Raise your hand if you thought Pitt would sweep its season series against North Carolina this year.
If your hand's up right now, your nose is a little longer, too.
Expectations be damned, Pitt just crushed the Tar Heels, 66-52, Saturday at Petersen Events Center, following up on a 73-65 win over North Carolina just 10 days ago down in Chapel Hill, N.C., to complete the season sweep.
"North Carolina is one of the great programs in the history of college basketball, and any time you get a chance to sweep them is a pretty special thing," Jeff Capel was saying after the game. "It was something that we don’t take for granted. We knew we had to work for it."
And even though Capel — all entangled in Duke Blue Devils roots as he is — undoubtedly understands the significance of wiping out the Tar Heels twice in one season, he immediately flipped that context back to the here and the now. It's not just about North Carolina. It's about the Pitt Panthers and where they're going.
"I don’t know the last time this program has swept someone in the conference, so that’s another thing," Capel said. "I don’t know the history, but I know it’s been a while and that was something we talked about this morning when we got together for shootaround."
It has indeed been a while, with the last ACC sweep coming back in 2015-16 over Syracuse under Jamie Dixon. Dixon also swept Boston College in 2014-15, Syracuse a first time in 2014-15, Maryland in 2013-14 and Clemson in 2013-14.
And that fact, perhaps more than anything, plays right into Capel's thoughts and plans. There's work to be done here. This isn't the summit. Hell, base camp's still visible if you squint. Going 2-0 over the "least gifted" North Carolina roster of Roy Williams' tenure — his words, not mine — doesn't warp the bigger picture.
That said, let's chew on some first-half stats:
- Pitt led, 43-23, going into halftime.
- They did it on 48 percent shooting from the field, including 40 percent from three — this despite a last-second Ryan Murphy miss at the buzzer and some ice-cold shooting down the stretch. Those numbers were above 50 percent for the vast majority of the first 20 minutes.
- Turnovers at the half: North Carolina 11, Pitt 3
- Double-digit scorers in the first half for Pitt: Xavier Johnson (14), Murphy (11)
- For North Carolina: *crickets*
- Rebounds: Pitt 20, North Carolina 18
- Assists: Pitt 9, North Carolina 4
- Blocks: Pitt 4, North Carolina 0
That's not just "beating" North Carolina.
That's dismantling them.
"We needed a win, and I thought we played really, really well in the first half, got off to a great start," Capel said. "I thought the energy in the building was outstanding, and [we are] really grateful to the fans, especially the students in the Oakland Zoo for their energy, their passion. I thought we fed off each other."
Here's the thing: A game is 40 minutes, not 20.
When you're up 20 and things are going smoothly, it's human instinct to "play it safe," as Capel would later put it. Pitt let North Carolina climb back into this one, narrowing the lead to 10 with 1:49 to go. That's not ideal.
Great teams punish — and they punish until the final buzzer sounds. On the other hand (I'll let Johnson and his team-leading 20 points tonight explain):
Yeah, that.
Capel told the team to keep its "foot on the gas," but when the scoreboard holds a steady, massive lead, it's easy to cheat and to slow down and to put just a little less effort into that loose ball.
Nothing I can say will even approach the magnitude of Capel's comment on this, though. He spent nearly two minutes breaking down the difference between "good" and "great" and explaining what "greatness" really means after this contest. It's a long clip, dear reader, but I highly recommend you watch and listen:
“I think ‘great’ is the most overused word in sports," Capel began. "You hear people talk, ‘Oh, they’re a great team.’ Or after a game, somebody will say, ‘Oh, they’re a great team.’ There are very few great teams. And there are very, very few great players. ‘Great’ is different. I’ve been around great. The guy that I played for and I worked with is one of the greatest. I’ve been around great players in college. I did stuff with USA Basketball, so I’ve seen it. And it’s different. The way they think is different. The way they approach stuff is different. And I think it’s learned. I think the guys that are really great, they’re constantly trying to learn and get better.”
And what does that mean for these 2019-20 Pitt Panthers?
“I think there are really good programs," Capel continued. "I think there are a few great programs. I, fortunately, played at one. And I got to learn from that. We’re trying to grow this program so that hopefully one day people consider it a great program.”
That's all about basketball, but it doesn't need to be. Apply the message to your everyday life, and it still fits perfectly.
Think that's the guy you'd want to lead a group of young men toward a lofty goal?
Thought so.
• My game ball in this one doesn't go to Johnson and his team-high 20 points and six assists. It doesn't go to Murphy and his 11-point first half, either.
It goes to Toney.
Toney posted nine points, seven rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes, but it's impossible to capture his impact in stats alone. Murphy put it best.
"I think having Au'Diese back — Au'Diese really helps," Murphy was saying. "Armando [Bacot] or the other big [Brooks] went to make a spin move, and he just walled him up. He actually traveled and he air-balled the layup, and that was all because of Au'Diese."
The team didn't have Toney during its last win over North Carolina, and I wrote after that one in Chapel Hill:
"And big as this win was, I can’t help but wonder how much easier it’d have been with Toney’s presence in the fold."
Turns out, it's this much easier with him. He is Pitt Panthers basketball bottled up in one player: Tough, scrappy, aggressive and relentless, if a little unpolished and out of control at times. Toney just held Louisville star forward Jordan Nwora to just 14 points in Pitt's previous effort, and that's merely one example of many where he's risen up to the occasion to do the less desirable things necessary to secure victory.
You know that guy who plays way too hard at the Y and just frustrates you and your teammates for the entire game? That's Toney. Except he's actually skilled, too:
That's a guy you want on your side every night.
• Just behind Toney in game ball consideration is Terrell Brown, who posted nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the field alongside four rebounds, three blocks and a steal in 19 minutes of play.
Brown is ... an enigma. I don't understand this guy. He looked like a monster against Florida State in Pitt's season opener. He's flashed dominance time and again throughout the year. But there's no consistency for him. He'll disappear for stretches, and he'll sag off the opposition, giving them breathing room and opportunities aplenty.
In this one, though?
I'll let the gif do the talking:
That's not just Brown making one emphatic block late in the game. That's a visual representation of his — and his team's — performance as a whole today.
• That "least gifted" quote from Williams makes for a great soundbite and talking point, but North Carolina did shoot just 32 percent in this one, including 22 percent from three and 48 percent from the free-throw line. Frame this any way you want, that's atrocious.
They also committed 16 turnovers while generating just nine on the other side. There are some four- and five-star recruits over there, and injuries have taken their toll, but make no mistake: Pitt gave North Carolina an opening in that second half, and the road team was flat out not good enough to exploit it.
• Pitt's 20-point lead at the half matches a season-high and is the largest in conference play since joining the ACC.
• The Panthers are now 18-5 under Capel with holding opponents under 40 percent shooting from the field. That's ... not shocking. If you miss shots, you're not going to put points on the board, and you're not going to win games. It's common sense, but it's vital for this Pitt team. When their shot's not falling, they can always fall back on defensive fundamentals and that hard-nosed mentality we talk so much about. It's not the worst fall-back plan. When the talent and the scoring catch up, look out.
• Pitt's now 9-0 on the year and 16-0 in the Capel Era when holding opponents under 60.
• This was called a foul on McGowens:
For ... what? Allowing Brooks to land on his back? Strongly disagree with that one, but overall, the officiating in this one was much, much better than it was in the team's recent loss vs. Louisville.
As Dejan Kovacevic put it sitting next to me right after this McGowens foul: "It's such a tough job."
Yeah, it is. So one egregious error in 40 minutes can be excused.
• Welcome back to the line, Mr. Johnson. After shooting 10 or more free throws in a game seven times last year, Johnson made his first double-digit appearance of the season, going 10 for 12 in this one. Tonight also marked his 51st consecutive start for the team, and he passed Julius Page in the process for ninth all-time in the team's history for points scored through a sophomore campaign. Johnson's still got plenty of time to improve that standing, too.
• After scoring 65 percent of North Carolina's 65 points in Chapel Hill, Armando Bacot (12), Garrison Brooks (16) and Brandon Robinson (12) combined for 77 percent of the Tar Heels' output tonight.
It's pretty clear how that team operates with Cole Anthony injured and out. After the game, Roy Williams said Anthony, who is nearing 4-and-one-half weeks on the sidelines, was always expected to miss four to six weeks. That hasn't changed. So he's nearing a return, but they also won't rush him back unnecessarily.
• McGowens needs just one more steal to become the 32nd player in Pitt history to record 100 or more steals. His 1.9 steals-per-game average is sixth all-time.
• North Carolina is now under .500 at 8-9, and it's taking a toll on Williams and company.
"I'm getting tired of meeting you guys like this," Williams opened his post-game presser. " ... It's hard. It's hard when somebody's hitting you right between the eyes every time you step out there. But, you know, life's like that too ... I happen to be one of those corny old blankety-blanks that thinks athletics is good for you and it teaches you how to handle some adversity."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE STARTING LINEUPS
For Capel's Panthers:
Xavier Johnson, guard (three-star recruit)
Trey McGowens, guard (four-star recruit)
Au'Diese Toney, guard (three-star recruit)
Justin Champagnie, forward (three-star recruit)
Eric Hamilton, forward (three-star recruit)
And for Williams' Tar Heels
Leaky Black, guard (four-star recruit)
Andrew Platek, guard (three-star recruit)
Brandon Robinson, guard (four-star recruit)
Garrison Brooks, forward (four-star recruit)
Armando Bacot, forward (five-star recruit)
THE SCHEDULE
Can Pitt register back-to-back ACC victories for the first time this season? They'll get that opportunity Wednesday, Jan. 22, against the 9-8 Boston College Eagles at the Pete. I'll be there for all the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
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