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ACC Basketball: 10 storylines/questions heading into 2024-25

There's another year of basketball on the horizon in the ACC! Take a look at 10 questions heading into the 2024-25 season.

By Jerran Anderson

North Carolina v NC State
North Carolina v NC State / Greg Fiume/GettyImages
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7) Can Pittsburgh prove themselves as a Top 5 team in the conference?

The Pittsburgh Panthers finished fourth (12-8) in the ACC regular-season standings, and the snub alert was in order, as they finished 22-11 and just outside the NCAA Tournament bubble. After finishing third and fourth place in consecutive seasons in the conference standings, head coach Jeff Capel looks to prove himself as a regular in the Top 5.

Coach Capel has seemingly turned things around for the Panthers in Pittsburgh, with one NCAA Tournament appearance under his belt already. Last year's results from the NCAA Tournament committee should certainly light a fire under Capel and company. Their third-place finish in 2022-23 was enough to put them into the First Four, and from there, they played into the second round of the Midwest Region. In 2023-24, they declined their invitation to the NIT and got an early head start on the recruiting trail.

The Panthers will lose top scorer Blake Hinson from last year's squad, but they return virtually everybody else outside of starting center, Federiko Federiko, including 2023-24 ACC Sixth Man of the Year Ishmael Leggett. Zack Austin, Jaland Lowe and the Diaz Graham twins are back while they'll add Cam Corhen (Florida State) and Damian Dunn (Houston), both of whom are looking for bigger roles. After proving himself in the ACC in Year 1, Leggett has a chance to push the envelope in Year 2 as the lead option with some help arriving as well.

Pittsburgh will certainly play with a chip on it's shoulder and the arrival of international star Amsal Delalic. A native of Bosnia & Herzegovina, the 6-foot-7 wing played with Borac Netkar in the Bosnia Dvision I and ABA League Second Division.

He averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, while shooting over 40 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the foul line in 23 Bosnia Division I games. He produced 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 12 ABA League Second Division contests. Across 35 games, he managed to shoot 40 percent from behind the arc.

The Panthers should be taken very seriously heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Mark my words.

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