Pittsburgh men's basketball 2016-17 season preview

Overview: In March, the Panthers suffered an unexpected blow when their 13-year head coach Jamie Dixon left the program to coach his alma-mater TCU. Pittsburgh quickly found a replacement in Kevin Stallings—then the head coach of Vanderbilt. With the Commodores, Stallings ran an up-tempo offense and he plans to do the same with the Panthers.

Pittsburgh returns a veteran squad capable of creating mismatches at several positions on the offensive end. Although the Panthers' rotation will not include anyone taller than 6-foot-9, Pittsburgh has several tall athletic guards. Senior Jamel Artis—who averaged 14.4 points per game last season—has slid over to point guard after playing as an off-ball wing. At 6-foot-7, Artis should be able to take advantage of smaller defenders and have more opportunities to score.

The Panthers will also return senior forward Michael Young, who will look to turn in another strong campaign after leading Pittsburgh with 15.7 points per game a year ago. The former All-ACC honoree can stretch the floor by drawing slower defenders out to the perimeter and knocking down shots from midrange.

The greatest concern for the Panthers is defense. With an undersized front court, Pittsburgh may struggle to defend and rebound against taller and more physical players. Considering the top teams in the ACC all have talented big men, the Panthers may find this weakness too much to overcome in conference play.