PITTSBURGH -- — Pittsburgh has spent the better part of a decade as an afterthought. Bottoming out in the Atlantic Coast Conference will do that.
The program's long, slow rise back to relevance under Jeff Capel appears to finally be gaining traction.
The latest proof came in a 71-68 victory over No. 20 Miami on Saturday, a game that required a stirring late rally, a handful of defensive stops and something intangible but just as important: belief.
[Players on Pitt teams under Jeff have not had that. More often they have spun off in all directions and torpedoed promising seasons.]
...
"I have so much appreciation for this team and what we’re doing,” said [Jamarius] Burton, who finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, two of them in the final minute.
Burton is one of the few holdovers from a group that shuffled through an 11-win season a year ago, usually in front of a sparse crowd at the Petersen Events Center. Capel retooled through the transfer portal in the offseason, and after a sluggish start Pitt has recovered to win 14 of 17 while building a resume that could have it in NCAA tournament consideration for the first time since 2016.
This may have been the most improbable of the bunch.
Miami led by as much as 11 and went up 68-60 on a Norchad Omier dunk with 2:26 to go. The Hurricanes wouldn't score again as Pitt closed on an 11-0 run.
[I watched ~10' of highlights and Miami was in control for most of the game and were clearly the better team with the better players, veterans, who knew Jim Larranaga's expectations. The "Hurricanes" just blew themselves in that last 2 1/2 minutes, a combination of cold-shooting and tenacious "Panther" defense. The "Panthers" tilted Miami with their "No Quit Pitt" (Harry, trademark that).]
...the first sellout crowd at Pitt since 2019 erupted.
The finish perhaps shouldn't have been a surprise. Pitt is 5-1 in conference play in games decided by three points or less, as a group thrown together over the summer — many of them making essentially their last stand as college players — has organically gelled into a selfless and cohesive unit.
[The ultimate tribute to the Pitt kids and to Coach Jeff's ability to mold them.]
“I think the belief is there, it’s strong,” Capel said. "They believe in each other more than anything and as a coach, that’s really cool to see.”
[Jeff is on a one-year contract at a reduced salary--this year is his audition to continue coaching in Pittsburgh.]
BIG PICTURE
Miami: The experienced Hurricanes seemed firmly in control for long stretches but their inability to execute in the final seconds was surprising for a team that reached the Elite Eight last season.
[Pitt rattled Miami and Pitt hasn't rattled many opponents in recent years. A Larranaga Miami team is among the least in the country I would not expect to get unsettled by any team. But these "Panthers" did it.]
Pittsburgh: On a day the program honored the 2003 team that won the school's first Big East championship, the current Panthers borrowed a page from that storied group's book and used suffocating defense down the stretch to win.
A conference title for Pitt may be asking a bit much, but they have forced their way into the NCAA tournament conversation, a welcome change for a program that's been synonymous with losing since Jamie Dixon left for TCU in the spring of 2016.
[An inspirational win, one that instills and augments belief, like the Miami "Heat's" 3-game win streak. They have 3 wins over top-25 programs and play at North Carolina Wednesday. Like the "Heat" there is opportunity here for Pitt and unlike the "Heat" there are not many opportunities left for the "Panthers" to make cognos overlook those 7 demerits.]
