After week without a game, Pitt's Jeff Capel hopes he's fixed Panthers' issues

When Pitt confronts Syracuse on Tuesday night at Petersen Events Center, the game will be a test of how well Jeff Capel has schooled his team in the wake of an 81-73 loss to the Orange last month.

There is time for Pitt to reverse its fortunes, but a 1-4 ACC record indicates there is plenty of work to do.

The Panthers haven’t played since their disappointing 75-53 loss to No. 7 Duke on Jan. 9.

“That stung,” Capel said Monday on the ACC coaches conference call. “I’m hoping that was an outlier. That was the one time this year I didn’t think we fought like we had all season. But we played an outstanding team, and they were terrific.”

The strength of the opponent is no excuse, Capel said.

“You have to get off the mat. You have to come back and work, and we’ve done that,” he said. “We’ll see (Tuesday). We’re playing against a team that is hungry and talented and will be ready to play.”

With a week without a game, Capel was able to address his team’s issues.

“We just got back to work, bottom line,” he said, before getting more specific and noting Syracuse scored 66 of its 81 points in the paint.

“We have to be stronger with the basketball,” he said. “We have to do a better job of protecting the paint. We can’t have live-ball turnovers, can’t allow them to knock the basketball away. We have to rebound, and we have to be strong offensively. We had live-ball turnovers, and they were able to get dunks and layups.”

The good news from practice is that starting guard Ishmael Leggett is close to 100% after dealing with a shoulder injury, Capel said.

“He did no contact until (Sunday). (Sunday) he was full go with contact. The biggest thing right now is just getting back into game shape. He’s good to go.”

Pitt also can help itself by continuing its stronger-than-normal free-throw shooting. After missing more than half of their shots from the free-throw line at Syracuse (13 of 24), the Panthers hit 35 of 43 (81.4%) in the next three games. Still, Pitt is 13th in the ACC (68.5%).

The Syracuse game is a potential turning point. The Panthers go on the road for their next three games (Duke, Georgia Tech and Miami), where the season can seriously unravel.

It’s also a big moment for Syracuse and first-year coach Adrian Autry.

The Orange (11-5, 2-3) have been overwhelmed in their three ACC losses: 84-62 to Virginia, 86-66 to Duke and 103-67 to No. 4 North Carolina. Syracuse committed a total of 48 turnovers in those games, all on the road.

“We have to move the basketball better,” Autry said.

Autry has the difficult task of replacing legendary coach Jim Boeheim. He has altered the landscape by primarily playing man-to-man defense after Boeheim’s defense was almost exclusively zone.

Capel said the similarities are on offense, where Autry gives his players, especially the guards, the same freedom Boeheim allowed.

“A lot of it is still the same, just a difference in the philosophy defensively,” Capel said.

The key to Pitt’s success the remainder of the season might be getting Blake Hinson on one of his 3-point shooting streaks. Hinson’s accuracy from beyond the arc changed dramatically after the end of the nonconference schedule. In those 11 games, he was 39 of 88 (44.3%), but it fell to 15 of 44 (34%) in five ACC games.

Through his slump, Hinson never stopped believing the shots would find the net.

“I’ve been around guys who believe in themselves, and Blake is certainly one of them,” Capel said. “I think he trusts his work. He works on his game. He’s an outstanding player. We need him to be better and to understand what defenses are trying to do and to be able to have counters to attack that. He means a lot to our program.”

Note: Capel said he planned to speak to his team after practice about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. “Just to make sure, historically, they understand who this man is, what he did for people, not just Black people,” Capel said. “He’s done a lot for my community, but I think he’s done a lot for our community, Americans. He did a lot to help make our world better.”

Added N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts: “Without his impact and what he’s done, I wouldn’t be here (as a coach). There is so much hatred in the world today. You’re talking about a man who preached to love people and understand the value of getting along and understanding that everybody’s equal and that everybody has got feelings and everybody can be great together.”