Pitt's Jeff Capel might take longer looks at his bench in midst of busy schedule

Get ready for basketball almost every other day.

In a span of seven days, starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday against Virginia at Petersen Events Center (ACC Network), Pitt will play three games.

After Virginia leaves town, the Panthers travel deep into the ACC footprint to confront Clemson on Saturday, followed by the Syracuse rematch next Tuesday back at the Pete.

It’s not an unusual request of the ACC schedule-maker. Pitt was faced with similar challenges three other times this season, losing the third game on each occasion.

Also, Pitt (7-10, 2-4) will play four in eight days — three away from the Pete — from Feb. 2-9. The conference moved the Virginia Tech road game, postponed Jan. 1 because of covid complications among the Hokies, to Feb. 7.

So, will the Panthers be durable enough to handle all these games? The question is pertinent when you consider 74.7% of Pitt’s points (794 of 1,062) have been scored by four players (36.3% of the roster currently available to coach Jeff Capel).

“We need production from our bench,” Capel said.

He called on four bench players — William Jeffress, Noah Collier, Chris Payton and Nate Santos — in the first half against Louisville. Jeffress had started the previous 16 games, but was replaced by former walk-on guard Onyebuchi Ezeakudo. Dan Oladapo, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Oakland (Mich.), hasn’t appeared in the past five games.

The four subs combined to score three points while contributing six rebounds and one assist.

“I thought those guys played really, really well, even though it doesn’t show up as far as (many) points or rebounds,” Capel said. “The things they did enabled other guys to score. The things they did defensively helped us.”

Despite Capel reaching into his bench, Mouhamadou Gueye and Femi Odukale played nearly 39 minutes; Jamarius Burton sat out only 15 seconds.

In six conference games, Burton, Odukale, Gueye and John Hugley are averaging between 38 and 30 minutes per game while scoring three-fourths of the points.

“For me, all that stuff (deployment of players) is determined by what I see in practice,” Capel said. “It’s not necessarily games. It’s what I see when we’re going through scouting. It’s what I see when we’re going through walk-through.

“Those (substitutes) had really good practices and I felt like had a grasp on what we wanted to do. Hopefully, it’s something as we go forward that we continue to get more of.”

Santos gives Pitt a long-range scoring threat — something that’s been missing from the starting lineup all season — but Collier might be the team’s most important bench player.

At 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, he gives Pitt a presence in the paint when Hugley (6-9, 280) goes to the bench.

“The biggest thing with Noah is playing with great energy all the time,” Capel said. “He’s got to be a great screener. He’s got to be able to finish when he gets it down there off ball screens (after) rolling to the basket.

“He has to know what we’re doing defensively. He has to play with some physicality. When he does that, he’s a good player for us. But that’s something that has to be consistent every time he steps on the court.

“I think he’s learning how to do that in a more consistent fashion.”

Meanwhile, Capel will continue to rely heavily on his four leading scorers, hoping to gain additional trust in others. Hugley (15.4 points per game) leads the way, followed by Burton (13), Odukale (11.9) and Gueye (8.6).