Welcome to the Elite Eight! After the first week, the initial field is narrowed down and ready to fire up more hot takes in hopes of surviving until the next round. Read below and vote on Instagram and X.
First up, we have elite writers out of the 412 and Just Outside of Philly regions.
412 Region
For the Pirates to win in the playoffs, new management is a must // No. 1 seed Alex Porter, Senior Staff Writer
The Pirates will never win a playoff series with general manager Ben Cherington and head coach Derek Shelton. They served their roles well by facilitating a rebuild of the core. However, losing is in their DNA.
As a Red Sock, Cherington won a World Series. However, he impressively turned that same squad into a last-place finisher for three of his four seasons at the helm. He is nothing but consistent — Cherington has finished last in the NL Central four times in five seasons as a Pirate. Even after lucking into NL ROTY Paul Skenes, the Pirates’ record failed to improve. With a clear window to contend, Cherington still sits on his hands. Instead he hordes prospects and acquires mediocre utility players like Infinity Stones.
Shelton has coached these five losing seasons. Like clockwork, the Pirates start the year hot and innovate new ways to plummet back to basement dwelling — and when adversity hits, Shelton’s voice fails to resonate. With his history as a hitting coach, offensive development is expected. Conversely, the 2024 Pirates finished 24th in runs while placing a respectable 10th in runs allowed.
All in all, Pittsburgh needs management confidence in winning now.
Let’s buy stock in Pitt women’s lacrosse // No. 2 seed Camille de Jesus, Senior Staff Writer
The women’s lacrosse program at Pitt is making serious headway, and I think it’s time we place some stock in this team. Just three years ago, the Panthers made their debut, a daunting task as fresh meat thrown directly into the ACC.
This conference is filled with some of the best women’s lacrosse in the nation, and Pitt has not only held its own, but it has shown significant improvement. In the midst of only their fourth season, the Panthers are ranked No. 36 nationally, a significant achievement for a relatively young team. I would argue in the next few years that this program could prove as a major name in women’s lacrosse.
Just last month the Panthers held No. 3 Stanford to a four-point game. This not only proves Pitt deserves a chance to match up against these big teams, but that they can compete against them.
The sheer progress the Panthers have made in their short span of existence is a testament to the strong foundation of this Pitt program. With that in mind, this team is bound to see upward improvement as it continues to gain its footing. It’s time we invest some stock into Pitt women’s lacrosse, because I would bet on big returns in the near future.
Just outside of Philly Region
It’s more fun to root for upsets than your bracket // No. 1 seed Conor Hutchison, Senior Staff Writer
I’ve filled out a March Madness bracket every year of my life. Although I wasn’t a big college basketball fan until recently, beating my friends and family in our bracket pools always meant something to me.
But watching a good story play out in real time means more. Watching 11-seeded N.C. State’s run to the Final Four last season was the most fun I’d had watching basketball since two years prior when 15-seeded St. Peters reached the Elite Eight. Both Cinderella runs broke my brackets but I didn’t care.
Looking back on years of watching March Madness, my favorite memories were watching March Madness heroes, people who become the de facto mascot for a team. Sometimes they’re not the best player and sometimes they’re not a player at all.
McNeese State had all the makings to write a similar story this year. Even though they broke my bracket, embarrassed the ACC and only won one game, there was no better feeling than seeing a story in the making, or at least a potential story.
March Madness belongs to the veterans // No. 2 seed Kaitlyn Griffin, Staff Writer
While many Americans over the age of 65 are deciding how to spend their retirement years, these coaches are leading their teams to the Sweet 16. John Calipari of Arkansas, Rick Barnes of Tennessee and Tom Izzo of Michigan State trade the beach for the gym, proving how priceless their years of experience are in this year’s March Madness.
Calipari’s Razorbacks pulled off a major upset against basketball legend Rick Pitino and St. John’s, making Calipari the second coach to take four schools to the Sweet 16. This is the furthest his team has advanced since 2019, when his Kentucky team lost in the Elite Eight.
Barnes led Tennessee to seven tournament appearances in his 10 years as the Vol’s head coach, with four trips to the Sweet 16. The Vols see Kentucky next, as Barnes looks to add another Elite Eight trip to his resume.
Izzo led Michigan State to 27 consecutive tournament appearances, the longest streak in history. As one of the most successful coaches in Big 10 history, Izzo looks to lead his squad to his first championship since 2000.
These coaches prove that there is nothing quite as valuable as experience, each of them more than capable of claiming this year’s championship title.
