Busting Brackets
Fansided

ACC Basketball: Breaking down the 2017-18 star on each team in the conference

By Lukas Harkins

DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 04: Grayson Allen (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 04: Grayson Allen (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Ryan Luther (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Ryan Luther (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Panthers – SR Ryan Luther

Pittsburgh is in a very tough spot. The team missed the NCAA Tournament last season and is losing a lot of their top talent. Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter, Chris Jones, and Michael Young have now graduated and Cameron Johnson has transferred. With all of that talent gone, it is possible that Pittsburgh finishes last in the ACC this season.

In order to avoid that potential fate, senior Ryan Luther will need to have a breakout season. As a junior, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on a solid 53.8% shooting. Still, he played in barely over 20 minutes per game last season and he will be needed to play around 30 per game as a senior. Will he be up to the challenge?

This will certainly be a tough year for Pittsburgh and it seems incredibly unlikely that they make a tournament run. Still, the question remains this: How long will it take head coach Kevin Stallings to get the program back on track? This will be his second year with the program and this year could get ugly.