Pitt Picked 12th in Sports Illustrated Preseason ACC Rankings
PITTSBURGH -- Not much is expected of the Pitt Panthers, who made a remarkable run into the NCAA Tournament last season, turning around years of mediocre results, but lost four of their top five scorers to graduation.
Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney picked the Panthers to finish 12th in the league, with Florida State, Louisville and Notre Dame the only teams expected to fall below them. No Pitt players were selected for their preseason All-ACC first-team or predicted to win Player of the Year or Newcomer of the Year.
He did predict a starting lineup that consists of Jaland Lowe, Ishmael Leggett, Blake Hinson, Zack Austin and Federiko Federiko.
"This would be a big step back after the Panthers made the NCAA tournament a season ago, but point guard concerns loom," Sweeney wrote. "Freshmen Lowe and Carlton Carrington are the two options to run the show, and whoever wins the job has quite the challenge as the primary ballhandler. The good news: The pieces around the PG spot are strong, with returning star Hinson back at power forward and a pair of plug-and-play transfers on the wing."
A reloaded Duke team was picked to finish first in the conference, followed by Miami, North Carolina, Virginia and Clemson to round out the top five. Syracuse, Virginia Tech, NC State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Boston College come next in that order ahead of Pitt.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!
Pitt Emphasizes Better Tackling During Bye Week
Former Pitt RB Placed on Injured Reserve
Pitt Could Have New Role For Jake Kradel
Pitt RB Expected to Miss Multiple Games
Pitt Still Dealing With Injuries After Bye Week
Why Pitt Turned to Christian Veilleux
- Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt
