Pitt Should Embrace Double-Big Lineups

During media availability on Tuesday, Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said he's unsure of what the starting lineup will look like when Pitt opens up against Rider next week.

The Panthers started four-star freshman Chase Foster alongside Baye Ndongo in their scrimmage against Providence a few weeks ago as two starting spots still seem up in the air.

No matter what the starting lineup looks like, the frontcourt pairing of Ndongo and Mercer transfer Armani Mighty could very well end up forming the identity of this year's roster.

NDONGO AT THE FIVE

Ndongo grades out as one of the better interior defenders in the sport—and the best defender on the team—but there’s a sizable drop off when he’s at center defensively. In a season where he primarily played at center, Georgia Tech’s defense was better without him on the floor a year ago. The Yellow Jackets had a DRTG of 112.3 with Ndongo on the floor opposed to 107.1 with him off it.

When you take a deeper dive into some of the lineups, Ndongo is at his best defensively at the four. Georgia Tech lineups with Ndongo at center allowed 116.1 points per 100 possessions last season – the worst mark of any five man on the roster. In lineups where Ndongo played at the four next to Mo Sylla, that number dropped to 107.9 P/100.

Lineups with Ndongo at the five allowed opponents to shoot 61.3% at the rim opposed to 53.6% with him off the floor – an on/off swing in the fifth percentile.

Going back a couple years ago, Georgia Tech’s best defensive frontcourt pairing during the 2024-25 season was with Ndongo at power forward playing alongside Akir Souare. Ndongo held up much better defensively at the five that season—and there was a lot more talent around him—but the key for Pitt will be leveraging those lineups at both frontcourt spots.

Tech’s best offensive lineups came with Ndongo at center and Pitt should give him plenty of run there to maximize the offense but there needs to be balance. The Panthers lost to rebound battle against Providence by 16 while Ndongo played most of his minutes at center paired with Foster in the frontcourt. Take scrimmage numbers with a grain of salt but you don't have to look too hard to find the best rebounding pairing on the roster.

NDONGO/MIGHTY PAIRING

Pitt formed one of the best rebounding duos in the nation on paper in Mighty and Ndongo. Mighty ranked above the 96th percentile in both OREB% (14.3), DREB% (23.2) while his 10.6 rebounds per game ranked No. 7 nationally. He was one of the most impactful bigs in the country last season—finishing with a 23.3 PER and a 5.4 WARP—and that’s apparent in the on/off numbers.

Mercer’s offense plummeted when Mighty was off the floor - their eFG%, TS% and 3PT% were all at least 8% higher with him in the lineup. The Bears had a 120.3 ORTG in nearly 1,000 minutes and were +238 with him on the floor while they were -8 in the 283.8 minutes they played without him. Pairing this archetype of player with Ndongo—a top 10 rebounder in the ACC for three straight seasons—should give Pitt an advantage on the glass most nights.

Pitt ranks as the best offensive rebounding team in the ACC and top ten nationally in composite OREB talent according to Colin Hanley.

Mighty obviously won’t have the same impact at the P5 level that he did at Mercer and it’s important to note that he couldn’t get on the floor in his first two years at Boston College. He averaged less than six minutes in both his seasons in the ACC and there may be some growing pains as he makes the jump back, but he should be given time to find his footing.

While the fit may be clunky offensively at times, the duo provides a real path to win on the margins.

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