Pittsburgh Panthers

2023-2024 Result: 22-11 record (12-8 ACC), No Postseason Appearance

Projected Starting Lineup

Head Coach: Jeff Capel (7th season)

Guard: Jaland Lowe (SO)

Guard: Ishmael Leggett (SR)

Forward: Zack Austin (SR)

Forward: Cameron Corhen (JR)

Center: Guillermo Diaz Graham (JR)

Key Additions

Damian Dunn (Houston)

Cam Corhen (Florida State)

Key Losses

Carlton Carrington

Blake Hinson

Federiko Federiko

Pittsburgh is coming into this season without 2 major contributors to last year’s offense in Bub Carrington and Blake Hinson. Those will be tough holes to fill, but rising Sophomore Jaland Lowe is certainly a breakout candidate and the Panthers brought in Damian Dunn from Houston for some extra on ball creation. These 2 may not be able to match the production of Carrington and Hinson as they have both shown inefficiencies from the field in their careers, but a lot of the production will be on their shoulders due to a lack of scoring depth on the bench (6 of 8 bench players are Freshmen). Another issue with the offense is the lack of floor spacing, as there is only 1 player on the roster that shot over 35% from 3 last season and that is center Guillermo Diaz Graham, who only attempted 79 3’s all year. Diaz Graham being able to space the floor as the 5 man may open up this offense more than expected, but it certainly won’t make this unit elite. One positive to take away from this offense is the ball handing. Lowe and Ishmael Leggett had very low turnover rates last season, so that might be something the Panthers can lean on if all else fails.

The defensive side of the floor is what excites me most about this Pittsburgh team. There is no weak link in the starting lineup on defense and they display solid positional size. The frontcourt of Zack Austin and Guillermo Diaz Graham provides a good blend of rim protection and ability to guard in space. Zack Austin is especially versatile and at only 6 '7” he had a 6.9% block rate and defended smaller players at an above average level. The perimeter duo of Leggett and Dunn is also solid, as they are both physical guards that have more of a defensive identity. The only 2 concerns I have on defense are the rebounding and the depth, but Leggett (15.9% DREB) and Dunn (10.5% DREB) are capable rebounders on the wing to help out Austin and Diaz Graham inside. The depth also isn’t as much of a concern on defense as it is on offense with the bench being filled with size and athleticism.

Someone on this roster other than Jaland Lowe needs to step up on offense if the Panthers want to reach their ceiling. This production may either come from Damian Dunn or possibly a surprise star lies on this team's bench that pushes them over their expectations. The defensive unit should keep Pittsburgh’s floor relatively high in the ACC, but until the offensive production is seen they will be closer to the middle of the pack in their conference.