No time to rest, Pitt heads directly to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech
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Pitt coach Jeff Capel gave his team a few hours before lights-out in Durham, N.C., to enjoy the upset victory of Duke.
Actually, there wasn’t even time to go home.
After the game Saturday, Pitt’s traveling party went directly to Atlanta on Sunday to get settled and prepared for the next test Tuesday night at Georgia Tech (9-9, 2-5 ACC). The Yellow Jackets defeated Clemson, 93-90, in double overtime last Tuesday, but have lost six of their past seven games. Pitt, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Boston College are tied for next-to-last place in the ACC, one game ahead of Louisville.
Speaking to reporters Saturday night, Capel said his team will need the same qualities against Georgia Tech that led to victory against the No. 7 Blue Devils.
“We have to be tough. We have to be together. Our spirit has to be right,” he said. “If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
Pitt (11-7, 2-5) has a long, tough road back to respectability after its slow start to the conference season. Earning a second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth might require winning 11 of the final 13 regular-season games that would give Pitt the same victory total (22) it took into the 2023 tournament.
Capel received contributions from several sources Saturday, in addition to the 41 points, nine 3-pointers and numerous clutch baskets from the foul line and beyond provided by Blake Hinson and Jaland Lowe.
Federiko Federiko replaced Guillermo Diaz Graham in the starting lineup, with Capel seeking more physicality against Duke’s Kyle Filipowski.
“Fede had two really good days of practice,” Capel said, noting he plays a more physical game than Diaz Graham. “We knew we had to have some physicality to guard Filipowski.”
With Federiko in the lineup, Capel felt comfortable slapping single coverage on Filipowski. Duke’s 7-foot, 248-pound center still scored 19 points, with five rebounds, but he recorded 26/10 on Jan. 9 at Petersen Events Center in a 75-53 Duke victory.
“Tried to be little bit more physical with him. He’s kicked our butt every time we’ve played him,” Capel said.
“We were hopeful it would give Fede a boost. He hasn’t played as well and had the same pop and energy that he had for us last year. We hoped this would ignite him and I thought it did.”
Federiko collected nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks and even made a foul shot late in the game after missing eight of his first nine against conference opponents.
The most significant revelation is the play of Lowe, who hit a clutch 3-pointer and three of four foul shots when Pitt was trying to stifle a Duke rally.
Capel revealed Lowe missed some key developmental time this summer with an injury, and is now fully recovered. He has scored 55 points with 14 assists since moving into the starting lineup four games ago.
“He was a little bit banged up. We never talked about it,” Capel said. “He was out for a little bit. He has his pop back. The game experience has helped him grow in his confidence.”
Lowe said the game was the most significant of his career — high school or college.
“No. 1, no doubt,” he said. “In this environment, I dreamed of possibly playing here (at Duke) as a kid, to playing against them, to hit the shot in front of this crowd for our team.”
Capel was pleased that Hinson regained his long-range shooting touch, even while getting charged with a technical foul and taunting Duke fans.
“I felt for the most part he had poise,” Capel said. “He got revved up there a little bit, gotta try to get him back to neutral. He loves these types of environments.”
Capel liked how his team prepared for the game, noting it was more mental prep than anything else. He said it led to increased “toughness … maturity … growth.”
Hinson said those attributes connect back to Capel.
“Coach changed the tempo and changed the energy for this team,” he said, “and we just carried it on. We are images of what our coach gives us.”