After strong start to season, Pitt basketball aims to stay grounded

When there’s no one on the floor at Petersen Events Center and the seats are empty, Pitt sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe likes to grab some basketballs and shoot foul shots by himself.

The idea is to see how many he can make in a row.

One time recently, he reached 45 before missing. How did that happen to the ACC’s best foul shooter (39 for 44, 88.6%)?

“Lost a little focus,” Lowe said Tuesday. “Got a little too excited for 50, thinking too far ahead.”

Lesson learned: It doesn’t pay to look too far beyond where you are now.

That pretty much describes how Pitt’s players feel about the national recognition the program received recently. Nice now, better later.

Pitt (7-1) is No. 5 in the NCAA NET rankings — something that will be far more important in March — and ranked 18th and 19th in the Associated Press (media) and USA Today (coaches) polls.

“Nothing really matters,” senior Zack Austin said when he was reminded of the rankings. “It’s December, what, 3rd?”

Lowe, Austin and their teammates have more important matters in their heads, specifically Pitt’s next game Wednesday night against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

“I guess that’s cool,” Lowe said of the lofty NCAA NET ranking. “I appreciate that. I haven’t taken the time to understand that. Probably when March Madness comes around, they’ll be throwing that out there all the time and maybe somebody will explain that.”

The recognition is accepted quietly in the Pitt locker room.

“It shows testimony to our work and the culture we built here,” Lowe said. “But at the end of the day, that doesn’t define who we are right now.”

Players are reminded every day of how close they came to the NCAA Tournament last season. There’s a video screen in the locker room with a graphic that displays “The Next Four Out.” Pitt is one of the four teams.

“We’re on that screen right there, loud and clear for us to see each and every day,” Lowe said.

“We know what it takes to make ourselves known and really make a statement to everybody. I don’t like seeing it. I’m not going to lie. They can take it down now. It’s a great reminder of the feeling we had last year, and we don’t want to go through that again.”

Back to reality, Pitt is in the midst of a five-game string of road games that was assembled purposely by coach Jeff Capel to bolster Pitt’s resume and prepare players for the rigors of the ACC schedule that opens Saturday at Virginia Tech.

It’s a challenging stretch — one that is welcomed by players who say they like leaning on each other on the road. Since the outset of the 2023-2024 season, Pitt has won 11 of 18 games away from Petersen Events Center.

“We trust each other, hang out, talk all the time, know your brother has your back,” Lowe said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the journey. It shows how focused we have to be on the details. It’s not easy at all. We have to stay poised.”

Added Austin, “No disrespect to the teams we played before, but we know how much these games mean to the national media and what people are going to say about us after this stretch. We want to come in and show people we’re for real. We feel like we’re one of the best teams in the country, and we’re trying to prove that.

“It’s fun being on the road, especially when you love your teammates. When you win on the road, it’s a little more fun, see everybody walk out with a sad (look) on their face.”

Pitt has reviewed the rousing overtime victory against Ohio State on Friday when Austin hit the decisive 3-pointer 0.4 second from the final buzzer. Now, it’s time to put it to bed.

“We’re back to neutral, trying to win (Wednesday),” Austin said.

Mississippi State will present a difficult challenge. The Bulldogs (6-1) are led by 5-foot-11 guard Josh Hubbard (19.1 points per game and 44.8% beyond the 3-point arc). They were unbeaten with road victories against Utah, SMU and UNLV before losing to Butler, 87-77, on Friday.

Lowe said the adversity Pitt experienced in a loss to Wisconsin and in the first half at Ohio State when the Buckeyes shot 69% from the field taught players a lesson.

“It’s all about how you bounce back,” he said. “That’s part of how the game works, how life works. You have to continue being yourself.“