Bad news has followed Pitt coach Jeff Capel into the 2021-22 men’s basketball season.

After Pitt’s three leading scorers and four of its top five rebounders transferred during and after last season, Capel was struck with two additional blows within the time frame of five days — a week before the first game.

Senior guard Nike Sibande tore the ACL in his right knee in an exhibition game Monday against Gannon and is lost for the season. Then, junior guard Ithiel Horton was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness after allegedly punching a police officer on the South Side.

Both players were starters.

Pitt’s first three seasons under Capel have not gone smoothly. The Panthers are 15-39 in ACC games in that time, and have faded badly at the end of each season — 2-14 in 2019, 1-8 in 2020, 1-7 in 2021.

But Capel inherited a team that was 4-32 in the ACC in two seasons under Kevin Stallings and once lost a home game, 106-51, turning off some of the vibrancy that had marked the Petersen Events Center for most of this century.

Capel, who is signed through the 2026-27 season, leads his team into the season opener Tuesday against The Citadel at the Pete. Here are five storylines to watch:

1. More injury news

Considering the offseason defections, Pitt needed its best players to stay healthy. That hasn’t happened.

On top of Sibande’s injury, senior guard Jamarius Burton, who transferred from Texas Tech, could miss the start of the season after he needed a procedure on his knee. At the time of the procedure Oct. 8 (short of full-blown surgery), he was projected to miss four to six weeks.

By all accounts, Burton will help as much off the floor as on it.

“He gives us maturity and leadership that, to be quite frank, we have not had since I’ve been here,” Capel said.

Some of Sibande’s minutes will go to sophomore William Jeffress, 18. Jeffress shot only 22.8% from the field (13 of 57) last season.

“He wants to be really good. He’s gotten better,” Capel said.

2. Who’s gone

Losing Justin Champagnie to the NBA — when he could have returned and become an even bigger star — was not unexpected, but it does leave a hole in two major areas, scoring and rebounding. He averaged a double-double last season (18.0/11.1, second in scoring/first in rebounding in the ACC), and those numbers are difficult to replace.

But players leave early for the NBA and NFL all the time. Coaches adjust.

Champagnie’s departure is exacerbated by the transfers of Xavier Johnson and Au’Diese Toney this year and Trey McGowens the year prior. Lesser players Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, Terrell Brown and Gerald Drumgoole Jr. also left. The NCAA has made it too easy for disgruntled players to quit on their teams, but that reality only makes Capel’s job tougher.

The departures represent 1,029 points and 527 rebounds out the door. Or 65.7% and 62.5% of the scoring and rebounding totals.

3. Who’s new

In the offseason, Capel was busy digging into the NCAA transfer portal to find replacement parts. It’s probably not what he envisioned for year four, but he’s not alone among his coaching peers. More than 1,500 players entered the portal this year.

Along with Burton (when healthy), Mouhamadou Gueye, a 6-foot-10, 200-pound forward who transferred from Stony Brook, should help immediately. Gueye recorded a double-double against Division II Gannon (17/10) last week.

While recruiting Gueye, Capel said he saw “this long athlete that at times made these wild plays.”

“We thought with his length, his versatility he would really be able to help our team,” Capel said.

So far, he’s been better offensively than originally expected. Plus, he’s a good shot blocker. His average of 3.1 per game last season set a Stony Brook record.

The other newcomers are equally built 6-7 forwards Chris Payton (Indian Hills Community College), Nate Santos (Pitt’s only freshman) and Dan Oladapo (Oakland).

4. Star in the making?

If you predicted a breakout season for sophomore point guard Femi Odukale, you might be right.

At 6-foot-5, he has good quickness, a nose for the rim and the ability to see over smaller defenders. He only averaged 6.6 points per game last season as a freshman, but he was playing in Johnson’s shadow.

Plus, his engaging personality and ability to lighten the mood have made him a favorite among teammates and strengthened his role as a leader.

“When he plays with energy, talking, animated, we are a lot better, he’s a lot better,” Capel said. “He’s shooting the basketball better. He has a better understanding of what we need from him.

“Defensively, he’s better than he was. He had a full summer to work out. He didn’t have an accident like he had last year when he was out for a while.

“When he has energy, his energy is infectious. He’s a guy who everyone likes, and he’s really funny. He can be very charismatic. We need that from him all the time.”

5. Welcome back

Pitt needs a strong inside presence, something the team missed last season when John Hugley (6-9, 280) was suspended after seven games. His reinstatement was perhaps the most important occurrence of the offseason.

Hugley likely will lose a few pounds as the season progresses, which will help his ability to rebound and finish.

“We need him to be a really good player for us,” Capel said.

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