Analysis: Jeff Capel will need all his resources to shake Pitt out of its 2-game slump

No one inside or outside Petersen Events Center knows the Pitt basketball team better than Jeff Capel, its seventh-year coach.

Yet it was fair for reporters — and anyone else watching at The Pete or from afar — to wonder why Capel did not use anyone on his bench for the final 17 minutes, 34 seconds of the Panthers’ 82-78 loss to Louisville on Saturday.

Strange, partially because Capel often goes out of his way to praise his reserves. But Jaland Lowe, Ishmael Leggett, Zack Austin, Damian Dunn and Cam Corhen stayed on the floor for most of the second half.

Capel, in fact, benched starter Guillermo Diaz Graham, who played less than 10 minutes overall and missed his only shot attempt.

When Capel was asked if fatigue might have played a part in the loss, Capel answered with a terse “No.”

He didn’t say, “Next question,” but there was no need. He clearly believed what he did was best, and he had no interest in discussing or defending his decision.

But here are the facts:

Louisville hit nine of its final 11 shots (81.8%) after the score was tied 62-62 with 6:43 left in the game. If Pitt’s players were tired, you would never know it by their perfection at the free-throw line. No tired arms for Austin and Leggett (each 2 for 2) and Lowe (3 for 3), knocking down clutch free throws late in a tight game.

Pitt scored 24 points in the final nine minutes, which (if you do the math) is approximately a 100-point pace. But Louisville repeatedly beat Pitt to rebounds and open spots on the floor. Reyne Smith, the Australian guard who ended up with 25 points, hit two 3-pointers and a layup in a span of 5:28 to maintain Louisville’s slim lead.

Now that Pitt is in the midst of the ACC grind, Capel has found his best players, and he is reluctant to take them off the floor in close games. Most coaches do the same, and Dunn’s return from injury cements Capel’s thinking. He scored 15 points with a team-high eight rebounds in more than 30 minutes.

Before the game, Capel wondered out loud if Corhen had played too many minutes (37:27) against Duke. But Corhen was on the floor for 35:34 against Louisville. Is that less-than-two-minute difference the rest Capel was seeking for the 6-foot-10 Corhen, who contributed only three rebounds and zero points in the second half?

Other than freshman Brandin Cummings’ nearly 38 minutes against California when he started and scored 15 points while Dunn was still out, reserves are playing significantly less in ACC games. Capel turned to Cummings for only 7:02, redshirt freshman Papa Kante for 2:35 and junior Jorge Diaz Graham for 1:25 on Saturday.

Kante didn’t play at all against Duke, and freshman Amsal Delalic didn’t get off the bench in the past two games while he transitions from international basketball. Even Guillermo Diaz Graham has been less active, starting but participating for a total of 21 minutes in the Duke and Louisville games.

Capel isn’t interested in revealing how and how often he plans to deploy his players going forward. But it’s a long season, and the bench needs to play a significant role in the final 15 ACC games, plus the postseason. Capel knows that.

Pitt (12-4, 3-2) has lost two games in a row for the first time this season, and a road test at Florida State is Wednesday night.

The Seminoles (11-5, 2-3) will be a less formidable foe than what Duke and Louisville presented, but they are 4-2 since an overtime loss at N.C. State on Dec. 7. They lost to Louisville at home 90-76 and at Clemson on Saturday, 77-57.

Florida State is 6-2 at home this season, but Pitt has won its past two games at Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla.

Dunn said he expects a reversal of fortune.

“We’ve done it before,” he said. “We’re built for it.”

Capel was clearly unhappy after the loss Saturday, but he said, “It’s not all doom and gloom right now.”

“We’ve been good all year. I believe in our guys.”

Presumably, that includes everyone.