THE TAKING OF THE BOARDS
Pitt is faced with the challenge Wednesday night of trying to neutralize one of the best rebounders in Division I in Notre Dame’s John Mooney — a task that hardly plays to a Panthers strength.
Jeff Capel doesn’t believe in luck. But he does think Pitt was fortunate when it faced
Notre Dame last year.
Capel’s Panthers defeated
Mike Brey’s
Fighting Irish,
56-53, on March 9, 2019. Pitt ended its 13-game losing streak as Trey McGowens tallied 16 points and Xavier Johnson chipped in 10. But the most striking stat from the box score that day was John Mooney’s 1 of 11 showing from the field. Mooney, a two-year starter and reliable post presence for the Irish, averaged 14.1 points per game last season.
His poor performance was an aberration, one Pitt welcomed then — and one Capel isn’t necessarily banking on Wednesday when his Panthers play Notre Dame.
“I don’t know if it was much of what we did [last year], to be honest with you. I just think we got fortunate,” Capel said on Monday’s ACC coaches conference call ahead of Pitt’s trip to South Bend, Ind. “He missed a lot of shots that he normally makes. Sometimes that can get you a little frustrated, gets you a little anxious . ... Hopefully we can be fortunate again on Wednesday.”
Considering Mooney’s recent form, it’ll be a tall task.
Since the new year started, Mooney has averaged 18.9 points per game. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound senior tied a career-high with 28 points in Notre Dame’s 80-72 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday. And on the season, Mooney’s 16.5 points per game ranks fifth in the ACC, as of Tuesday after- noon.
outstanding offensive player,” is shooting at a 45.8% clip from the field this season and 35.1% from three over his last two seasons. He’s a threat from anywhere on the floor — but the forward’s an even better rebounder.
Mooney’s 13.2 boards per game ranks second in the country, behind only Quinnipiac’s Kevin Marfo. No disrespect to Marfo and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, but the case can be made that Brey’s big man is college basketball’s best rebounder. Mooney’s 12.7 rebounds in ACC play alone outpaces everyone in the country but Marfo, and his 3.8 offensive rebounds per game rank third among Power 5 players.
Interestingly, Pitt has already faced the second-most prolific Power 5 offensive rebounder: West Virginia’s Oscar Tshiebwe. The 6-foot-9 Kennedy Catholic product bodied the Panthers for 17 boards in the Mountaineers’ win on Nov. 15.
Pitt freshman Justin Champagnie said other than Tshiebwe, Pitt hasn’t studied film on anyone who rebounds like Mooney.
“You see how aggressive he is. He’s an energy kind of player, grabbing boards and doing all the dirty work. In order for us to win, we’ve got to take him out of his own groove,” Champagnie said. “Keeping him off the glass is the main thing. That’s his point of emphasis on the court is rebounding the ball for Notre Dame. So we have to box him out and key in on him when he gets in the post.”
“[Mooney is] the best we’ve seen so far this year, the best I’ve seen on tape,” Capel added on Monday morning. “I’ve been up since last night trying to figure out how we can slow him down. And I haven’t figured out anything yet.”
Simply trying to box Mooney out might not be enough.
Pitt, while it showed a bit of promise outrebounding Miami, 40 to 31, in Sunday’s win, ranks 221st in rebounding margin as of Tuesday morning. The Panthers have a few bodies to throw around, rotating between Eric Hamilton and Terrell Brown at center while sprinkling in Abdoul Karim Coulibaly. But those three have combined for 9.0 rebounds per game this season.
When asked how the Panthers can get Mooney out of rhythm, Champagnie — Pitt’s leading rebounder at 6-foot-6 — said: “Limit his touches on the ball and put a lot of pressure on him.”
“He’s a pretty big player,” the swing forward said. “So I feel like if we put a body on him and pressure, he’ll cough the ball up.”
Of course, Pitt’s defensive activity has to disrupt more than just Mooney if Capel’s squad wants to win as a 5.5point underdog. The Fighting Irish’s assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78) leads the ACC, and Brey’s team has averaged 79.6 points per game in its last nine contests.
Brey, whose squad practiced with a 20-second shot clock in the preseason to hammer home a sense of urgency on offense, said he likes how Notre Dame is trending as it prepares for Pitt. “We’re getting down the floor, and we’re going to make plays,” Brey said on Monday’s conference call. “That is what we ride. That’s what the program has ridden.”
And Pitt, which allows the third-fewest points among ACC teams, is riding its stingy, aggressive defense this season. On Wednesday, it’ll need a signature performance against Mooney and the Irish.
“We hang our hat on our defense. We always can rely on our defense to come out there like a bunch of dogs trying get the ball,” Champagnie said. “I feel like our defense is our identity.”