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Pittsburgh Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Panthers

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 9, 2021; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Femi Odukale (2) against the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the 2021 ACC Men's basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2021; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Femi Odukale (2) against the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the 2021 ACC Men's basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pittsburgh Basketball forward Eric Hamilton West Virginia Mountaineers Jermaine Haley Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Basketball forward Eric Hamilton West Virginia Mountaineers Jermaine Haley Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Non-conference schedule breakdown

Nov 9 (H) – The Citadel Bulldogs

Nov 12 (A) – West Virginia Mountaineers

Nov 16 (H) – UNC Wilmington Seahawks

Nov 19 (H) – Towson Tigers

Nov 24 (H) – Vanderbilt Commodores

Nov 27 (H) – UMBC Retrievers

Nov 30 (H) – Minnesota Golden Gophers

Dec 9 (H) – Colgate Raiders

Dec 12 (H) – Monmouth Hawks

Dec 18 (N) – St. John’s Red Storms

Dec 21 (H) – Jacksonville Dolphins

One of the frustrations for fans of the Capel era has been the annual awful loss to the sub-200 program in the non-conference. Pittsburgh has lost to Nicholls State, Niagara, and Saint Francis (PA) in the past and faces another slate where there are threats. Among the mid-major opponents, Colgate stands out the most. The Patriot League juggernaut returns everyone except star guard Jordan Burns but has size and scoring and could beat Pittsburgh in early December.

Among the four key games, St. John’s stands out since they have Julian Champagnie, a star forward and twin brother of Justin Champagnie. They have a completely revamped roster and are a projected NCAA Tournament team and that game is basically at home since it’s located in New York.

The “Backyard Brawl” is back on at West Virginia, which returns a pair of high-level scoring guards in Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil, but does have questions in the frontcourt. The press will be a big test for Odukale and the Panthers’ offense.

ACC schedule breakdown

Dec 3 (A) – Virginia Cavaliers

Dec 28 (H) – Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Jan 1 (A) – Virginia Tech Hokies

Jan 5 (A) – Louisville Cardinals

Jan 8 (H) – Boston College Eagles

Jan 11 (A) – Syracuse Orange

Jan 15 (H) – Louisville Cardinals

Jan 19 (H) – Virginia Cavaliers

Jan 22 (A) – Clemson Tigers

Jan 25 (H) – Syracuse Orange

Jan 29 (A) – Boston College Eagles

Feb 2 (A) – Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Feb 5 (H) – Virginia Tech Hokies

Feb 9 (A) – Florida State Seminoles

Feb 12 (H) – NC State Wolfpack

Feb 16 (A) – North Carolina Tar Heels

Feb 19 (H) – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Feb 22 (H) – Miami Hurricanes

Mar 1 (H) – Duke Blue Devils

Mar 5 (A) – Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Panthers have won six games in league play in back-to-back years and are hoping to improve on that to show progress. The good news is that the ACC isn’t as strong as it has been in the past, even at the top with teams like Duke, UNC, and Florida State having their flaws. Pittsburgh has shown fight against the teams at the top of the standings but has also lost games to those at the bottom.

The biggest game obviously will be the regular-season home finale versus Duke, which will be Senior Day for a few guys, as well as the last true road game for retiring head coach and Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. That game will have national attention and be a special experience and if Pittsburgh can win some games beforehand, could be a very meaningful matchup.

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