More than ever, Jeff Capel needed his players to prove to everyone, and more importantly to themselves, that they could still be a talented and committed group to brighten Pitt's future.
The Panthers showed that with a confident 70-57 win over Wake Forest Tuesday night -- the team's first victory since it upset No. 16 Virginia Tech on Feb. 3. Still playing under the cloud of Xavier Johnson and Au'Diese Toney transfers, Capel's players put together a solid night shooting 46 percent and held Wake Forest to the second-fewest points Pitt has allowed against an ACC opponent.
"I'm really proud of my basketball team," Capel said about his team's performance on senior night. "We played really well together, fought together and made it about us. For us to hold them to 36 percent and 34 percent from the 3-point line, then to rebound like we did, it was a great effort. Big time team effort. I'm really pleased with how we've come together these past couple games."
When Pitt lost to Wake Forest on Jan. 23, the Deacons shot over 46 percent on 3-pointers, hitting 15 on the night. On Tuesday, the Deacons still hit 10 3-pointers, but Pitt consistently contesting those shots.
On top of the defense, Pitt's offense got to work as Nike Sibande led the team in scoring with 23 points, as well as four assists and nine rebounds. He converted 3 of 5 on 3-pointers, and was a perfect 6 of 6 on free throws. Capel would describe his effort as 'outstanding' on the night.
While Terrell Brown did take part in being recognized on senior night, Sibande did not. Sibande indicated back on Feb. 20 that he would be happy to back for Pitt via the eligibility waiver if Capel would have him. When asked Tuesday night after the game if Sibande would be back next year, Capel wouldn't confirm, but did say 'there's a chance' and that the two would sit down and talk about the decision after the season.
Sibande replaced the scoring threat the Panthers were missing with Johnson and Toney gone. His shooting on the perimeter, combined with his ability to drive, forced Wake Forest to spread out its defense and open up Pitt's players more in the paint. Here's one of his 3-pointers that hit, albeit clanking off the rim a couple times:
That happened on several of his shots, but when you shoot 54 percent from the floor, that's fine.
The Panthers capitalized on Wake Forest's defense having to spread out to stop Pitt's shooting, as the Panthers out-rebounded the Deacons 32-20 and outscored them in the paint 28-12. That also came from a strong team effort to outwork Wake Forest on both ends of the court.
"We've been this way at times this year," Capel said. "I thought after Duke, we were all about Pitt winning and lost focus. We got really screwed up and weren't the same. Over the last week, it's starting to feel like it did earlier in the season and it's something we'll continue to build on."
Pitt also got a boost from Femi Odukale, who ran the offense at point guard on the night without too many stats to show for it. Despite playing 34 minutes, he finished with just five points, four rebounds and two assists. But his main contributions were to get the ball up the court, run the offense and set up his teammates for opportunities, and that's what happened.
He did show his ability to drive and score with a solid layup that helped Pitt get going in the second half with a 6-2 run. Watch how he drove his man, then cut back inside and went up-and-under with his shot as soon as the help defense came:
That's an aggressive but controlled drive.
Odukale has been the best freshman all season, but against Wake Forest the best of the class was William Jeffress.
At 17, Jeffress made his second start of the season and capitalized with a season-high eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He made his presence felt in the Panthers' defense early and often by cutting off Wake Forest's slashers and denying them the ball throughout the game.
Watch this block from Jeffress on the drive from Carter Whitt, as Jeffress came from the opposite side of the paint to help Odukale, who was beat off a screen:
Pitt had a season-high seven blocks.
The most impressive came from Pitt's most impressive player, Justin Champagnie. Watch how he chased down this fast break for a great block in transition:
He finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds for his 13th double-double on the season.
But what put Pitt over the top was how the rest of the roster backed Champagnie's strong performance. He's been a consistently dominant force averaging 18.7 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
Sibande, Jeffress, Odukale and even Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, scoring eight points, all created a more balanced lineup. Eventually, it opened up more opportunities for a natural flow to the offense, something that had been lacking for a month.
Watch this possession and how smoothly the ball is passed around to find the soft spot in Wake Forest's zone. Those two passes opened up Champagnie for a corner 3-pointer:
That balance is what Capel needs moving forward.
Despite losing Johnson and Toney, Capel knows he has talented young players on his roster like Odukale and Jeffress, who can be the building blocks for his next seasons.
What most encouraged Capel about Jeffress was his personal responsibility. Capel mentioned on Monday during an availability that he was impressed by Jeffress' asking Capel about how he needed to work to get better at a Division I basketball program.
"It's unusual for a freshman, or hell, any player today, to not blame anyone else when things aren't going right," Capel said. "The coach is always the convenient one to blame. If it's not going well for a guy, a lot of times they complain. But one of the things I love about Will is that he hasn't done that one time. We've had some really interesting conversations.
"One time I thought he wanted to complain when he came to my office. But the first thing he said was he asked how I was doing. I was shocked. I don't know the last time I've been asked that by anybody. Hell, my wife doesn't even ask me that."
Capel needs to find and cultivate attitudes like that of Jeffress to build Pitt basketball into a reputable program. The first building block is togetherness, which the coach thinks he's witnessed in the last week.
"This team understands how much we need each other," Capel said. "They enjoy being around each other. The adversity may have bonded us. I don't pay attention to what's said or written about us, but these guys do. So maybe they feel like they have something to prove. These are two really good efforts we've had, especially defensively and with rebounding. And I'm not surprised."
Capel's roster is obviously short on the talent with Johnson and Toney leaving, but those are spots that can be filled via the transfer portal and through recruiting. What the rest of this season is about is making sure that the players who still play for the Panthers believe in what Capel's teaching and fight for tough wins the way they did early in the season with the 8-2 start.
In the first two games following a calamitous week, Capel's players are showing him just that.