CU is Dancing With a Number 8 Seed

A strong showing in its first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament helped Pittsburgh earn a high seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Panthers (25-9) received the No. 9 seed in the South Region and will open tournament play against No. 8 seed Colorado (23-11) on Thursday in Orlando.

The winner will most likely face top overall seed Florida in the third round.

Pitt – which had no bad losses on its resume – boosted its tournament credentials by knocking off 14th-ranked North Carolina in the ACC quarterfinals and lost by three to eventual champion Virginia in the semifinals.

Colorado, which lost to Arizona in the Pac-12 semifinals, is headed to the NCAA tournament for the third straight year – the first time the Buffaloes have done that.