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If anyone thinks that beating Duke has lost some of its prestige, let Jeff Capel tell you about the 1994-1995 Blue Devils.
“I was on the last team (Duke) not to make the tournament (NCAA),” he said. “And even though there were 2 to 14 of us – we could smell – people still stormed the court when they beat us.
“It’s still Duke. It does not matter.
After dropping out of the Associated Press’s Top 25 Monday for the first time since 2016 (91 straight weeks), Duke (5-3, 3-1 ACC) meets Pitt (7-2, 3-1) at 9 p.m. Tuesday in Petersen Events Center on a national ESPN broadcast.
Playing against Duke and legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski is special for Capel and his players.
“It resonates with everyone,” Capel said. “It’s Duke. It is the gold standard of college basketball. As long as he’s on the sidelines, that will be it. I don’t care what their record is.
“It’s one of my dream games,” said Pitt first-year goalie Femi Odukale. “I’ve always wanted to play against Duke.”
Junior Au’Diese Toney, who scored 27 points last season at Cameron Indoor Stadium, is not impressed with the Blue Devils, who have won five national championships. But he admits, “I feel like we’re bringing more to the game than usual.”
Capel is 0-2 to Duke, losing by 15 and 12 points the past two seasons.
“It’s not like it’s the first time, but it’s still different,” Capel said of training against Krzyzewski. “He had an impact on my life, just me as a man, besides my dad, more than anyone.
What did Capel learn from Krzyzewski?
“Nothing is given,” said Capel, who has played and trained with him. “You have to learn it. People forget, that’s what (Duke) is based on, fighting.
Capel said Krzyzewski felt this early in his career when his neighbors from North Carolina and NC State, Dean Smith and Jim Valvano, won the national championships in 1982 and 1983.
“So this program had to fight,” Capel said. “That’s what I’ve tried to take everywhere I’ve been, is you have to fight, you have to win it and you have to do it everyday.
Krzyzewski will send a younger team to the floor than in previous seasons.
“They haven’t been dominant like some of the previous Duke teams,” Capel said, noting that the team’s expectations are immense. “Often, you are not allowed to go slow. You are considered very different nationally because of history.
Tuesday’s game will be the first in more than a month for Duke’s Jalen Johnson, a preseason All-ACC selection who has missed the last three games with a foot injury. Johnson is one of the top freshmen in the country and is expected to be drafted No.8 in the 2021 NBA Draft, according to Bleacher Report.
The game will also feature the ACC’s two top scorers: Duke’s Matthew Hurt (19.6 points per game) and Pitt’s Justin Champagnie (18.7), the conference’s co-player of the week after winning scored 24 against Syracuse in his first game in a month.
“Hurt is as good as anyone in our league and playing at a very, very high level,” said Capel.
Krzyzewski immediately pulled on Champagnie, who led the ACC in rebound (12.9). “He’s as good a rebounder as there is, maybe all over the country.”
He said Pitt’s success this season came as no surprise to him.
“Jeff is building a program there, not just a team,” Krzyzewski said. “They are difficult for everyone.
“He does exactly what he was hired to do, create a great basketball program in a place that has a great tradition of basketball.
“You ask those Big East guys how good they were.”
NOTES: The ACC has changed playing times for two Pitt games next month. Pitt’s game against NC State on February 17 at the Petersen Events Center will begin at 4:30 pm The prediction for the game in Virginia on February 24 has been moved to 6:30 pm Both games will be televised by ACC.
Get the latest news on Pitt basketball and all things Panthers athletics.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Jerry by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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