CBS Sports Reporter Jon Rothstein, one of the most popular and active voices in men’s college basketball, chose the Pitt Panthers as his ACC sleeper team on his show Inside College Basketball Now.
While the ACC has its teams that are expected to be good every year, such as Duke and North Carolina, Pitt was chosen out of the 18-team conference to be the team that will be much better than expected.
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Rothstein ranked Pitt No. 9 in his ACC preseason power rankings, which would definitely be better than being No. 15 as they were last season.
Rothstein went through recent Pitt history, citing how every year since their 2023 NCAA Tournament appearance, the team underperformed compared to the previous season.
“Pitt has not had a talent acquisition problem, it has had a retention problem,” Rothstein said about the program, referencing Jaland Lowe leaving in the transfer portal and Bub Carrington leaving for the NBA Draft after his freshman season.
As Pitt only has one returning player from last year’s roster, guard Macari Moore, clearly that problem is still prevalent. The coaching staff and program did a good job recruiting players such as Roman Siulepa and Omari Witherspoon, but couldn’t keep them for the 2026-27 season.
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“But, now I’m looking at this Pitt roster, and I like what I see,” Rothstein added. “I’ve always been a fan of Nait George. I’ve been a big fan of Baye Ndongo. Jalil Bethea is someone who is highly, highly thought of in turn of his longterm potential.”
“In a 76 team tournament, this is a team that could compete for a berth to March Madness.”
Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Naithan George (11) dribbles during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
New Roster
As Rothstein mentioned, the talent on Pitt’s roster is hard to argue with. Players such as George, Ndongo, and Jonathan Powell all have years of combined experience being rotation players in the ACC.
Even players who haven’t proven themselves quite yet in college, such as Bethea, still hold a lot of potential.
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Other players not mentioned by Rothstein include Armani Mighty and A’Lahn Sumler. Though they don’t come from Power Four conference teams, they still have shown a lot of skill that can contribute at a higher level; Mighty with his defense and Sumler with his scoring.
While the talent is hard to deny, the real question is fit. Except for George and Ndongo, who were teammates at Georgia Tech, none of these players have played on the same team before. The winning teams in college sports recently have taken advantage of the transfer portal, but chemistry also matters.
The athletic department is trusting in long-term head coach Jeff Capel to reign in all these players. Talent-wise, it’s one of his most stacked rosters in years. But, it will still be one of his toughest challenges to make a team of almost all new guys work.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/pittsburgh as Pitt Picked as ACC Sleeper .
