SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- I don't want to slam my hand down on the panic button after Pitt's 88-81 loss to Notre Dame Wednesday in South Bend.
Jeff Capel certainly will not, nor will his group of veterans.
But, for a solid 30 out of 40 minutes of that defeat, Pitt played itself out of the game more than it played into it, which is not the effort anybody expected or should feel comfortable with as the ACC Tournament appears on the schedule a week from now and a must-win matchup at Miami looms Saturday.
"I don't look at it as adversity; I look at it as an opportunity," Capel said. "We're going to play an outstanding basketball team on their home floor, and certainly we know what's at stake, but it'll be a game against a really outstanding opponent. We're excited about it. We're excited about the opportunity we have to go down there and play them."
Those words are galvanizing in moment from Capel, who gave that answer a mere minutes after the game went final, but Notre Dame is not Miami -- the team which is vying alongside Pitt for the top seed in the ACC Tournament.
Two paramount factors have me concerned with tournament time approaching.
For the first time in some time, Pitt played out of its own way as shots were not falling. This team is third in the ACC in scoring against conference foes at 76.1 points per game while maintaining defensively by allowing 70.3 points per game to ACC foes, which is fifth in the conference.
But, as we saw Wednesday, Pitt could not hit its 3-pointers or its free throws, which are two hallmark traits of how this team has primarily beaten its competition. Pitt cannot be expected to be off like this on a nightly basis as it has proven otherwise, but it was more about how the team didn't adjust to those missed shots. Shooters shoot, yes, but more of an adjustment to an inside attack and facilitating in the halfcourt needed to be played out once Pitt was neutralized in transition.
"I just think it was a loss," Capel said. "A loss is a loss. I don't ever look at anything as mental -- it's a loss. There's some things that were uncharacteristic of us, mainly the free-throw line. We've been a good free-throw-shooting team all year, I don't know why. We just didn't make them tonight."
Second, and this might be the most concerning of any, is the complete lack of a bench behind Nike Sibande.
Having depth which can contribute consistently are traits for contenders in March. Having the ability to bring in more than one scorer as an option to reliably get the ball to and either have them score it or help create opportunities for the starters which might be struggling to shoot it otherwise, as was the case Wednesday.
Behind Sibande's 19-point effort was nothing in support. Guillermo Diaz Graham and Jorge Diaz Graham combined to play seven minutes and take one shot, a missed 3 by Guillermo. Nate Santos did not play, and he has seen 12 total minutes of action since Pitt's game at Florida State Feb. 11.
This is a problem which, unfortunately, might not have a solution. John Hugley IV (personal reasons) has removed himself from the program and is not walking back through that door this season, Will Jeffress (foot) is not cleared for contact, and to our current knowledge Capel will not activate Dior Johnson for the stretch run.
(Believe me, the idea of whether Johnson could be activated will be addressed at some point in depth. After Wednesday's game was not the time nor the place.)
Pitt's next bench options behind the Diaz Graham twins and Santos are Aidan Fisch and walk-on KJ Marshall. With all due respect to those two, need I say more?
Pitt has hardly been forced out of its game this season, as we saw not long ago at Virginia Tech in which the Hokies' defense suffocated Pitt at the point of their best attack. Notre Dame was not throwing anything exotic at Pitt, which could not shoot its way out of the funk it got itself into early.
When shots do not fall, is "keep shooting it" a reliable answer?
It almost has to be, given the glaring lack of depth which could provide another avenue for production when those shots do not magically start to fall.
