Pitt survives close call to halt 12-game skid against N.C. State

Conventional thinking might indicate Pitt’s 71-69 victory Saturday against N.C. State would give the team hope.

Hope the Panthers can resurrect over the final three weeks what has been a troubling season.

Hope the mistakes that made the game closer than it needed to be will disappear.

Hope that the future of the proram beyond March is brighter than many on the outside believe.

But sophomore center John Hugley said there’s another element that could serve Pitt even better than hope.

“I don’t believe in hope,” he said. “Better days are to come, though. You have to keep fighting, keep playing together, keep playing as a family, believing in each other.

“That’s not hope. That’s just heart. Keep having heart, and we’ll do what we need to do.”

The victory before a crowd of 8,027 at Petersen Events Center constituted the third time this season Pitt (10-16, 5-10) has put two victories back-to-back — the first against ACC opponents. It also put more distance between the Panthers and the last-place Wolfpack (10-16, 3-12). Pitt finally beat N.C. State after a string of 12 consecutive defeats over eight years.

More to the point, it showed Capel something positive about his current team.

Capel remarked upon what he called “an incredibly busy week, with (games) Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.”

“To be at our best during the last two (beating Florida State and N.C. State), really proud of our guys for that.”

There were moments when crushing mistakes almost overwhelmed Pitt’s efforts in a game that had 19 lead changes and nine ties.

With 4 minutes, 11 seconds left in the game and Pitt leading 57-55, Hugley and Femi Odukale congratulated each other after Hugley blocked a shot. When those two weren’t looking, Terquavion Smith sneaked in and stole the ball. Seconds later, the lead was gone on Dereon Seabron’s three-point play.

Later, Hugley was doubled in the backcourt and threw a long outlet pass that ended up in Capel’s hands out of bounds.

“We get a great stop, and we come up with the basketball,” Capel said, “but we want to talk trash to their bench or one of their guys, and they come up and take it from us.

“We have to be better in those situations. I’d like to think we’re getting better, but we can’t continue to make mistakes like that.”

Despite the problems, including playing the last 7:40 of the first half without a field goal, Pitt repeatedly made clutch plays when the game was on the line and even before that.

• The Panthers made all 14 of their foul shots in the second half. Hugley was 8 for 8, including two that gave Pitt a one-point lead with 2:53 to play.

• Ithiel Horton took over from there, hitting two field goals and four foul shots to keep the Wolfpack at arm’s length.

• Hugley played a complete game, scoring 21 points with 10 rebounds, six assists and only three turnovers in more than 35 minutes. Horton and Jamarius Burton each scored 17.

• The three of them were the only Pitt players to shoot foul shots, and they were a combined 23 of 25.

• After Mouhamadou Gueye fouled out with 3:14 left in a one-point game, William Jeffress came off the bench and grabbed a critical defensive rebound (one of five).

The big picture is much different in Capel’s mind than what he experienced a year ago.

After a disjointed 2020-21 season — when two starters quit the team in February — Capel is pleased with how his current group has managed other types of pitfalls this season.

“It’s been such a disjointed season for us, with the injuries (especially Nike Sibande’s knee), the suspension (of Horton). Who’s playing this night?

“It’s been a pretty good group with that, though. We’ve had moments, and you can see it in games where it doesn’t seem like we’re as together as we need to be. But for the most part, I just think they enjoy being around each other.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any jealousy or anyone’s not happy if someone plays well. That’s been refreshing.”

Capel will give the players Sunday off in an attempt to recharge before traveling to Chapel Hill, N.C., to play North Carolina on Wednesday.

“Have a day off (Sunday), thank goodness,” he said.” We can, hopefully, catch our breath a little bit, get away from basketball and get back together on Monday.”

He said he had no plans to celebrate his 47th birthday Saturday night watching Tar Heels video. There will be plenty of time for that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Also, he didn’t want to get too excited over two victories.

“It’s two wins in a row in conference. It’s great. We haven’t won two in a row in a while,” he said.

“But we have to get back to the drawing board and get better. It doesn’t get easier in this league. We’re happy about it. We’re going to really enjoy this day off the rest of (Saturday and Sunday), and we’ll get back on Monday and we’ll get to work.”