Evaluating 'bubble game' between Wake Forest and Pittsburgh ahead of Tuesday's clash

On3’s Bracketologist James Fletcher III joined Andy Staples on The Andy Staples Show on Monday to dish some knowledge on the world of college basketball.

A huge ACC matchup has the duo’s attention between the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Pittsburgh Panthers, slated for Tuesday night. A victory could be the difference in whether either team makes the NCAA Tournament when it’s all said and done.

Fletcher coined the game a “bubble game” ahead of the clash between the conference rivals, elaborating on where the Demon Deacons and Panthers stand entering the showdown on Tuesday.

“This is one where Wake Forest and Pitt is going to be a bubble game. It could end up being the difference in one of these teams making the NCAA Tournament or not,” Fletcher explained. “We’ve seen Pittsburgh really rise quickly on the bubble these last couple of weeks. They’ve strung together some performances. I’m not sure how much you can really take from a win over Louisville.

“I think the best thing you can say about that is that they got it out of the way and it wasn’t a loss, because a loss there would’ve really killed their resume. But you do get a little bit of a warm up game I guess. That’s the good news ahead of such an important matchup against Wake Forest.”

As Fletcher mentioned, Pittsburgh enters the game hot, winners of seven of their last eight games and coming off a victory against Louisville. The Cardinals haven’t been great this season, so it was kind of a run-of-the-mill win, but a loss would’ve been demoralizing to the Panthers’ chances.

Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons will enter the showdown after losing their last two games, but they still have a record of 16-9 on the season. It’ll be paramount to the team’s success to get a win on Tuesday, and help get back on track within their conference.

Time will tell whether Wake Forest or Pittsburgh gets the win on Tuesday, but it’s evident the importance of the game can’t be understated. We’ll see who gets the victory and helps their NCAA Tournament chances moving forward.