Jeff Capel Defends Final Play Call from Miami Loss
PITTSBURGH -- After the Pitt Panthers fell just short of a comeback win on the road against the Miami Hurricanes, questions were raised about Jeff Capel's play call on the final possession of the game.
The Panthers took possession of the ball down two points and called a timeout with just over 10 seconds left, allowing Capel to bring his team together and draw up a play that gave his guys the best opportunity to either send the game to overtime or clinch a victory in the closing seconds.
Pitt opted to put the ball in Jaland Lowe's hands, who was red-hot and had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the second half up to that point. With Norchad Omier defending him on the wing, Lowe identified the mismatch and went up for a three-pointer but was blocked as Miami closed out the game.
While the replay suggested that Lowe should've been sent to the free throw line with a chance to tie or win it, some wondered why the Panthers didn't call Blake Hinson's number or go in a different direction with the game on the line.
Capel provided rationale for the call after the game, stating that he believes the ball belongs in a guard's hands in that type of situation and that Hinson was still involved to some extent.
"I think in that situation, you have to have the ball in a guard’s hand," Capel said. "Blake is not a guard for us, so a guard has to be the guy to make a decision in that situation. They switched the ball screen, [Jaland] saw a matchup, Blake was obviously an option in that play, but you know, a guard has to have the ball in that situation to initiate what we’re trying to get into."
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