For all the cranky comments about the progress of the Pitt basketball team, or the perceived lack of it, the fledgling Panthers find themselves with a golden opportunity Sunday to win over some of those “Doubting Thomases.”

Or “Debbie Downers,” as coach Jeff Capel referred to his team’s detractors Friday during a segment on 93.7 FM.

At least, for now.

Despite blowing a 16-point lead and losing at home to Wake Forest a week ago, Pitt (11-4, 2-2) still sports a good record after halting its 22-game ACC road losing streak with Wednesday’s 73-65 victory at North Carolina. The Panthers can enhance it with another road success at 6 p.m. on Sunday at Miami (9-5, 1-3).

The trick, of course, is fighting off those usual urges to make excuses that arise this time of year. Excuses such as there are too many games, too much travel and too little time.

“I feel like Pitt fans, Pittsburgh fans can be ‘Debbie Downers,’ ” Capel told the station. “A little bit insecure at times, because something positive happens, then all of a sudden, you’re looking for the negative. That’s been a little bit shocking to me.”

What’s not been shocking — at least not to Capel — is the Panthers’ resilient demeanor.

Capel, who this week received a two-year contract extension through the 2026-27 season, is watching closely his players’ approach to the rest of the season — one game at a time.

He sees improvement in the play of many, and it’s something that excites him.

On Friday at Petersen Events Center, after the Panthers’ latest preparation for Miami, Capel was cautious in discussing his team’s bounce-back following the day off.

“Guys were excited today,” he said. “We’ve practiced hard all year. We’ve had a good attitude, but we’ve got to have the right attitude and know the requirements of becoming a good team. And that’s being able to show up every day at a high level.”

Sophomore guard Xavier Johnson wanted anyone and everyone to know it, too. Johnson, whose play of late has picked up, is eager to see if the Panthers can stay on the winning side.

“I’m getting better each and every game,” Johnson said. “My main job is to lead. I think I’m doing the right thing right now by just leading the team and (hopefully) getting wins.”

Johnson has rebounded from a slow start to become one of just three ACC players who average at least 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists, joining Tre Jones of Duke and Markell Johnson of N.C. State.

Xavier Johnson enters the Miami game averaging 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

He and fellow sophomore guard Trey McGowens form the motor that powers Pitt’s attack, Capel said, on offense and on defense.

“X struggled early, and he’s gotten better,” Capel said of Johnson. “He’s not putting as much pressure on himself. He’s settled in and focused on leading this team, being a good practice player, creating those winning habits.”

With a young team, in particular a young backcourt, Capel said it’s all about making the right plays.

“It’s not about being a facilitator, per se,” he said. “Whatever the play is, sometimes that’s a drive all the way to the basketball, a pass, being able to read defenses and understanding what they’re trying to do and then adjusting to it, making the play that’s in front of you.”

McGowens filled the stat sheet in Pitt’s come-from-behind victory on Wednesday in Chapel Hill, N.C., with a game-high 24 points to go with six rebounds, a career-high eight assists and four steals.

Justin Champagnie scored 22 points, and Johnson added 17 for the Panthers.

McGowens, Capel said, “did an outstanding job” of making those crucial plays the coach referred to as being “in front of you.

“He mixed scoring, but he really did a good job of attacking and finding open guys and just making simple plays. For him and Xavier, the two guys that do it for us, it goes hand-in-hand,” Capel said. “All our guys have to understand how much they need each other. That’s something we’ve talked about since the beginning of the season.”

It’s a sort-of-togetherness feeling Capel hopes will catch on with each practice and each game.

“After the UNC game,” Johnson said, “I told everyone that (Capel) sent me a little mini-clip of ‘The Lion King’ after I made a mistake against Wake Forest. It said something like, ‘You either run from your mistakes or learn from them.’ I told him I was going to learn from them, and we’re going to turn this program around.”

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