I mean, the good news is Pitt had a one-and-done that was one of the top 15 players in the NBA draft and another, Blake Hinson, who at the very least will be signed as a free agent and will play professionally somewhere.

The bad news is that despite having a top-15 pick and a borderline NBA player, the Panthers lost 11 games and failed to make the NCAA Tournament. This was despite the fact that the ACC — and the country overall, for that matter — was way down, and the bubble seemed much softer than usual.

Despite all the recruiting success and the fact that the program has been stable and trending the right way, the Panthers have only made one NCAA Tournament appearance, and even that one was as a "First Four" team.

And yes, it could be argued that Pitt should have been in the NCAA Tournament over Virginia this season, but they had enough flaws in their resume that it wasn't an egregious snub. The nature of the bubble is that there were probably four to five teams that were left out that had an even stronger argument than Pitt for being included.

That isn't good enough and needs to change. It can't just be because the NCAA Tournament will be further watered down, as there is plenty of talk of it expanding to 72 or maybe even 76 teams.

Obviously, if there are 76 teams invited to the NCAA Tournament, Pitt better be one of them every single year or, at the very least, nine out of 10 seasons. But I would argue Pitt should be at the level that they are comfortably in the field even if it stays at 68 — and more often than not.

That's the next frontier for Capel and the Panthers, and that's especially true when you look around the ACC and realize it is a conference in transition. When Pitt joined the ACC, there were four Hall of Fame coaches — Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino and Jim Boeheim — and Virginia was on the rise under Tony Bennett.

Now, however, all of the Hall of Famers are gone, and the balance of power seems to be up for grabs more than ever. Pitt realistically could — maybe even should, all things considered — be a program that finishes in the top 6 every season and even makes a run at the ACC title from time to time.

Pitt has NIL money and has proven it can attract and even retain top players, and it has a brand that should be an easy sell.

And with Capel's ability to recruit and connect with players, there is no reason the Panthers shouldn't be able to have enough talent to win every season.

Capel has proven he can develop players, he has proven you can get to the NBA from Pitt, and he has proven that if you succeed at Pitt, the 412 alliance will take care of you through NIL.

Now, he just needs to prove he can put it all together and win consistently, get to the NCAA Tournament, and win games once he gets there.

It feels like Pitt is on the verge of great things but it is up to Capel and his staff to seize the momentum they have and take the program to that next level.

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