Capel: 'We still found a way, and it was because of our defense'

Capel: First and foremost, I thought we did an unbelievable job defensively. This was a team that came in averaging around 87 points and to hold them to 17 in the first half and 48 for the game, I thought our guys really did a great job of attention to detail to the scouting report, understanding personnel and then being able to go out and execute it. I thought that was tremendous.

And it’s really, really good to win a game like this when we are not as good offensively as we have been and as we are. We missed - I think in the first half we maybe missed 8-10 baskets right there at the basket. It was like the basket had a lid on it. And it’s a little bit surprising because I thought we were really, really sharp in practice the past two days and in shoot-around, so I expected us to be really good offensively and we weren’t.

But we still found a way, and it was because of our defense, because we dominated the glass, which was a point of emphasis coming into this game. These two guys were tremendous. G got us started, he played with force and played that way throughout. Don’t just look at the points and the rebounds, but I think he had three assists, I think he had two or three blocks, a couple of steals; his impact on the game was everywhere.

And the same with Zack. You know, Zack played with force. That’s a really, really important word for him. And when he plays that way, we’re different.

So I’m really proud of this win. We were able to close out our non-conference schedule being 9-2 in the non-conference. We’ll get a little bit of a much-needed break right now and guys will go home, they’ll get a chance to celebrate the holiday with their families, we’ll get back together on the 26th and start getting ready for conference play.

Zack, what did you say to yourself when you were taken out of the starting lineup? You responded with two straight double-digit performances.
Austin: Exactly what he said. Just playing with force, playing with confidence, just knowing what I’m capable of and just doing it on the court.

Guillermo, what’s it like for you to see a guy like him? Two games in a row after he’s been benched, he’s diving on the floor after loose balls and just giving a max effort. What’s that say about your team and your culture?
Diaz Graham: I think it talks really good about him, how even after getting out of the starting lineup, you keep going, you don’t complain, don’t make faces, you just put your head down, keep going, keep grinding and just earn your points. So I’m really proud of him and I think it’s pretty good for him.

Did you expect to have a big game today? Looking at it, this was a very heavy backcourt team; did you think you’d have the potential to have a big night tonight knowing that you have a little bit of a size advantage?
Diaz Graham: Definitely was a really important team to be in help, to help the guards out, because we knew that they want to drive the ball a lot. You know, just try to help them, give them a second and try to block shots.

Zack, what has practice been like for you the past couple days? What have you been working on and trying to do better?
Austin: It really does - we say it a lot, but it really does come down to just playing with force. I think I’ve been trying more of locking in, not doing the things I was doing before, which is not playing with force. It’s repetitive, but I have to play with force.

What is playing with force?
Austin: Just playing hard, doing what I do best, showcasing my athleticism, not settling as much, moving without the ball, just keeping my head on straight.

Has there been a period when you’ve tried to figure out how aggressive you should be and how assertive you should be in this setting?
Austin: Kind of. But I think as the season goes on, I think I’m starting to know what I need to do and what my role is.

You guys were plus-21 rebounding and you held your own against a really good rebounding team in the last game. What do you feel like you guys can attribute that to?
Diaz Graham: I think it’s just about wanting to get the rebound. You just go and grab it. Today we had a size advantage, but still, you have to have that obsession to just go get it. Everyone has to do their job, everyone has to hit someone and then everyone has to go get it to make sure Pitt gets the rebound.

What did you feel like the emphasis was for you guys on defense to deliver such a performance tonight?
Diaz Graham: Everyone has to guard the ball. That was it: just guard the ball, stay in front of your man and we’ll play good defense. I feel like the guards did a pretty good job of not getting screened and just staying in front of your guys and us, the centers, we did a great job of helping each other.

Is playing good defense just a matter of mindset?
Diaz Graham: Yeah. Right.

Jeff, you talked about it a little bit, but can you talk about the backcourt defense today? This is a very efficient team and you guys forced a lot of turnovers.
Capel: Well, again, I thought we did a great job in practice of preparation. Our scout team, we were without a couple of guys so some main guys played on the scout team at times. Really, everyone did. And I thought we challenged each other in practice, and that helped us, because obviously they had really good guards, very efficient, they drive, they force you to foul, and I thought we just did a really good job. We kind of had G, especially at the start of the game when No. 32 and No. 5 were in, their traditional bigs, he kind of roamed because those guys don’t really score. They score off of drop-offs, off the guards, so he did a really good job of doing that, but our guards did a great job of guarding the basketball, really trying to contain penetration. We didn’t over-help; that was a point of emphasis. We tried to make them finish over top of our length.

Around the 11:40 mark when you guys called timeout in the second half, it looked like you had a fiery message to give to your team. What were you saying to your team at that point?
Capel: Yeah, we weren’t playing as hard, we weren’t sharp offensively, which led to them getting some transition baskets, and that was the main thing. We’d been really good defensively, but we had gotten a little bit soft offensively, which led to them getting out in transition and made us soft defensively during that moment.

Do you feel like some of the missed shots led to some of the off passes and the off timing you guys had on offense?
Capel: I thought it was that. I thought it was the lead. I thought it was, ‘Ready to go home.’ I thought it was a little bit of all of that that played into it.

What does Blake give you on a night when his shots aren’t going in?
Capel: Well, what he does is that, he takes a guy away defensively because they won’t leave him. This is a game, the first time we’ve played where, when Blake is screened, they didn’t switch, they didn’t do anything so we were able to turn the corner and get to the basket. Even though he didn’t score, he had a huge impact on the game. He had 10 rebounds. But the threat of him opens up so much stuff for everyone else.

Do you feel like there’s an overarching message that this team needs right now before you guys start conference play after a game like this?
Capel: No. I think we’re ready for conference play. We’ll be ready. We’ll take a break, we’ll get back, we’ll be anxious, we’ll be ready. I think we know what we need to do, and just get back to work.

You mentioned when you schedule non-conference, you wanted a number of different styles, different challenges; how do you feel like you guys progressed through the non-conference?
Capel: I think we did a good job. I think our guys did a good job. I think we’ve gotten better. We did play against different styles. We had that stretch there where we had those five games in a row against Power Five teams, three of them away from home. I thought we did a pretty good job with that. Certainly would have loved to have won all five of them. But we’ve played against different styles. Again, all of that will prepare us because we’re in a league with different styles. It’s not a league where everyone plays the same. You have some teams that play slow, some teams that play fast. Some teams are very physical, some teams are a little bit more skilled. So all of the stuff that we’ve been through will help prepare us as we get ready for a tough ACC stretch.

Do you feel like Guillermo’s offense has kind of taken a new gear since he’s been in the starting lineup?
Capel: Well, no, I think it’s just taken a new gear this year. Even when he didn’t start, I thought he played well offensively. He’s a talented guy and he can do some different things. Offensively, he’s very skilled. He can pass. He can put the ball on the floor. Obviously, he can shoot the basketball. So he gives us a little bit different threat when he’s at that spot as when Fede’s there, and Fede does a really good job - he does some things that G can’t do. So we feel like we have a really good two-headed monster at that spot.

The players don’t have to practice but you’ll be sneaking a peek at Syracuse video in the next couple days, right?
Capel: Probably not the next couple days. But I will, probably around the 26th. I’m taking a break, man. Just enjoy my family and enjoy this time. If anything - not if; I will watch us. I’ll watch us. I’ll go over us. But I’ll start getting ready for Syracuse when we get back. This is a time for all of us to take a break, enjoy family, to get away from it for a little bit. It’s a long season, and when you have an opportunity to take breaks, you need to do that.

What does that do for the mental side of everything, to have those kinds of breaks in the season?
Capel: I think it’s big. It’s a long season and it’s very emotional. Every game is emotional, especially when it means so much and it means so much to all of us that are in it. The preparation for it, the actual game, everything that comes along with it. So when you have a chance to kind of decompress, to get away from it for a little bit, I think it’s huge. We’re a two-semester sport, we don’t have a week to prepare of every game, these games come pretty quickly, and when we get back, you know, they’ll be happening pretty frequently and it will be all heavyweight matches. So when you have a chance to mentally get a break, physically get a break to allow your body to recover, I think is huge. And for coaches, too. Not just for the players.

Where do you feel Bub is at right now, just as his growth specifically through these early games?
Capel: I think he’s played well. I think he’s played really well. I think he’s growing up, he’s getting better. I’m not going to judge Bub every game by what his stats are. It’s, how does he impact winning? Is he doing the things that we’re asking him to do from that position offensively and defensively? Is he in command out there? Is he doing those things? And for the most part, I think he is. Obviously, he can be better and he will be better. Most freshmen at different times hit a wall, because this is harder than anything they’ve ever been through. So this break will be much needed for our freshmen.

Do you feel like he’s been very coachable through this?
Capel: Oh, he’s been awesome. Yeah, all of our guys have been incredibly coachable.