Virginia coach Tony Bennett doesn't mind showing off his Pittsburgh roots

Tony Bennett couldn’t help himself. He’s proud of his father, proud of his father’s Pittsburgh roots and he doesn’t mind letting people know it.

The Virginia coach’s connection to Pittsburgh largely is limited to an 11-1 record against Pitt since the Panthers joined the ACC in 2014. But after answering a question from a Pittsburgh reporter Monday on the ACC coaches’ conference call, he proudly announced, “My father grew up in McKees Rocks.”

His father is Dick Bennett, a decorated former collegiate coach who once said his toughness and work ethic grew out of the neighborhoods of McKees Rocks. He used to brag to his son about sneaking into Pirates games at Forbes Field.

Too bad reality will set in, and the younger Bennett will have no time to catch up with family when he hits town for Wednesday’s game against Pitt at Petersen Events Center.

Like Pitt coach Jeff Capel, Bennett is knee-deep in basketball while trying navigate a difficult ACC season in which there are no great teams beyond No. 6 Duke and only 1½ games separate the top eight in the standings.

Bennett, who led Virginia to the 2019 national championship a year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 in the NCAA Tournament, is warning his players to prepare to be in tight battles on a regular basis.

Virginia (10-7, 4-3 ACC) has lost two of its past three games. Its four ACC victories have come by a combined 18 points. That includes a 57-56 victory Dec. 3 against Pitt, a game the Panthers (7-10, 2-4) led by four with 25 seconds left.

“I told our guys, embrace this in the ACC this year,” Bennett said Monday. “If you’ll play focused and intense and as well as you can for as long as you can, you’re going to be in a lot of close possession games. But if you’re not right, that’s where separation occurs for us.

“It’s just the reality of this league and the parity in it and where we’re at, too.”

Of the 18 games Pitt and Virginia have played since they met in Charlottesville, Va., last month, 11 have been decided by single digits.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of difference in the talent (among ACC teams),” Capel said. “I think all these teams have really good players. There are some elite players. I think there are really, really good coaches in this league.

“I think the margin for error is very small for anyone. I always felt that way. Even if you’re really, really good, there’s still a fine line. Teams that can minimize their mistakes and follow whatever gameplan that you have, you give yourself the best chance to win.”

The roller-coaster nature of Virginia’s season is reflected in recent efforts by its 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Jayden Gardner, whose fall-away shot with .9 seconds left bounced on the rim three times before falling through the cords to beat Pitt. Gardner, the Cavaliers’ leading scorer at 14 points per game, scored 29 and 23 in victories against Fairleigh Dickinson and Clemson, but was held to four and nine last week against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

The games are close in part because both teams are schooled in playing solid defense. Virginia leads the ACC in fewest points allowed per game (58.6), and Pitt is third (64.9).

“In order to play for Tony, you have to be good defensively,” Capel said.

That’s been true for a long time. Pitt has scored 50 or fewer points in seven of the 12 games it has played against Bennett’s teams since 2014.

But the loss to Virginia this season might have been the trigger that reversed Pitt’s fortunes. The Panthers were 2-6 after that game, but they won five of their next nine.

“We played with a toughness and togetherness. I thought that was the most together we had been,” Capel said.

“I thought we defended well for the most part. I thought offensively we were able to create some opportunities, and guys stepped up and made some plays.”

But simple acts —such as failure to grab a late rebound, secure a loose ball or make a safe in-bounds pass — led to the defeat.

“It was a bunch of almosts,” Capel said. “That’s what we have to get past.”