It is going to take a lot more than just winning basketball games against mid-major schools for Pitt to feel good about its direction.
After two brutal losses in New York -- one in blowout fashion to No. 20 Michigan, and one via late collapse to VCU -- the Panthers returned to the Petersen Events Center to earn a 73-54 victory over Southwestern Athletic Conference foe and HBCU Alabama State on Sunday.
But in spite of the victory, the two full days in between games didn't yield many positive results for Pitt to build off of.
Alabama State made Pitt look dreadful early. The Hornets (0-5) played with more energy, they were crisper in execution on the offensive end, they were sharper on the defensive end, and they committed few mistakes early.
The Hornets helped expose to us more of what we saw in New York out of Pitt, but at the end of Sunday, Pitt's talent was enough to stave a monumental early-season upset.
"I thought we lost a little bit of confidence, I thought we we were struggling with a little bit of confidence coming into the game," Jeff Capel said. "And then the fact, in the first half, that we couldn't make a shot, I thought that knocked us back. Then they went on that run that really knocked us back. But, really proud of how we responded.
"Guys stepped up. Guys from the bench, the one beside me (Nike Sibande) gave us a jolt. John (Hugley IV) came in and gave us a jolt. And we're going to need that from everyone as we go forward."
That kind of effort in the first half is only going to take the Panthers so far, especially once ACC play begins in December.
These early-season nonconference games -- especially buy games -- shouldn't be meant for designing and executing a comeback effort. There were far too many instances where Alabama State simply out-played Pitt in the first half. The Hornets shot 46.4% from the field overall and made 4 of 7 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes.
"For them, they shot the heck out of it," Capel said. "They have not shot the ball like that; I think coming into this game they were below 40% from the field, and they were a little over 30 from 3-point range, but really, that was from two guys. ... They had some other guys step up and make some shots for them, and that's what dug the hole."
The Panthers, again, displayed poor shot selection early on, as they made 33% from the floor (11-for-33), to go along with converting 3 of 15 3-pointers. Pitt registered a 3:7 assist-to-turnover ratio and committed nine fouls in the opening 20 minutes. They got next to nothing from their guards, as Nelly Cummings made 1 of 5 and Blake Hinson made 0 of 2 from the floor. Sibande was 1-for-7 shooting in the opening half.
"We all just talked and tried to figure out was best for us, and what we could do to execute better and defend better," Sibande said. "That's what it is. All of us. All of us were talking it up and just trying to figure it out."
Alabama State ran a 2-3 matchup zone, a 1-3-1 zone, and a half-court press that stifled the Panthers out of their rhythm. As a result, Pitt had to lean on scoring from Hinson, who made 5 of 9 attempts for 13 points in the first half.
"When they had success with it, they stayed with it a little bit longer, especially the 1-3-1," Capel said. "Also, the 2-3, they were mixing it. They were going to man on the second and third pass. They were just doing things to throw us off rhythm. But the main thing is I could sense the frustration in my group because we couldn't make a shot. We had some good shots, some shots that I feel like that are good shots for us that we can make. They just wouldn't go in."
Pitt was poor in rotation in the two New York games, all while playing a slow-tempo offense and showing a lack of discipline against the Wolverines.
There were flashes of the foul and turnover troubles being cleaned up, but the elements of rhythm and shot selection on the offensive end were still missing early on.
MORE FROM THE GAME
• Credit where it is due: Pitt (2-3) hammered its foot on the gas in the second half, outscoring Alabama State 42-20. The Panthers seized a 21-point lead at 59-38 with 8:41 to play and went up by as many as 25, with 5:45 to play.
In the second half, Pitt made 15 of 29 from the field and 7 of 14 from 3-point range, and played relentless defense in allowing just 9 of 37 of Alabama State's shots to fall. Sibande made 4 of 7 from the field in the second half, and he finished with 17 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Hinson paced the team with 18 while adding five rebounds and four steals. Hugley and Cummings each had 10.
"Our defense and our talking got better in the second half," Sibande said. "That's how we came up with more stops, and that's how we were able to turn that defense into offense."
• In a "matter-of-fact" way, Capel broke the news in his post-game press conference that junior forward Will Jeffress "will probably miss the rest of the year," and that he has to have surgery on his toe.
On Sept. 13, Pitt announced Jeffress was going to miss six weeks with a "left foot injury," which would have put his return date at the end of October or the beginning of November. After testing the toe out, however, Pitt will be without one of its key rotational players for the 2022-'23 season.
"Will will probably miss the year," Capel said. "He's going to have to have surgery on his toe. He tried yesterday in practice, but most likely he's going to miss the season."
Jeffress is still eligible for a redshirt and still has a bonus year of eligibility remaining, so theoretically speaking, he could play three more seasons at Pitt.
The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds last season.
• After missing Thursday's game against VCU, Hugley played 19 minutes off the bench on Sunday. He was injured in Wednesday's game against Michigan, when his right knee (not the previously injured one) clanked with Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson's as the two met at the rim. Hugley grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for Pitt on Sunday.
"He's a really good player, but he's going to continue to get better," Capel said. "He sat our for six weeks. He's not in the condition he needs to be in, yet. We all knew that, so we have to play him in spurts. As his conditioning gets better, he'll be even better."
• Jorge Diaz Graham looked solid for his second game in a row, after scoring 10 points, making 5 of 7 free throws, and grabbing four rebounds on Thursday against VCU. On Sunday, Diaz Graham earned the start in place of Hugley, and he scored nine points on 3 of 5 shooting and pulled in eight rebounds in 19 minutes on the floor.
"He's got an incredible spirit and energy about playing. Positive energy," Capel said. "He just plays, and he doesn't worry about things. There's a joy that he has in playing basketball. I love the fact that he's not afraid. He's not afraid of a moment. You think about it, the kid goes up and comes in and really gives us a huge jolt of energy against VCU. He's playing in the Barclays Center. As a true freshman from a different country, to come in and do that, I think both of their futures, both he and his brother (Guillermo Diaz Graham), they have bright future. I thought more than anything was his energy. That's what he gave us."
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE ESSENTIALS
• Box score
• Live file
• Top 25 scores
• Schedule
• ACC standings
• Statistics
THE 5s
• Alabama State: G Amarr Knox, G Antonio "TJ" Madlock, G Isaiah Range, F Duane Posey, F Eric Coleman.
• Pitt: G Nelly Cummings, G Greg Elliott, F Blake Hinson, F Jorge Diaz Graham, C Fede Federiko.
THE INJURIES
• DID NOT PLAY: F Jamarius Burton (knee inflammation), F Vason Stevenson (DNP - coach's decision).
• RETURNED: F John Hugley IV (knee).
• OUT FOR THE SEASON: F Will Jeffress (foot).
THE SCHEDULE
• The Panthers are home throughout the week for a pair of nonconference games against mid-major schools. Up next is a bout with Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., followed by a visit from William & Mary at 7 p.m. Friday. I will have you covered Tuesday from The Pete.
THE CONTENT
• Visit the Pitt team page for more from the Petersen Events Center. You can listen to the latest episode of the H2P Podcast below.
