DAYTON, Ohio — Pitt has a tall task tonight when it takes on Mississippi State in the First Four at the University of Dayton Arena. The Bulldogs are led by first-team All-SEC selection Tolu Smith. The 6’11” senior averages 15.8 points per game and 8.5 rebounds, which leads the team in both departments.
Smith has posted 12 double-double performances this season, including three games in a row coming into Dayton. Jeff Capel was asked about facing Smith on Monday, and if he is like any other big man his team has faced this year.
The Pitt coach gave a rather complimentary comparison for the Bulldogs star player.
“Well, I think he has some similarities to (Armando) Bacot in the fact that he's very physical, an outstanding offensive rebounder and an outstanding scorer with a high percentage around the basket,” Capel said of Smith. “He’s relentless in his pursuit of the basketball.”
Pitt has had some tough games lately in the rebounding department, especially allowing teams to have success on the offensive glass. Smith certainly excels there. He posted 17 points and 11 rebounds, five offensive, in his last game out against Alabama, the SEC champion and the No. 1 overall seed in this tournament.
“On his shots, on other people's shots, with how physical he is posting up, he's a load down there,” Capel said. “He’s a really, really outstanding player that had an outstanding year and is a huge part of their resiliency.”
Playing in the First Four does not allow for teams to have much preparation or outside knowledge of their opponent, but the Panthers seem to have Smith circled the moment their draw was announced.
“They really attack the offensive glass really well,” Pitt senior guard Jamarius Burton said of the Bulldogs. “They have a physical presence inside. So for us, we've been having a little bit of emphasis on that in the past couple hours.”
The Panthers may have to combat that relentless effort on the glass without their starting center. Federiko Federiko injured his knee against Georgia Tech in Greensboro in the second round of the ACC Tournament. He tried to play on the knee against Duke, but was limited in his mobility and only played 12 minutes.
Jeff Capel announced that Federiko will be a ‘game time’ decision for tonight in the team’s first NCAA Tournament game since 2016.
“He's still nursing that knee,” Capel said of Federiko. “He hurt it against Georgia Tech, tried to play against Duke the next day. We didn't like the way that he was moving, which is why we held him once we got down. So he'll be a game-time decision tomorrow.”
Federiko was expected to be the team’s backup center heading into the year, but with John Hugley’s injury in the preseason, he was forced into a much bigger role and flourished in a very unexpected way. The junior college transfer is averaging 7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. He received three votes for ACC Defensive Player of the Year. The Finland native has been a core piece for this team’s success, and not having him available tonight would create a void in the middle.
Federiko was in sweatpants in the team’s shoot around on Monday night and was not doing much physical activity other than a few jumpshots. He managed to play through some discomfort on Thursday, however, so the possibility remains he suits up tonight.
In the event he can’t play, it’s likely Guillermo Diaz Graham would be thrust into a starting role. The 7’0” freshman played 28 minutes against Duke in the team’s 96-69 loss at the ACC Tournament. He posted a career-high 14 points and 8 rebounds. Even against some reserves for the Blue Devils in a blowout loss, it was an impressive showing for Diaz Graham.
Gullermo’s twin brother, Jorge, would also likely see an increase in minutes if Federiko is limited against the Bulldogs. Capel believes both of his freshmen big guys are up to the challenge.
"We need everyone to be ready to go, and everyone will be ready to go,” he explained. “The twins have gotten better throughout the season every day… They've gotten better and better. I've said it all along. I think they have unbelievable futures. They both have had some really big moments for us in big games. They've stepped up and made some big plays, and we anticipate them being ready to do that tomorrow.”
Mississippi State presents a unique challenge because of Smith’s play inside, but also due their gritty makeup as a team. Like Pitt, the Bulldogs had to fight and claw into the tournament, which is common of teams in the First Four. Under first-year head coach Chris Jans, the Bulldogs started 11-0, but proceeded to lose eight out of nine after that. Capel said they showed resolve because of it.
“When you look at their team, they had some unbelievable non-conference wins,” he explained of his opponent. “But in their conference they went through a stretch where they struggled, and they showed incredible toughness, togetherness, resiliency to continue to fight and stay together and to really turn their season around.”
Pitt may have to use its quickness and outside shooting ability to get out in transition, something they were unable to do against Duke in Greensboro.
“In order for us to run, we have to rebound,” Capel said. “That’s the very first thing. We have to get the basketball, we have to rebound, so we have to be able to match their physicality, we have to keep them out of our paint, and we have to get the basketball Once we're able to do that, then we do want to run. We do want to get out.”
Pitt will be looking for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2014, when the Panthers defeated Colorado in the first round as a No. 9 seed. Should Pitt win tonight, they will be heading back to Greensboro to take on sixth-seeded Iowa State, but for the focus on the team is solely on the Bulldogs.
“They're a really good basketball team,” Capel said of tonight’s challenge. “They're tough. They're physical. They're really good defensively. It's going to be a tough challenge for us.”
