The Panthers have seemed to be a competitor every year under Coach Jeff Capel, as they were last year, finishing 22-11 and just barely missing the Big Dance. This year should continue to be more of the same, with a many returning faces, but some new ones as well, all hoping to fill the holes of stars Bub Carrington and Blake Hinson. Can they return to March Madness this year, or will they fall just short once again?

Returners:

Pitt will be led in the upcoming year by a dynamic duo or returning guards, Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe. These two were absolute fire starters off the bench last season, with Leggett winning the 6th man of the year in the ACC. He averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, doing all the little things for the Panthers last season, and ended strong with his second to last game being a 30 point game vs Wake Forest in the ACC tournament. Lowe is a lefty point guard who has breakout written all over him. Despite starting the season slow, he ended with averages of 9.6 points and 3.3 assists per game. Joining them is forward Zach Austin, who averaged 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds last season, while also being a great defender in his 6’7 frame, averaging 1 steal and 1.3 blocks per game off the bench. He should step into a larger role this year, and could be a difference maker for Pitt. Along with Austin in the front court are the twins, Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham. Guillermo has played a larger role, averaging 6.7 points and 3.9 rebounds last year, while Jorge averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds. They have a better chance to make an impact this year, with the departure of Federiko Federiko, and it is yet to be seen if they can stay healthy playing a majority of the game, and whether they can provide the “stretch big” type of threat that they have the potential to. The final returners are redshirt freshman Papa Kante and Marlon Barnes Jr. Kante is a big man coming off of a knee injury, but who has potential to be an elite player, even if not in the upcoming season. Barnes is a wing who was a 3 star recruit out of high school, and to be honest, will likely not see the floor too often this year.

Transfers:

The Panthers only have 2 incoming transfers, Damian Dunn from Houston, and Cam Corhen from Florida State. Dunn is known as a strong shooter, but wasn’t great last year at Houston, only averaging 6.2 points on 31.7% from three. However, being in the Houston system may have led to a big defensive improvement. If he can be a knockdown shooter and plus defender, his value could be very high, especially later into the season. Corhen averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds last year as an elite interior finisher and talented offensive player, however he isn’t quite up to the same level on defense, which is worrisome as the Diaz Graham twins aren’t exactly elite interior defenders either. Cam will have to step up and be that guy, or Pitt could be in danger of just being pounded on the interior.

Recruits:

The incoming freshman for the Panthers could make a serious difference, just as others such as Lowe and Carrington have under Capel. The two most likely to do that this year are combo guard Brandin Cummings and Bosnian sharpshooter Asmal Deliac. Cummings was a top 150 recruit, who has lots of opportunity due to Pitt’s lack of guard depth, so we will see whether he can produce to the level of the freshmen before him. Deliac has lots of unknowns as an international recruit, but at 6’8, he shot 41.5% from three in the top Bosnian league, so the potential is definitely there. Joining those two is top 300 big Amdy Ndiaye, who won’t play a lot this year but will be a development project for the Capel staff.

Overall Outlook

On paper, this Pitt team absolutely has a lot of talent, and their starting lineup has many pieces to be excited about. However, writing this preview I have been unable to overlook some big flaws for the Panthers. Firstly, the lack of guard depth is extremely concerning. They only have the two returners as ball handlers, other than the freshman Cummings. That is a concern to me, especially since those two will have to play much larger roles during the upcoming season, and will be the real leaders of the team. My other large concern is the big men. Corhen has a clear weakness in defense, and the bigs behind him I don’t exactly have a ton of faith in either. While they could be good, I don’t see them making the necessary strides to compete in the ACC. On a whole, this team has enough talent to be competitive, without a doubt, but I find it extremely difficult to picture them in the NCAA Tournament, especially with the strengthened ACC for the upcoming season. I predict that despite probably beating some top tier teams, they will fall short and not quite make the Big Dance.

(P.C. The Pitt News)