It is no secret that the Pitt men’s basketball team needs to improve next season. The Panthers finished with an overall record of 13-20 in the 2025-2026 campaign, and head coach Jeff Capel will need to improve his team in multiple ways this offseason.
Here’s how the Panthers can improve for next season.
Look to the portal
The transfer portal is set to open on April 7 and run until April 21. This two-week period will serve as a crucial time to lay the foundation for the upcoming season.
The Panthers are tasked with replacing six players from the 2025-2026 squad. Guard Damarco Minor, forward/guard Barry Dunning Jr. and center Cameron Corhen have all finished their careers. Additionally, sophomore guard Brandin Cummings, redshirt sophomore Papa Amadou Kante, and first-year forward Roman Siulepa have all entered the transfer portal. The six departures logged 4,709 total minutes together for the Panthers over the course of the season, with Corhen, Cummings, Siulepa and Dunning all averaging double-digit points per game.
Capel and his staff will need to look to the portal to gain experienced players. Some oldernplayers will help this team find and build their identity. Point guard and center are two big positions that the Panthers should focus on recruiting in the portal.
Former Panther Jaland Lowe is entering the portal after his junior season at the University of Kentucky. Lowe spent two years in Oakland and averaged 13.1 points in 64 games with the Panthers. Lowe could help first-year guard Omari Witherspoon continue to develop and bring valuable experience to the Panthers. The Panthers also need to establish a culture of toughness on the glass in the upcoming season, and recruiting a physical center from the portal would help them do that.
Develop young players
The Panthers have a strong 2026-2027 recruiting class. All three recruits, forward Anthony Felesi, forward Chase Foster and guard Jermal Jones, are oozing with star potential.
As a result, the young first-years need to have the ability to play freely and grow together from the moment they get on campus. The big three have the potential to bring a winning culture to Pittsburgh. It is the responsibility of the coaching staff and the fans to exhibit patience and support the trio, especially in the early going of the season. Building something takes time, but if Pitt is able to focus on individual and collective team development, they have the capabilities to improve.
Stay healthy
The ACC is one of the most physical leagues in all of college basketball. The Panthers have to stay healthy next season to compete in the ACC down the stretch. Last season, injuries constantly plagued the Panthers. Capel mentioned multiple times that the team struggled to create game-like situations in practice because of a lack of availability. Games are won and lost based on attrition, especially late in the season. In off-season conditioning, physicality and endurance are super important for Pitt to focus on.
If the Panthers pride themselves on trusting the process, the future they are trying to build will come into focus.