Duke returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday night to face another team undefeated in league play, this time against Jeff Capel’s Pitt Panthers. Duke and Pitt have identical 12-2 overall records and are each undefeated in ACC play. Tuesday will be the 27th meeting between Duke and Pitt, with the Blue Devils holding a 17-9 advantage in the series. The Blue Devils have won eight straight games, tied for the fourth-longest active winning streak in the nation.
Pitt Panthers
Jeff Capel and Pitt are coming off of back to back 20 win season and are well on their way to a third. Pitt enters Tuesday with a 3-0 record in the ACC and a 12-2 record overall. Pitt’s biggest win so far out of conference has come against the West Virginia Mountaineers, a game that saw Pitt win 86-62 back in November.
Ishmael Leggett is Pitt’s leading scorer and rebounder at 17.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Jaland Lowe ranks second in the ACC and 17th in the country with 6.1 assists per game, he’s also just behind Leggett in scoring at 17.4 per contest. Junior Cameron Corhen rounds out the double figure scorers for Pitt at 10.9 per game, the 6’10 forward out of Allen, TX also comes in at 5.7 rebounds per game. Pitt ranks 22nd in the nation and leads the ACC in field goal percentage, shooting 49.5% and ranks 26th nationally in both scoring margin (+15.7) and scoring offense (84.1), positioned second and third, respectively, in the ACC.
At the time of publishing this article, it is unknown whether dynamic guard Damian Dunn* will be available for Pitt come Tuesday night. Dunn has been out with a thumb injury, but prior to that was shooting the ball from 3-point range at a 52% clip while scoring 11 points per game.
Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils boast a 12-2 record and are 4-0 in ACC play thus far. The Blue Devils rank fifth in the country in field goal percentage defense (.361), sixth in scoring defense (59.2), eighth in scoring margin (+21.1), and 18th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.67) – all top marks in the ACC. Duke is one of only two teams in the country ranked in the top-10 in both offensive (9th) and defensive efficiency (3rd), according to KenPom. Iowa State is the other team. Jon Scheyer’s team has not allowed more than 65 points to an unranked opponent this season.
Having won for the second time this season the ACC Player and Rookie of the Week honors, Cooper Flagg is leading the Blue Devils in scoring, assists, rebounding and blocked shots. The freshman is scoring 17.4 points and grabbing 8.4 rebounds a game to go along with 3.6 assists. Another freshman, Kon Knueppel is also scoring at a double figure rate at 12.4 points per game he comes in second on the Blue Devils in assists at 2.8 per game and assist to turnover ration of 3.00. Tyrese Proctor rounds out the double figure scorers for the Blue Devils at 11.6 per game, the junior guard is shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc.
Final Thoughts
Jaland Lowe may be the head of the snake for the Panthers, but he is by no means the only means in which they strike. Pitt is a team with some big shot makers. Be it Leggett, Corhen, Lowe or Dunn*, Pitt can heat up in a hurry.
Pitt does a good job of putting pressure on the basket, and that often leads to defenses giving space and Pitt getting better looks from the outside as a result. The guards for Pitt remind me of old Villanova guards, in how they work the ball into the middle, square up and finish with mid-range jumpers. For Duke, defensive discipline has been their identity, and they will need to continue that at home Tuesday.
Some important keys for Duke:
- Be aware of who you can and cannot come off of to double-team
- Get back in transition
- Box out; limit second chance opportunities
- No open looks from 3
