Pittsburgh Panthers could regress in year 8 of the Capel era

As we countdown to the start of the 2025-26 Syracuse basketball season on Nov. 3, The Juice Online will be doing a team-by-team opponent analysis of every single ACC opponent. Today, we analyze the Pittsburgh Panthers, who the Orange will play on Jan. 10.

The Orange takes a trip to Western Pennsylvania to take on the Pitt Panthers following their matchup with Georgia Tech.

Recapping the 2024-25 Pittsburgh Panthers basketball season

Pitt got off to a fast start in the 2024-25 season, starting the season 4-0, which included an 86-62 rout of West Virignia. Impressive wins over LSU and Ohio State put the Panthers in the top 25 early in the season, as they checked in at No. 18 in the country.

But Pitt was throttled by Mississippi State in the ACC-SEC Challenge, 90-57, and a four-game losing streak early in ACC play sent Pitt down a tough path they would not ultimately recover from. In games decided by 4 points or fewer they went 1-6.

The Panthers ultimately finished the season 17-15 and 8-12 in conference play, which landed them in a tie for ninth place. Pitt ultimately was eliminated in the ACC Tournament by Notre Dame, 55-54, and weren't invited to the NCAA Tournament, and declined an invitation to the NIT.

Pitt Panthers roster analysis

The Panthers are losing star guard Jaland Lowe (16.8 pts, 5.5 ast, 4.2 rebs) as he has transferred to Kentucky. They also have lost key rotation players Ishmael Leggett and Zack Austin (eligibility), as well as Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham to the portal.

Key incoming transfers include Barry Dunning from South Alabama (15.1 pts and 7.2 rebs) and big man Dishon Jackson form Iowa State. They join a core of Cameron Corhen (11 pts and 5.2 rebs) and Brandin Cummings.

Pitt's incoming freshmen class is ranked 63rd in the country, headlined by four-star combo guard Omari Witherspoon. He's joined by Australian imports Henry Lau and Roman Siulepa, and three-star prospects Macari Moore and Kieran Mullen.

Capel faces a tough climb in year 8

Pitt is part of a glut in the middle of the ACC that has the talent to move up to the second tier, but also has the potential to drop out of relevance. They currently sit 63rd in KenPom's ratings, and were selected 14th in the preseason ACC poll.

How much his young core grows will determine the outcome for head coach Jeff Capel, now in his eighth season with the Panthers. So far, he has just one NCAA Tournament appearance to show for it.

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