Jeff Capel hopes to reverse Pitt's post-January losing ways

Jeff Capel began his 10-minute session on the ACC coaches’ conference call Monday with the words, “I’m OK.”

Give Capel credit for not complaining about his current situation. It would be so easy to do.

He and his brother and assistant coach, Jason, are in covid protocol while players and staff try to figure out how to stay clear of last place in the ACC.

Pitt (8-13, 3-7) is tied with Virginia Tech for 12th in the 15-team ACC, a-half game ahead of last-place Georgia Tech. The Panthers start a rugged stretch of games Wednesday at Wake Forest, the first of five in 11 days. Capel said he’s not sure if he’ll be permitted to rejoin his team prior to the game.

“It depends on the symptoms,” he said.

The ACC adopted covid guidelines last year that reduce the quarantine period from 10 days to five, allowing an individual who tests positive to return after becoming asymptomatic and having two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. Capel didn’t inform his players of his covid situation until Sunday.

With or without Capel, Pitt has 10 regular-season games remaining and an opportunity to reverse a losing trend that extends back to the penultimate season (2014-15) of former coach Jamie Dixon’s tenure.

Pitt hasn’t had a winning record after January since the 2013-14 season (8-7). Dixon’s successor, Kevin Stallings, was 4-16 in February and March over two seasons. Capel is 7-26 in three seasons. Even in Dixon’s last season (2015-16), when Pitt most recently went to the NCAA Tournament, the Panthers were 4-8 after January.

Capel said he hopes his team can overcome its history.

“It’s been a group that we’ve dealt with a lot of adversity early from a lot of difficult things,” he said. “Tough losses, heartbreaking losses, and we’ve continued to show up. We’ve continued to stay together, and so hopefully that is a good sign as we move forward.”

Wake Forest presents one of the most difficult tests for Pitt this season. The Demon Deacons (17-5, 7-4) won six of seven games before traveling to the Carrier Dome on Saturday and getting thumped by Syracuse, 94-72, after leading 42-39 at halftime.

“To Syracuse’s credit, they came out in the second half and whipped our butt,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. Four days earlier, Pitt beat Syracuse, 64-53, but Capel knows games against common opponents aren’t a true indicator.

Wake Forest beat Boston College by 30 before the Eagles came back and dominated Pitt in a 69-56 victory.

The bottom line is that Pitt, after 21 games, is finally at full strength (minus Nike Sibande’s season-ending knee injury and assuming there will be no further covid complications).

The return from suspension of Ithiel Horton, who missed 19 of the first 20 games, gives Pitt the long-range scoring threat it has lacked.

In two games, Horton has hit half of his shots from beyond the 3-point arc (6 of 12). Even though it’s logical to assume Horton would be eased back in the lineup, he has played more than half of each game (28 and 23 minutes).

“He played well,” said Capel, who watched the BC game on TV. “The one thing with Ithiel, he stays in pretty decent shape. He had been working out and doing some things. He allows us to stretch the floor a little bit.”

Capel said Horton reported Saturday that his “legs were raw.” The coach worked his team a bit harder Friday after he was given information that indicated the BC game would not be played over the weekend.

“Guys’ legs were a little bit gone on Saturday in the anticipation of being off on Sunday,” he said.

But Sunday turned into game day.

“Watching us, and again just watching on TV, we looked tired, which was to be expected,” Capel said. “It was an incredibly disjointed day, very disjointed weekend. It’s not an excuse, it’s just the reality of what it was.”

Pitt will return to its normal practice/travel routine Monday and Tuesday.