Pitt fans are already sending out text messages to friends that say things such as, “Great win. Might get to the tournament.”

It’s fine to be encouraged by the Panthers’ three-game winning streak that includes victories against ACC blue bloods Duke and Syracuse (twice).

Just don’t get coach Jeff Capel involved in the discussion.

Pitt (8-2, 4-1 ACC) has matched its best five-game start to an ACC season, but have the Panthers done enough to be considered good?

“It’s hard to be good,” said Capel, who has played for and helped coach Duke teams that were a notch or two above good. “There’s a certain level of commitment, of discipline of all these things that have to happen.

“We’re learning how to do that. We’re not good yet. We’re becoming good. We want to stay hungry and keep getting better.”

This much is clear: Pitt is evolving from the 0-18 disaster of three years ago into a team now getting modest mention as a possible NCAA Tournament entrant. Pitt hasn’t been to the tournament since Jamie Dixon left in 2016.

In Joe Lunardi’s most recent bracketology on ESPN.com, Pitt is listed as one of the “next four out” in his proposed 68-team field.

What does that mean? Lunardi ranks Pitt behind four other “bubble” teams — San Diego State, Richmond, Maryland and Marquette — that are designated as the “first four out.”

Bottom line: There’s still a lot of work to do.

Players resumed their efforts in practice Wednesday while preparing to play Wake Forest (3-5, 0-5) on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Winston-Salem, N.C. Pitt was scheduled to play at Boston College, but that game was postponed by covid-19 concerns and replaced by Wake Forest.

With so many postponements, standings are virtually meaningless. But after Pitt defeated Duke, it moved to within one game of first place in the ACC where 13th-ranked Virginia (9-2, 5-0) resides.

More instructive is how Pitt is winning games. Two Pitt players lead the conference in scoring and rebounding (Justin Champagnie, 20.3 and 13) and assists (Xavier Johnson, 6.1). Champagnie is the only ACC player averaging a double/double.

Capel likes to see points and believes good rebounding sets a team apart from its opponents, but he especially appreciates assists. Led by Johnson’s 11, Pitt recorded assists on all but three baskets (21 of 24) against Duke, giving the Panthers a nearly 70% rate in their four ACC victories.

“I appreciate the assists more because probably a lot of them led to Justin’s (31) points,” Capel said. “It showed we really did a good job of sharing the basketball.”

Johnson deserves much of that credit, not only for making good decisions with the basketball — he fed Au’Diese Toney for the decisive dunk late in the Duke game — but also for using his natural aggression for the greater good.

He has 25 assists in the past three games while limiting his turnovers to seven in 95 minutes. When he does lose the ball, he has shown the ability to set his mind straight and recover.

“A good player, I always felt, has to have convenient amnesia,” Capel said. “You have to have the ability to move onto the next play. One of the great things about Xavier is that he has such a great competitive spirit.

“At times, it can be a bad thing. There are times he’s so excited and so geared up, he can get himself in a little bit of trouble. But he’s matured as a player. I still want the ball in his hands, and I trust him to make the right decisions.”

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