ACC TEAM PREVIEW #12 PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

Pittsburgh is entering year eight of the Jeff Capel era. It's safe to say he's probably on the hot seat, as Pitt has missed the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons; they've also only made it there in one of Capel's seven seasons as the head coach. Capel has slowly started to turn it around though. In his first four seasons, Pitt had a record of 51-69, compared to a record of 63-38 in their last three seasons.

Projected Lineup:

G DaMarco Minor (Oregon State transfer)

G Brandin Cummings

F Barry Dunning (South Alabama transfer)

F Cameron Corhen

C Dishon Jackson (Iowa State transfer)

Pitt enters this season with an entirely new backcourt. Their two star guards, Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett, were the strength of the team last season for Pitt; they both averaged over 15 points per game. Leggett graduated, and Lowe transferred to Kentucky. This opens the door for Brandin Cummings. Cummings played pretty well in limited playing time during his freshman season. He averaged just 16 minutes per game, but averaged 6.3 points, which was good enough for fifth on the team. Pitt also brought in veteran transfer DaMarco Minor from Oregon State to be their starting point guard. He was one of the better guards in the West Coast Conference last season, averaging 9.8 points and 5.1 assists.

The biggest returning piece from last season's team is 6-foot-10 forward Cameron Corhen. He was third on the team in scoring last season, averaging 11.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds. He'll be paired up with Iowa State transfer Dishon Jackson in the frontcourt. Jackson is one of the biggest players in the entire country, listed at 6-foot-11, 274 lbs. He averaged 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in only 19 minutes per game last year. South Alabama transfer Barry Dunning will be another important player in Pitt's rotation. He's a super athletic wing that was one of the best players in the Sun-Belt conference last season, averaging 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds.

This season's team definitely could have what it takes to get head coach Jeff Capel off the hot seat. I could see both Brandin Cummings and Dishon Jackson having breakout seasons next year. I also think that DaMarco Minor and Barry Dunning are both great additions from the portal, and should adjust well from the mid-major level to the ACC.

Prediction: 7th in ACC