Pitt basketball's challenging nonconference schedule could look better as season unfolds

Jeff Capel said Thursday he didn’t know he is coaching a team that sits 11th among 363 other Division I men’s basketball programs.

“I appreciate you letting me know that,” Capel said when a reporter reminded him where Pitt stands in the crucial NCAA NET rankings.

Of course, Capel is smart and savvy enough to know that the calendar and Pitt’s 20 remaining regular-season games are what really matter. The Panthers (9-2, 1-0 ACC) have so much more to prove this season while trying to return to the NCAA Tournament.

To that end, Capel put together a nonconference schedule he hopes will look good when invitations are issued in March. The last of those 11 games tips off at 1 p.m. Saturday when Sam Houston of Conference USA visits the Petersen Events Center. No. 146 Sam Houston is Pitt’s second-highest rated mid-major opponent, according to the NET.

“We try to be mindful in scheduling,” he said. “We added Ohio State (a thrilling 91-90 Pitt victory in Columbus on Nov. 29). It seems like West Virginia is better.”

After losing to Pitt, 86-62, on Nov. 15, the Mountaineers (8-2) won six of seven games, including an overtime victory against then-No. 3 Gonzaga. Capel is also pleased that LSU (9-2) is 5-1 since losing to Pitt, 74-63, on Nov 22.

But Ohio State (7-4) lost by 24 to Maryland and 38 to No. 2 Auburn after the Pitt game.

Capel built the nonconference schedule with the hope that teams Pitt defeats will look good on the Panthers’ slate in March.

“We hope those teams continue to win,” he said. “We really tried to look at four-year metrics with those (mid-major) schools. We tried not to play anyone in the 300s (according to NCAA NET).”

Pitt’s manner of victory might help. Seven of the nine victories came by an average margin of 27.7 points.

Five opponents — No. 19 Mississippi State, No. 28 WVU, No. 37 Ohio State, No. 42 Wisconsin and No. 58 LSU — are highly ranked in the NET. No. 299 VMI is the lowest of Pitt’s nonconference opponents, and that game was scheduled not by Capel but by the Greenbrier Tipoff organizers.

Sam Houston (6-5) won the Conference USA regular season last season and is led this year by 6-foot-5 guard Lamar Wilkerson, who is averaging 20 points.

“It’s a really good team we think will win this year,” Capel said. “Hopefully, they don’t win Saturday.”

Capel is paying closer attention to the NET these days because it provides such an important metric.

“I was probably in the past naive to all of it,” he said. “When I was head coach at Oklahoma, I thought if we were .500 (in the conference), I thought we were getting in (the NCAA Tournament). Historically in the ACC, I’ve always felt that way.

“Now, these numbers and metrics matter more.”

He also understands the ACC is not regarded with the same respect as the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12.

“Perception is reality a lot,” he said. “Our league, the past two, three years, currently, is not looked as one of the better leagues.”

That perception was underscored — and became a topic of conversation for analysts — when the SEC recorded a 14-2 edge in the 16-game SEC/ACC Challenge.

“It’s amazing you didn’t hear it in the years past when we won,” Capel said. “You didn’t hear the noise as loud as you hear this right now. That’s the way that it is now. It used to be in the ACC, if you were .500, you got in. It’s not like that anymore.”

Pitt should be well-rested for Sam Houston after playing only once since a 64-59 ACC victory at Virginia Tech on Dec. 7.

“I think the break has been good for us,” said Capel, noting that final exams took up the bulk of the down time. “It came at a really good time after a tough stretch.

“Sometimes, we can be guilty and we (the coaches) are probably guilty of it, too, of (not) remembering they’re students. This isn’t all the way professional yet. Close to it, but they do have a responsibility of being student-athletes.

“When we have extended periods of time, there is a disconnect I want them to have. Just go be a student.”

Meanwhile, senior guard Damian Dunn, who’s been out since the Wisconsin game Nov. 24 with thumb and ankle injuries, remains on a six-week recovery timetable, Capel said. That gives him a chance to play Jan. 7 at Duke.

“He’s getting better. He’s chomping at the bit to get back out there,” said Capel, who added that the cast might come off the thumb Tuesday. “We’ll see from there.”