Up-and-down Pitt gets first-place Virginia next

If coach Jeff Capel was inclined to list all the significant ups and downs that have occurred to his team, it might sound like Pitt (9-5, 5-4 ACC) had played a full season.

Of course, he has no time for such nonsense, so here’s a quick look:

• An almost three-week delay to the start of the season, followed by an opening-night loss to St. Francis (Pa.), which lost 12 of its next 16 games to fall into last place in the Northeast Conference.

• An 8-1 run during which 19-year-old Justin Champagnie vaulted into the ACC lead in scoring and rebounding while missing two games with a knee injury that costs most players six weeks.

• Covid-related postponements of five games, some of which could turn into cancellations.

• A “deplorable” loss (Capel’s description) to Notre Dame, the 11th-place in the ACC.

• An unexpected victory four days later against nationally ranked Virginia Tech (No. 16).

Take a breath and get ready for ACC leader and 14th-ranked Virginia on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. Pitt’s ACC season won’t reach the halfway point until the end of the game. That’s dependent on the ACC rescheduling every postponement, which is no guarantee.

1. Beating the Pack Line defense

Capel called Virginia (12-3, 8-1), “old … experienced … unique … different.”

“They can score, maybe, better than they have,” he said.

The Cavaliers are averaging 71.3 points per game – up from 57 last season – but they are built on defense, specifically the Pack Line devised by Dick Bennett, whose son, Tony, is Virginia’s coach.

It’s not anything that will surprise Capel or his players. Louisville coach Chris Mack used it at Xavier.

Simply speaking, the Pack Line tries to prevent dribble penetration. What’s the solution? Shooting over top of it might help.

Pitt hit nine 3s against Virginia Tech, whose defense is similar to its in-state rival. It’s time for some combination of Ithiel Horton, Xavier Johnson, Justin Champagnie and Au’Diese Toney — Pitt’s most active 3-point shooters — to step up to the arc.

Virginia has the area around the basket patrolled fairly well with 7-foot-1, 240-pound Jay Huff, who is second in the ACC with 34 blocked shots.

2. Is this Pitt’s toughest game?

Tony Bennett, a three-time national coach of the year, has led Virginia to the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament four times, with a national championship in 2019 and a top-25 finish seven years in a row.

Three Pitt coaches are 1-9 against Bennett since 2014 while their teams scored 50 or fewer points in eight of the losses.

Virginia’s only ACC loss this season was to Virginia Tech, 65-51, four days before Pitt beat the Hokies. The Cavaliers’ other losses were to San Francisco, 61-60, and top-ranked Gonzaga, 98-75.

3. Does the opponent matter?

Pitt was scheduled to play Florida State on Saturday as the makeup of a game postponed Jan. 9, but it was postponed again by FSU’s covid complications.

“If you’re a basketball player, it doesn’t matter who you play,” Pitt sophomore Abdoul-Karim Coulibaly said. “You just have to be ready to play.”

Pitt’s remaining schedule isn’t easy. Of the 11 games that could be played, seven are away from the Pete, which isn’t a home-court advantage, anyway, with only small pockets of fans permitted inside.

4. Attracting attention

Champagnie tied his lowest scoring output of the season against Virginia Tech (10 points). He said the Hokies’ Justyn Mutts “didn’t leave my side the whole game.”

“He didn’t help. He didn’t do anything, but stayed right next to me. I expect that going forward and I’ll be better and find ways to score and impact the game. There’s always somebody else who is open.”

Champagnie still leads the ACC in scoring average (19.25). Matthew Hurt of Duke is second at 18.85.

5. Be the first to punch

After the 26-point loss to Notre Dame, Capel brought his team into the gym two days later at 6 a.m.

“They punched us first,” Coulibaly said of the Irish. “Our attitude was bad. When we were losing, we were not playing like a team. You could tell. It was not good energy. It was not good connection.

“Wednesday game (against Virginia Tech), we were sharing the ball, playing defense, great attitude, great energy.”

Can Pitt keep up that level of energy every night? Coulibaly said it’s possible.

“We just have to push ourselves,” he said. “Don’t put it in your mind, ‘I’m tired.’ Keep working. It’s a habit to practice hard every day. Don’t stand pat.”

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