Take 5: Difficult times hover over Pitt, but players haven't lost hope

Almost nothing worth mentioning happened during Pitt’s 91-75 loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday night. Double-digit losses are becoming the norm.

But it was instructive to hear what sophomore guard Femi Odukale had to say in the aftermath. He offered hope that players still care after 14 losses in 22 games.

“I’m not going to let anybody down anymore, my players, the fans, my family. I felt like I was letting everybody down,” he said.

The next two games — Saturday at Petersen Events Center and Monday in Blacksburg, Va. — are against Virginia Tech, a rare back-to-back series. It was created by the postponement Jan. 1 because of covid among the Hokies.

Here are five thoughts to ponder before the 7 p.m. tipoff:

1. Odukale’s recovery

Before the season, Odukale was listed by SI.com as one of college basketball’s top breakout candidates. After he scored 20 points in the opener against The Citadel, his average dipped to a season-low 11.2. He scored two points in 33 minutes Jan. 25 against Syracuse.

Encouraged by coaches and teammates, Odukale rebounded with 16- and 23- point road efforts at Boston College and Wake Forest (14 of 25, 56%) — with a total of only three turnovers.

Pitt needs him to keep scoring because opposing defenses are applying more intense pressure on center John Hugley.

2. There is hope

Wake Forest has proven that programs going through hard times can reverse their fortunes much easier these days, thanks to the NCAA loosening restrictions on transfer athletes.

Demon Deacons coach Steve Forbes made good use of the portal this season, with four transfers who are among the team’s best players, including Alondes Williams, who came from Oklahoma and leads the ACC in scoring (19.6 points per game) and assists (5.3).

Wake Forest (18-5, 8-4) is one of five teams bunched together at the top of the ACC standings. The Deacons are fifth, but only one game behind first-place Duke.

Wake Forest’s most recent winning ACC season was 2009-10 (20-11, 9-7). The Deacons were 6-16, 3-15 last seasons and have joined Iowa State as the only high major teams to triple their victory total from a year ago.

So, yes, it can be done.

“It’s encouraging,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. “They did an outstanding job in the portal. They got four guys who have been difference makers for them. What it’s done is put those returning guys in positions where they are best suited.

“College athletics, especially college basketball, is very different right now. We have to adjust to it. There is an opportunity to improve your team fast and Wake is a great example of that.”

3. Watch that 3-point line

Virginia Tech looked like a team heading in the same direction as Pitt, losing six of eight after an impressive 86-49 victory against St. Bonaventure on Dec. 17.

But the Hokies (12-10, 4-7) have won two in a row, beating Florida State in Tallahassee, 85-72, and dumping Georgia Tech, 81-66.

Capel’s message to his team this week is guard the 3-point line. VT leads the ACC in 3-point shooting percentage (41.1%) and successful 3s (198 of 482 attempts). Hunter Cattoor leads the ACC and is third in the nation in 3-point percentage (47.5%, 58 of 122).

Pitt senior Mouhamadou Gueye said guarding against the long bombs will be a matter of communication on the floor.

“We have to be able to trust that our next man has our back,” he said. “We have to be really engaged defensively.”

Pitt can’t match Virginia Tech 3 for 3. The Panthers are last in the ACC in 3-point shooting percentage (30.4%, 110 for 362) and points per game (62.1).

So, Pitt’s best chance to beat the Hokies and build some momentum over the last nine regular-season games is better defense.

Much better defense, actually.

Wake Forest’s 91 points marked the most points scored by a Pitt opponent since Feb. 11, 2018, a 94-60 loss to Louisville in that winless ACC season under Kevin Stallings.

“They ran their stuff,” Hugley said. “They played with a much better pace than we did. They made us pay.”

Pitt hasn’t regressed to those dumpster fire days. But if the defense continues to fail, all hope is lost.

“The biggest thing right now is coming and playing with energy. We lacked that the past two games,” Gueye said. “We all have to come in and buy in and sacrifice our bodies. We have to have the mindset to go in there and be able to play 40 minutes in a game full of energy.”

4. Clearing the air

Odukale mentioned players met without coaches as a method of offering help and encouragement. Hugley said players were receptive.

“We don’t have them too often. We should have them more often,” he said. “I feel like we’re very honest with each other. No hard feelings. We just let each other know what we think.”

5. Get a good night’s sleep

The Virginia Tech game will be Pitt’s third this week, and there will be three more next week.

Gueye said practice time was adjusted to ensure players are well-rested. But basketball is what players love to do. No one is complaining.

“We all kind of expect that things are unpredictable with the current pandemic,” Gueye said. “We still have to do what we do. Every other team in the country is dealing with the same thing. It’s something that’s part of life right now.”