Pitt Basketball Season Preview: Panthers Use Toughness to Surpass Expectations
The Pitt men’s basketball program, led by head coach Jeff Capel in his eighth season, aims to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022-23 and only the second time under Capel's leadership. The team retains three contributors from last year but features a largely revamped roster filled with transfers and freshmen.
Despite being one of Capel’s least talented teams on paper, the roster emphasizes size, toughness, and physicality, qualities that are expected to compensate for talent gaps when competing in the ACC.
“We can’t be a team that thinks we can just show up. 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.” – Jeff Capel
Key Returning Players
- Brandin Cummings, guard, appeared in 31 games as a freshman last season with four starts and is expected to secure a starting role.
- Cam Cohren, forward, was a significant contributor last season and is projected to start.
- Papa Kante, forward, will be a key rotational player for the Panthers.
The Panthers expect their new blend of toughness and cohesion to create an edge, despite the relative lack of standout talent compared to other ACC teams.
Author's summary: Pitt basketball under Jeff Capel aims to leverage toughness and teamwork over raw talent to compete strongly in the 2025-26 ACC season and seek an NCAA Tournament return.