Pitt passed over for ACC postseason honors in 2020

The ACC announced its annual all-conference teams and award winners for 2020 on Monday, and no Pitt players were included among the honorees. In fact, Pitt was the only team in the ACC to go unrecognized by the 75-person selection panel assembled by the conference.

Pitt has gone 0-7 since Feb. 12, but the team still managed to put together a better overall record than North Carolina and Wake Forest, both of which had multiple players honored. Specifically, the Panthers have played to a 15-16 record, while the Tar Heels have gone 13-18 and the Demon Deacons are 13-17. With that said, the two teams had more outstanding individual talents in Cole Anthony, Garrison Brooks, Brandon Childress and Olivier Sarr.

The most notable snubs for Pitt were Justin Champagnie and Au’Diese Toney. Champagnie seemed like a lock for the all-freshman team, and Toney, who successfully defended first-team All-ACC honorees Jordan Nwora and Elijah Hughes this season, seemed like he was bound for all-defensive team recognition. But both players were passed over.

Champagnie performed on par with at least one all-freshman honoree in Duke guard Cassius Stanley. The Pitt freshman had 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game this season, while Stanley had 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Champagnie also outplayed Florida State guard Patrick Williams, who finished with 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists. However, not only did Williams make the all-freshman team, but he was also named the ACC's Sixth Man of the Year.

Last year, Xavier Johnson was the only Pitt player to earn all-conference recognition. After a breakout season in which he put up 15.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game, Johnson made the all-freshman team alongside Duke stars Zion Williamson, who won ACC Player of the Year in 2019, and Tre Jones, who won Player of the Year in 2020. Johnson was not honored this year, as his offensive production notably declined.