Pitt Basketball Season Preview: Panthers Look to Use Toughness to Exceed Expectations

Pitt Basketball Season Preview

Panthers Aim to Use Toughness to Surpass Expectations

The Pitt men’s basketball team, led by head coach Jeff Capel in his eighth season, is eager to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2022-23 season and only the second time under Capel's leadership. Although the team has brought back three key players, the roster is largely transformed by numerous transfers and freshmen.

Roster Changes and Team Identity

Despite being considered one of Capel’s less talented squads on paper, this year's team emphasizes size, toughness, and physicality. This approach is intended to compensate for the talent gap often seen in the challenging ACC competition.

“We can’t be a team that thinks we can just show up,” Capel said after the second exhibition game. “There is a certain way that we have to show up. We aren’t one of these teams that is just going to out-talent you. We have talent but we don’t have the type of talent that some of these teams do. But if we are tough, and we are together, and we play with an edge, then we can be a really good team.”

Key Returning Players

Guard Brandin Cummings – a freshman last season, appeared in 31 games and earned four starts, likely to be a starting guard this season.
Forward Cam Cohren – an important contributor returning to lock in a starting role.
Forward Papa Kante – expected to be a mainstay in the Panthers' rotation.

The Panthers hope that toughness and cohesion will propel them to success despite the talent limitations.

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On3 — 2025-11-03