Players to watch

Gerald Drumgoole Jr.: Coach Jeff Capel likes Drumgoole’s court awareness and scoring ability. At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, he is a freshman guard/forward who is not afraid to step back and try a 3-pointer. Pitt needs that after Jared Wilson-Frame exhausted his eligibility.

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Abdoul Karim Coulibaly: The freshman forward (6-8, 215) brings a rebounding mentality to the team, another element that was missing in many games last season. He led Scotland Campus to a 36-2 record and a berth in the National Prep Championship game this year.

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Justin Champagnie: He was ranked No. 111 nationally and No. 3 in New York by 247Sports. He played well this summer when Pitt toured Italy, but a knee sprain slowed his progress in preseason. He has recovered and played nearly 18 minutes against Slippery Rock.

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The season will be a success if …

… returning sophomores Xavier Johnson, Trey McGowens and Au’Diese Toney take the next step after playing well as freshmen. Johnson and McGowens must provide the bulk of Pitt’s offense, and Toney needs to set the tone in the paint after leading Pitt in rebounds last season.

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The season will be a failure if …

… the newcomers don’t pull their weight. That includes transfers Eric Hamilton and Ryan Murphy. Hamilton must rebound against those tough ACC front lines. Murphy hopes to come close to the 40 percent 3-point accuracy rate he had as freshman at Charlotte in 2017.

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Prediction: 16-17, 7-13.

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