The sting of a heartbreaking double-overtime loss in the Big East Championship was quickly… The sting of a heartbreaking double-overtime loss in the Big East Championship was quickly eased on Sunday when it was announced that Pitt had been granted its first NCAA tournament bid since the 1992-93 season.

Big East Coach of the Year Ben Howland will attempt to lead Pitt (27-5) through a tough South region that includes Duke in order to reach Atlanta, the site of the Final Four.

Pitt earned the No. 3 seed in the South and will open up tournament play against the Blue Devils on Friday at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. But these are not the Blue Devils from Durham, N.C.