Pitt and Jeff Capel hit the reboot button again as Panthers eye return to contention in the ACC
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Pittsburgh (17-15 overall, 8-12 ACC)
Jeff Capel begins his eighth season with the Panthers, seemingly starting from scratch after just four scholarship players from last year’s group return. A season ago, Pitt hoped retaining a huge chunk of its roster from 2023-24 would pay dividends. After a hot start, the Panthers missed the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in nine seasons. Pitt isn’t particularly big, a problem that could be compounded if it can’t find consistent outside shooting after losing most of its contributors from behind the arc a year ago.
Players to watch
Cameron Corhen (senior, F, 11.0 ppg). The 6-foot-10 Corhen should get plenty of playing time as Pitt’s most experienced returning big man. Corhen shot 63.5% from the field last season, tops on the Panthers and the second-best mark in the ACC. Those numbers might tick down a bit only because Corhen will likely get more shots up this season.
Brandin Cummings (sophomore, G, 6.3 ppg, 37% shooting from 3). Cummings regularly provided a jolt off the bench last season. He’ll likely begin the season as a starter in a new-look backcourt alongside newcomer Damarco Minor.
Nojus Indrusaitis (sophomore, G). The Iowa State transfer may be the closest thing Pitt has to a volume shooter. The 6-foot-5 Lithuanian put up 12 shots in 27 minutes during an exhibition victory against Providence and added seven rebounds, a sure way to get on the floor.
Departures and arrivals
The Panthers lost their leading scorer from last season, guard Jaland Lowe, to Kentucky in the transfer portal. Twin 7-footers Jorge (Oregon State) and Guillermo Diaz Graham (San Francisco) also left. … Iowa State transfer Dishon Jackson, a 6-10 forward who averaged 8.5 points for the Cyclones last year, is out indefinitely while dealing with a medical condition. … Minor averaged 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists last year while starting at Oregon State.
Top games
Nov. 3 vs. Youngstown State (opener); Nov. 13 at West Virginia; Dec. 13 at Villanova; Feb. 9 vs. Duke; Feb. 14 at North Carolina.
Facts and figures
The Panthers lost four of their top five scorers, not ideal for a team that finished sixth in the ACC in scoring. They also lost six of their top seven rebounders, though that might not be a bad thing for a team that finished 12th in the ACC in rebound margin. … Roman Siulepa is a 6-6 guard from Australia who was a member of Australia’s junior national team. He also moonlighted as a rugby player, which might give the Panthers a welcome dash of ruggedness.
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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball