Pitt's Jeff Capel recruited Zion Williamson to Duke. Now he must solve him.

The play authored by Duke’s Zion Williamson was so impressive, Jeff Capel was still talking about it two days later.

The fact it happened Saturday against No. 3 Virginia, the nation’s top defensive team allowing only 52.9 points per game, just added to Williamson’s growing legend as a freshman.

“He had one of the best plays I’ve seen from a young … ,” Capel said, catching himself and pausing. “From anyone.”

This from Capel, a man who 26 years ago was the high school player of the year in North Carolina, two-time captain at Duke in 1996 and ’97 and has been sitting on Division I benches as a coach every year of this century. You think he’s seen some good basketball over the years?

The play started when Williamson, Duke’s 6-foot-7, 285-pound power forward, grabbed a defensive rebound and decided to play point guard.

“He, literally, went through four guys and dunked it on the fourth with an and-one,” Capel said.

But Williamson carries only one-third of the problems Pitt must face Tuesday when Duke makes its fourth appearance at sold-out Petersen Events Center. Tipoff on ESPN is 9 p.m.

Williamson is one of four freshmen who typically start for the Blue Devils (15-2, 4-1), No. 2 in the latest Associated Press poll after losing to Syracuse on Jan. 14 and dropping from No. 1.

R.J. Barrett, top-ranked by Rivals.com in the 2018 recruiting class, leads the ACC in scoring (23.8 points per game). Williamson (21.5) was ranked fifth behind fellow Duke freshman Cam Reddish, No. 3 in the class. Freshman point guard Tre Jones is expected to miss the game with a shoulder injury.

They all matriculated to Duke, lured in large part by the school’s tradition and history of success but also by Capel’s recruiting efforts.

When Capel was recruiting for Duke, he had no idea he would be coaching against those players less than a year later. If he unknowingly made his job at Pitt more difficult, he’s OK with it.

“I’m happy for them. All those kids made the right decision to go to Duke to have an opportunity to play for Coach K and to wear that jersey,” he said.

“I root for them. I won’t root for them tomorrow. Other than that, I’m as big a fan as there is of that program, of that team and of those guys because I know them.

“You’re talking about three of the most talented players, maybe the most talented players, in the country.”

That said, Capel must find a way to defend Wiliamson, who has the build of an NFL offensive lineman but the court awareness and subtle skills of a point guard.

It’s impossible to practice defending him.

“There is no one on Earth who can simulate Zion,” Capel said. “I think what’s lost in all of it is how good of an actual player he is. I think people just thought of him as this athlete, this freak athlete.

“When we watched him (in high school), we thought he was a really, really good player. He had an amazing feel for the game. He’s a really good passer and loves to pass.

“I think one of his greatest strengths — and it’s a lot — is he’s an amazing teammate and how genuinely excited he gets for guys doing stuff. ... I think he’s exceeded every expectation.”

Virginia coach Tony Bennett likened Williamson to Houston Rockets guard James Harden, who played at Arizona State when Bennett was coaching at Washington State.

“They’re kind of similar in different ways,” Bennett said, alluding to their one-on-one abilities. “You have to really try and jam the lanes. Sometimes (Williamson) can move the pile or get in there and hang and make plays.

“You have to do your best and make him make the next pass, and then you have to be quick to those other guys. Maybe it takes two guys to build a wall (around him).”

Williamson, who won’t turn 19 until July 6, is expected to enter the NBA Draft this year. Forbes.com projected Williamson, Barrett and Reddish going 1-2-3 at the top of the draft.

“He picked the absolute best place for him,” Capel said, “because it’s basically like an infomercial for him every day on ESPN.”

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.