ACC Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2023-24 season

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 25: Leaky Black #1, Armando Bacot #5, R.J. Davis #4 and Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels walk away from the camera during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers on February 25, 2023 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 71-63. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /

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ACC Basketball Blake Hinson #2 of the Pittsburgh Panthers (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

8. Pittsburgh

The 2022-23 season was a must-win year for Jeff Capel, who brought in several quality transfers and led Pitt to multiple wins in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.

He’ll need to hit big in the portal again this offseason, as they lose three of their top-four scorers in Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings, and Greg Elliott. On a positive note, Blake Hinson – the team’s leading scorer and rebounder – is back for his final season. That gives Capel an All-ACC guy to lean on.

Dior Johnson will also be back in the mix, giving Capel a playmaker and shot-creator in the backcourt. Johnson redshirted the 2022-23 season after being charged with simple assault and strangulation. In December 2022, he plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to a year of probation.

Pitt has several quality pieces to build around, but Capel will need another good run in the portal to get the Panthers back in the mix at the top of the ACC.