Oct 19, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Damarco Minor (7) controls the ball against Providence Friars guard Corey Floyd Jr. (14) during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Takeaways From Pitt's Season-Opening Win

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI
By Karl Ludwig | Last updated Nov 4, 2025 7:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH - The Pitt Panthers welcomed Youngstown State to the Petersen Events Center for the season opener to the 2025-26 season and came away with a 15-point win.

Here are a few takeaways from the victory.

A Win is a Win

Youngstown State is a solid basketball team. Maybe not an NCAA Tournament team, but the Penguins will likely be in contention in the Horizon League. So, Pitt got the job done.

The numbers might not reflect it, but even in the second half when the Pitt defense clamped down on Youngstown State, the Penguins seemed to have a knack for hitting tough shots right at the buzzer to just keep hanging around.

Every time the Panthers seemed to take control of the game, the Penguins would hit a tough shot off a wild loose ball or a fall-away 3-pointer with a Pitt defender hanging off them.

Still, Pitt did enough to get the job done. 1-0. The Panthers played hard defensively, hit some 3-pointers and dominated the glass via the duo of Cam Corhen and Papa Kante. It wasn't always pretty, but that might just be Pitt basketball this season.

A win doesn't have to be pretty.

Still Looking for the Best Lineup

Pitt rolled out the same starting lineup as its final exhibition vs. Pitt-Johnstown, and for the most part, it went as expected.

Damarco Minor is a solid quarterback, and he's a pest on defense. He plays way bigger than his 6-foot frame. Corhen did his job against Youngstown State, grabbing 12 boards and consistently finishing around the basket. Brandin Cummings built off his strong finish to the UPJ game, putting in a largely efficient 18 points.

And then there were the freshmen who looked like freshmen. Roman Siulepa flashed his athleticism with a powerful block that earned Play of the Game at the Petersen Events Center, but he missed at the rim a few times. Capel said that Omari Witherspoon was pressing too much, too worried about making a play than letting the game come to him.

The kids should continue to improve as the season wears on, and they'll receive their share of minutes.

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Nojus Indrusaitis might just have been the Player of the Game. He connected on a handful of 3-pointers and impacted play offensively and defensively with his ball handling and size. He's definitely made a case to start.

Papa Kante was solid off the bench, too. He played 21 minutes and scored just four points but grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out a pair of assists. He's going to be a part of the rotation - he has to be with just Amdy Ndiaye and Kieran Mullen behind him.

Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly after a lackluster preseason, Barry Dunning Jr. played just eight minutes and went 0-3 from the field.

Capel isn't going to run a particularly deep bench, but it's fair to wonder just how much more he'll tweak the lineup.

How to Fix Sloppy Starts?

Good question.

Pitt started slow in both of its exhibition wins, so maybe it wasn't a surprise that the Panthers came out slow against Youngstown State, too. Capel credited the slow start against Pitt-Johnstown to downplaying the opponent. That wasn't the case against YSU.

Capel said his team wasn't strong with the basketball, late with some decision making and maybe most importantly, they weren't strong enough.

Can that be fixed? Yeah. It's not an issue of talent. At this point, it's continuing to gel and figuring out combinations that work well together. If it continues to be an issue five or six games into the season, well, then that will be concerning. But for now, it's just doing what Capel has preached.

Pitt is a gritty, physical team that has seemingly bought into what Capel wants from his team this season.

If the team stays bought in, hustles to the ball, plays well in transition and stifles opponents defensively, the 3-point barrages will just be icing on the cake. Longwood this week is another chance to get to work.

There Were Some Flashes

Is Pitt an NCAA Tournament team? Like Youngstown State, maybe not. But there are pieces here. The Panthers won't be the most talented team on the court in against the best in the ACC. They simply won't. Capel knows that, and that's what he's told his team.

But if the team buys in and plays 40 minutes of hard, physical basketball, they should be able to at least stay competitive in every game this season.

There was a stretch in the second half when Pitt clamped down defensively, limiting Youngstown State to tough outside looks, and turned those stops into 3s on the other end. Indrusaitis hit some shots, Cummings hit some shots, and the Panthers looked pretty good.

Corhen flashed his offensive game, finishing just about every opportunity at the basket, and he even grabbed eight defensive boards. Even Kante looked good in his time on the court. If the kids can come around, if Dunning can get involved offensively, who knows?

It's opening night, and there's a long, long way to go, but Pitt beat Youngstown State by 15 and didn't even look particularly good at times.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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