Pittsburgh Basketball: Ranking non-conference opponents for 2021-22 season

4. Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)

2020-21 season record: 14-15 (6-14 in Big Ten)

Remember the roster former Pitt coach Kevin Stallings had in year 2? Minnesota had the same kind of turnover, losing all but two players after the coaching change of Ben Johnson replacing Richard Pitino. Star guard Marcus Carr is gone, along with big man Liam Robbins and Gabe Kalscheur.

There are a ton of newcomers that aren’t from high-major conferences, including Junior College transfers Abdoulaye Thiam and Charlie Daniels, along with guards Luke Loewe and Elijah Stevens. Their best player may be forward Jamison Battle, who averaged 17.3 ppg and 5.2 rpg in15 games at George Washington last year. From a roster standpoint, Pitt is better on paper and got a lucky draw in this annual challenge.

3. Vanderbilt Commodores

2020-21 season record: 9-16 (3-13 in SEC)

Due to the team finishing last in the SEC and being overall irrelevant, no one seemed to notice that Scotty Pippen Jr. grew into one of the best players in the country. He was second in the conference with 20.8 ppg and 4.9 apg and is back for another year. However, forward Dylan Disu (15.0 ppg and 9.2 rpg) won’t be, along with starting guard Maxwell Evans.

The good news is that Vanderbilt was able to replace them both in Minnesota transfer Liam Robbins at center and Dayton transfer Rodney Chatman at guard. TCU forward Terren Frank has potential while returning guards Trey Thomas and Jordan Wright keeps the backcourt depth strong. If Pitt can keep Pippen Jr. in check, they should be able to win this game at home.