Pittsburgh Basketball: 3 biggest storylines for Panthers in 2020 offseason

What are some key storylines concerning Pittsburgh Basketball this offseason?

It’s coming year 3 of the Jeff Capel era with Pittsburgh Basketball, continuing a tough rebuilding job (joined the Panthers after the team finished winless the season prior). While there have been signs of progress for the program going forward, the collective strength and overall toughness of the ACC has made this a slower effort.

Last season, the Panthers finished with an overall effort of 16-17. Things started out well with a home upset win over Florida State but a loss to Nicholls State right after immediately sapped the optimism. There were ups and downs throughout, including a win over Rutgers in the non-conference, which turned out to be a solid one overall. They also defeated North Carolina twice for the first time ever, but the Tar Heels overall struggles made those victories much less meaningful.

Pittsburgh finished with a 6-14 record in the ACC, with wins over Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Boston College also included. The biggest weakness for the team was its lack of offensive firepower, ranked second-worst in the league, and 317th overall at 65.2 ppg.

The hope is that a revamped offense and more experience (only three upperclassmen rotation players) throughout the roster will help the Panthers not only get back to above .500 overall but contend in the ACC. The middle-tier of the conference is vulnerable these days and with just a little more scoring, Pittsburgh can get to the top half once again.

There are plenty of on and off the court storylines for the Panthers, including a look at key players and recruits to look at going forward. Can the team get back to where they were in the Big East as a national threat? That’s something the program has to look at as they continue their ACC journey.