I'm just gonna leave this here:
That's Pitt freshman Justin Champagnie scoring a career-high 30 points Saturday in the Panthers' 73-64 win over Georgia Tech, fueling his squad to a 15-9 record on the year and a 6-7 mark in ACC play. And it's not just that Champagnie was scoring the ball. It's how he scored the ball: Dunks, threes, baseline layups, putbacks on the offensive glass — Champagnie did it all on this afternoon at Petersen Events Center.
“I just felt like I was flying," Champagnie was saying at the podium post-game.
Then he said something even more important.
"I could’ve made some more — the one to get him [points to Trey McGowens one seat over] his 10th assist, but I just felt good," he continued. "I was flowing. I was doing what I’m supposed to do.”
Catch it?
Let's run another example for you, because Champagnie's performance after the game was just as impressive as his work on the hardwood on this Saturday in the Steel City. After Gerald Drumgoole replaced him late in the game, Champagnie received a standing ovation from the rowdy crowd on-hand, and Jeff Capel pulled him in for a hug and some words of encouragement before he took his seat on the bench.
The Pete was rockin', and it was all for the freshman.
“I mean, it was a great moment for me," Champagnie said. "It’s also a real big confidence booster."
But ...
"At the same time, it’s on to the next game," Champagnie added. "I can’t just dwell on me having a good game this game. My teammates expect me to play good.”
Boom.
There it is. Champagnie, in both instances, was quick to offer either a critique of his game or to mention how he needs to move on from this 30-point, nine-rebound, two-steal, one-block, zero-turnover showing. Forget that he was the only Panther knocking down shots consistently — he went 12 for 17 from the field (3 for 4 from three) and a perfect 3 for 3 from the free-throw line. For context, the team shot 42 percent overall and 31 percent — 5 for 16 — from three. Eliminate Champagnie, and those numbers plummet.
So there were reasons for smiles and for soaking it all in — which Champagnie did, to be clear. But he also showcased a sense of awareness, understanding that his journey doesn't end here. Hell, it's barely begun.
"As long as he’s willing to work — which I think he will [be] — then he has a chance to continue to get better," Capel was saying of Champagnie.
Even Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner got in on the praise.
"One thing is, he [Champagnie] can really shoot the ball because he’s spacing the floor," Pastner said. "That middle shot is a hard shot. It’s not an easy shot … It’s a tougher shot, and he made some tough ones. He’s a good basketball player. And he had some big offensive rebounds too."
That offensive rebounding — Champagnie led the Panthers with four — might just overshadow the scoring for me today, especially when you consider the one at the end of that gif up there. It's the same one in the photo atop this article. You know, the one where Champagnie looks possessed and willing to do whatever it takes to secure the ball among a swarm of Yellow Jackets.
“I just knew the big wasn’t going to move," Champagnie was saying of the play. "He was going to just go for the rebound. I just kind of picked it apart and got the rebound.”
That sequence came with 2:30 left in the game, Pitt up seven and looking to ice their fourth consecutive ACC win at home. Xavier Johnson missed the jumper, but there was Champagnie, crashing and scoring, because of course he was. This was his day, and seemingly everything he did on the court netted a positive result.
I asked him if anything felt different before the game, if he knew there was something special brewing:
“Nah, I just had a conversation with coach after the Notre Dame game," Champagnie said. "He was just like [telling me] I had 20 [points] and 11 [rebounds] and I only played basically in the second half. I only woke up in the second half. He just told me to come out here and bring the energy and don’t have an on and off switch. Just come out from the jump and just play, play my game and everything will come to me. So that’s what I did.”
Smart. Talented. Grounded.
And coachable too?
That won't be Champagnie's last 30-point effort in the blue and gold. Bet on it.
• As much as the story of this game centers around Champagnie and everything he did offensively, you gotta give it up for Pitt's defense in this one, too. They forced 22 turnovers, with virtually every player getting in on the action. Johnson and McGowens tied for the team lead with three steals apiece, but every player who logged time besides Drumgoole had a steal and/or a block. And even in his case:
"I thought this was Gerald's best game," Capel said. "And it’s coming off of some good things he did against Notre Dame."
Making this stat even more impactful, Pitt turned the ball over just eight times.
Many fans will point to Johnson's atrocious day scoring the ball: He shot just 2 for 10, including 0 for 2 from three. Only his 7-for-8 showing at the charity stripe saved him and allowed him to score in double digits with 11. But when you file that away and look at the rest, this was actually one of Johnson's best games of the year.
He tallied seven assists, zero turnovers, those three steals and three rebounds, all while playing all 40 minutes and picking up just two fouls. That last part is crucial, too, as Pitt was down Ryan Murphy (concussion) and Onyebuchi Ezeakudo (ankle) in this one. Had Johnson and/or McGowens found themselves in foul trouble, there wasn't much left to replace them.
This was a smart, effective game from Johnson, if not the scoring outburst fans want and expect.
• My game ball for Pitt goes to ... come on. I don't really need to say it. It's Champagnie. But the runner-up is absolutely Terrell Brown, who put up nine points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 18 minutes.
"I thought Terrell got off to a really good start and played with energy and did some really good things," Capel said.
Brown's playing time was shortened by foul trouble throughout, though, and he eventually fouled out on a phantom call with five minutes to play. That call sent the fans — and Capel — into a frenzy. Not only did Brown foul out, but Capel was called for a technical foul, allowing Jose Alvarado to step to the free-throw line and narrow Pitt's lead to three, 57-54.
“Coach always tells us ‘Don’t react’ but he kind of reacted," Champagnie said with a laugh after the game.
Brown's foul also occurred while James Banks III was shooting, so he had two free throws of his own after Alvarado connected on his. In true "ball don't lie" fashion, though, Banks missed them both.
Still, that sequence almost spelled disaster for Pitt, and Capel took full blame for allowing it to escalate.
“Well, I’m grateful to our guys, because that was really stupid of me," Capel said. "It was something that was not smart, and it could have cost us the game. Next time we got to a timeout shortly after that, the first thing I did was I apologized to them. But those guys stepped up and made plays. Again, I thought the building got even more energetic during that time.”
• Capel has a point there. The crowd hated the call on Brown, and the energy level kicked up significantly. From there, Pitt scored three unanswered points, pushing their lead back out to six, before settling down and taking over late. Just as it seemed Georgia Tech had clawed its way back — they closed a nine-point Panthers lead to tie the game at 52 moments before — Pitt calmed down, ran its offense, made smart decisions and earned the win.
That's growth.
"We just came together as a whole," McGowens said of his team's finish. "The crowd helped for sure down the stretch.”
“I felt like it kind of sparked us a little bit," Champagnie added.
• This was awesome. My dude TJ stepped up and annihilated the fast-play challenge, winning $110 in lottery tickets in the process:
TJ JUST WON $110 OF FAST PLAY TICKETS WHICH DOESN’T SEEM NEARLY GOOD ENOUGH BUT WOOOOOOO #dkps #unleash pic.twitter.com/XdWodixrE5
— Hunter Alek Homistek (@HunterAHomistek) February 8, 2020
The prize seems a little light given what he had to do, but he just earned some serious bragging rights there. He went 4 for 6 in all, hitting the half-court shot on his first attempt and with 10 seconds to spare.
Solid.
• On the other side, Michael Devoe put up an impressive 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting alongside seven assists, but he also led the team in turnovers with eight. Tough to feel too good about your game when you tally more turnovers than assists — especially when you register seven helpers.
“Early in the game, we should’ve been up, maybe, 16-4," Pastner was saying of his team's troubles in protecting the ball. "But it’s just turnover after turnover that allowed them to hang around and then they were able to tie the game and take the lead.”
• Capel drops post-game gems from time to time, and he certainly did that after this win, discussing what it means to be an effective leader and to have one-on-one conversations with his players. Enjoy:
• Pitt's now 15-9 and 6-7 in ACC play this year with seven games remaining. That win total eclipses their 14 wins last season, and Pastner wasn't shy with his assessment of the Panthers' trajectory as a program.
“I think Pittsburgh’s really good," he said. "They have a really good team. I think they’re very well-coached. I think they play hard, and I think you have to give Coach Capel and his staff a lot of credit. And I think they’re really good this year and I think they’re going to be really, really good next season. I would be surprised if preseason rankings next year — there are a lot of games [left] this year — but if they’re not one of those teams that’s preseason top three or four picked in the ACC.”
• Pitt's six wins in ACC play is the team's most since 2015-16, and they've won four straight ACC contests at home for the first time since 2014-15.
• The Panthers are now 8-6 in games decided by 10 points or fewer — and 11 of their conference games to this point fall into that category.
• Pitt recorded 16 assists on 24 field goals, and McGowens had nine, while Johnson had the other seven. Yep. Those two had every assist for the Panthers today.
• Brown started over Hamilton, although Capel insisted there was nothing to read into there. Just wanted to go with Brown instead.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE STARTING LINEUPS
For Capel's Panthers:
Xavier Johnson, guard
Trey McGowens, guard
Au'Diese Toney, guard
Justin Champagnie, forward
Terrell Brown, center
And for Pastner's Yellow Jackets:
Michael Devoe, guard
Jose Alvarado, guard
Jordan Usher, forward
Moses Wright, forward
James Banks III, center
THE SCHEDULE
Pitt stays home for a 9 p.m. tip Wednesday against Clemson. I'll be there for all the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our team page for everything.
