Pitt Take 5: After long road stint, Panthers return for 1st home game since Nov. 18

Under normal circumstances, Pitt men’s basketball plays eight games in a month. That’s what the schedule will demand in January and February and how it was structured in November.

But this is December, and there must be allowances made for final exams, family and, realistically, an opportunity for players to take a deep breath and relax.

Pitt coach Jeff Capel built a nonconference schedule that had Pitt playing five consecutive road games in 16 days against power conference teams. The 22-day span between home games is the longest in 10 years.

Living in hotels and gymnasiums and climbing on and off buses and airplanes gets tedious pretty quickly. The Panthers were 3-2 in that stretch, however, which might serve them well when the NCAA Tournament committee picks its field of 68.

Now, Pitt (8-2) will play only two games in 24 days, including Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky at Petersen Events Center. It’s the first home game since a victory against VMI on Nov. 18. The tradeoff: Pitt’s next road game is Jan. 7 at No. 4 Duke.

Here are five thoughts on what has occurred so far:

1. Life without Dunn

The strength of this team was and is its guard trio of Jaland Lowe, Ishmael Leggett and Damian Dunn.

Dunn, who averaged 15.2 points through the first five games of the season, played only 11 minutes against LSU (foul trouble) and two (injury) in the Wisconsin game. Then, he missed the next three, but Pitt won three of the five, a respectful bow to the next-man-up theory, which is usually so much coach-speak.

This time, freshmen Brandin Cummings and Amsal Delalic came off the bench to shoot a combined 43.8% (28 of 64) from the field with 13 3-pointers. Capel limits their minutes, but Cummings and Delalic are getting important exposure to big-time college basketball that — again, in theory — could pay dividends this winter.

Dunn is expected back in early-to-mid January.

2. Do-it-all guards

Meanwhile, Lowe and Leggett are carrying a significant load in all facets of the game.

Lowe is sixth in the ACC at 17.1 points per game, and Leggett is seventh with 17.0. That’s a rate nearly the equal of Blake Hinson’s average at the end of the 2023-24 season (18.5).

Both players fearlessly and skillfully penetrate the paint to get better shots while — at 6-foot-3 — they stand just behind 7-footer Guillermo Diaz Graham among the team’s rebound leaders. Leggett averages 6.2 and Lowe 5.5. Lowe also is fifth in the ACC in assists (4.9).

They aren’t nearly the 3-point threat that set Hinson apart from most ACC players last season. Their behind-the-arc percentage is 28.9 (28 of 97).

3. Diaz Graham: Rebounder, shooter

Capel continually stresses the importance of rebounding, but you have to scroll past 14 names on the list of ACC leaders in that category to find a Pitt player. Diaz Graham is 15th with an average of 6.4 after concluding last season at 3.9.

He is playing with more physicality and aggressiveness than in his two previous seasons, and those characteristics should improve as the season progresses.

He’s a good long-range shooter, too, but he’s struggling at the moment with a 21.4% rate beyond the arc (9 of 42).

The good news:

• He hit a big 3-pointer during the second-half comeback at Virginia Tech.

• His coach has his back.

One of Capel’s strengths is not restricting his players from shooting, with the only condition being they take good shots.

Diaz Graham is not forcing bad shots, but he needs to get closer to last year’s 3-point accuracy rate of 40.5% (32 of 79).

4. A 7 seed?

Pitt no longer is ranked in the Associated Press’ Top 25, falling from No. 18 to No. 33, but the Panthers are 16th in the NCAA NET, thanks to that 3-2 record against LSU, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Mississippi State and Virginia Tech.

Of the 62 voters on the AP panel, two ranked Pitt as high as 17th (Mark Ziegler of the San Diego Union Tribune and Johnny Congdon of ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Ala.)

A total of 48 voters did not include Pitt among their top 25. In fact, No. 4 Duke and No. 16 Clemson are the only ACC teams ranked in this week’s Top 25.

And for those who can’t wait for March …

Bleacher Report’s most recent and way-too-early NCAA Tournament projection lists Pitt as a No. 7 seed playing Drake in the South Region in Wichita, Kan.

5. The Colonels vs. Clemson

Eastern Kentucky of the Atlantic Sun Conference has lost three of its past five games, but the Colonels (5-4) were leading Clemson, 54-50, seven minutes into the second half Nov. 12. Clemson eventually won 75-62.

Pitt must keep a careful eye on 6-6 forward Devontae Blanton, who is averaging 16.1 points and 6.2 rebounds.