After two horrible seasons under coach Kevin Stallings, the Panthers went from one of the top basketball programs in the country, to rock bottom. Pitt was always known for its basketball program and its famous student section, the “Oakland Zoo,” but during the Stallings years, the team lost all of their swagger, and morale was at an all-time low from the fans and players alike.

They then hired Jeff Capel, a former assistant for Duke, to take the reigns and change the culture in Pittsburgh. So far, the first year coach has already exceeded expectations and has many very excited about the program. The Panthers finished (8-24) overall and (0-18) in ACC play last year, putting them at an all-time low. This year, they are already way past their win total and are sitting at (12-6) overall and (2-3) in ACC play with big wins over Louisville and No. 11 Florida St.

The Panthers are led by their star Freshman duo Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens who were just brought in this year by Capel and his staff.

Johnson is Pitt’s floor general and is averaging 17.1 points per game. He has been their “energizer bunny” through the first games and has very much exceeded expectations so far.

Trey McGowens has turned into a star with back-to-back 30-point games in their two biggest wins of the year. He set a freshman all-time single-game scoring record at Pitt when he scored 33 points in the big win against Louisville. He has been named the ACC freshman of the week twice already and made an appearance on the “Sports Center Top 10” after the Florida State game.

After a loss to Syracuse on Saturday, the Panthers look to rebound against No. 2 Duke Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center. Tip-off is 9 p.m.