Jeff Capel labels Pitt's game against No. 1 Louisville 'amazing opportunity'

Pitt coach Jeff Capel understands playing the No. 1 team in the nation matters to any team at any time.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for us, and we’re excited about it,” Capel said Thursday before joining his Pitt team on a trip to Louisville to play the No. 1 and undefeated Cardinals (8-0, 1-0 ACC) on Friday night at the KFC Yum! Center.

“It’s not just another game. It’s a conference game. It’s our first conference road game, and we’re playing against the No. 1 team in the country.

“We know it’s an incredible challenge, but as a player and a competitor, you want to be in this situation.”

But Capel is looking forward to the day when a game against a top-ranked opponent will be significant for another reason: Pitt will be playing.

“We’ve tried to adopt the mindset that every game is the most important game because we’re playing,” he said, “and it doesn’t matter who we play. We’re not there yet, but we’re taking some steps.”

Louisville has a roster stuffed with a variety of standouts, including:

• Fifth-year seniors Dwayne Sutton, Steven Enoch and Ryan McMahon.

• Jordan Nwora, who is second in the ACC with 21.9 points per game and ranks among the nation’s best players. “He is relentless in his pursuit to shoot the basketball,” Capel said.

Nwora, Sutton and McMahon have hit nearly 50% from beyond the arc (51 of 105).

Plus, the Cardinals play defense with the stinginess you might expect from the nation’s No. 1 team.

No. 4 Michigan entered the Yum! Center on Tuesday night with a 52.9 shooting percentage from the field, second in the nation. Louisville held the Wolverines to 25.9% in a 58-43 victory.

Pitt (7-2, 1-0) has won five in a row while getting much of its scoring this season from players slashing to the basket and looking to get fouled. The Panthers hit less than 26% of their long-range shots while scoring nearly 25% of their points from the foul line. Its 140 successful free throws rank fourth in the ACC.

But Louisville’s long arms and athleticism could discourage such an attack.

“They don’t give you a lot of driving opportunities, a lot of easy stuff at the basket,” Capel said. “Their defense is so good because they’re older. Usually, when you’re older, you have a better concept of defense.

“They are very, very connected on the defensive end, and they have a really good mixture of size, length and athleticism.

“We have to be sharp. We have to be strong. They really thrive off turnovers. They really attack you.”

While trying to figure out the best way to score, Capel will watch with much interest how freshman Justin Champagnie recovers from the Rutgers game. He went from a season-high 21 points against Northwestern to a scoreless effort less than a week later against the Scarlet Knights.

“I’d like for him to have terrific games all time, but I understand he’s a freshman and he’s going to go through ups and downs,” Capel said. “It’s our job to try to encourage him, to teach him, to be on him, to hold him accountable.

“But to also teach him how to handle those things. I have confidence that he will bounce back.”

The game will be Pitt’s 20th all-time against a No. 1 team, and the Panthers have won only two (both against Connecticut during the 2008-2009 season). Also, Pitt hasn’t defeated a ranked team on the road since an overtime victory at Cincinnati on Feb. 9, 2013.

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