who support Pitt’s style of developing and graduating players over four years would likely love to see this year’s tournament favorites fall short.

The Ugly

UNLV — For those of you who still feel bitterly toward highly touted freshman recruit Khem Birch, who unexpectedly transferred from Pitt earlier this season, look no further than UNLV for a target at which to aim your anger. Just because the Canadian forward still can’t play for the Runnin’ Rebels due to NCAA rules requiring transfers to sit out a year doesn’t mean Pitt fans should exclude UNLV from their list of teams to jeer.