3 thoughts to ponder while Pitt returns to ACC action vs. Wake Forest

Two games into the ACC season with a third upcoming Saturday against Wake Forest at Petersen Events Center, there is talk around town of Pitt playing beyond the conference tournament.

That hasn’t happened since Jamie Dixon left town nearly four years ago.

Pitt vs. Duquesne in the NIT, anyone?

OK, that’s getting way ahead of Pitt’s current situation (and perhaps even watering down fans’ expectation for both teams). But plenty has gone right for Pitt (10-3, 1-1) so far this season, including:

• An 8-1 record since two weeks before Thanksgiving.

• A big victory against No. 18 Florida State that might figure prominently in Pitt’s postseason destiny.

• Sophomores Xavier Johnson, Trey McGowens and Au’Diese Toney blending their skills to score, defend and provide the requisite experience and toughness that will be necessary through the next 18 conference games.

• The emergence of 18-year-old Justin Champagnie, who is seventh among ACC freshmen in scoring (10.9) and fourth in rebounding (6.2).

Does Pitt have what it takes to become a respected force in the ACC?

Coach Jeff Capel isn’t worried about such things right now. He wants Pitt to earn respect over the next two months.

But the process has started. Pitt is ranked 72nd in the NCAA’s NET rankings, which is nice, but even more interesting when you note eight ACC teams, including No. 82 North Carolina and No. 104 Wake Forest, are lower.

The game against Wake Forest (7-5, 0-2) won’t provide a definitive answer to what Pitt fans can expect this season. But it’s a start.

For now …

1. Beware Wake Forest

Those who follow the ACC might say Wake Forest is destined to finish closer to the bottom of the conference than the top.

Capel will say guard Brandon Childress, 22, is “one of the best guards in our league.”

“Very confident, pushes tempo, very aggressive.”

And he’ll add that Demon Deacons guard Chaundee Brown scored 26 points against Xavier, and Wake Forest is one of only three teams in 14 games to beat the Musketeers (Florida and No. 10 Villanova are the others).

But while we’re comparing scores: Wake Forest beat Columbia by two at home. Duquesne walloped Columbia by 36.

“At times, they’ve been really, really good, and at times they’ve not been so good,” Capel said of Wake Forest. “My hope is that we help make them not good on Saturday.”

2. Not a beauty contest

Capel admitted Pitt is “not a pretty offensive team.”

Yes, Pitt totaled 166 points and shot 46.6% from the field in its most recent victories against Binghamton and Canisius, but those weren’t true tests. Capel knows Pitt must find alternate ways to win when the shots aren’t falling as regularly as he would like.

“Our stuff is not going to be pretty,” he said. “We have to be the hungry team. We have to be the team that has a chip on our shoulder.

“We have to understand defense is what we have to hang our hat on. We have to be the dirty-work guys, the grit, the toughness. We have to go get the basketball, the balls on the floor. We have to be the first to get it.”

In other words, leave a little bit of yourself on the floor. That’s how Pitt will succeed in the ACC.

3. All-around game

Johnson has NBA potential, and he’s showing it in different ways. Even while his scoring average has dropped 3.5 points per game.

Johnson joins Duke’s Tre Jones and N.C. State’s Markell Johnson as the only players in the ACC averaging at least 10 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5 assists (12/3.8/5.1). He also is shooting 38.9% (14 of 36) from beyond the 3-point arc — 3.7% better than last season.

With Champagnie and Ryan Murphy averaging 11 points, the scoring burden on Johnson is lessened and he can show off his other skills.

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