The Blue Devils stay on the road and look to rebound as they face the Pitt Panthers at Peterson Events Center Tuesday.
Pitt Panthers
Jeff Capel is in his eighth year at Pitt. Capel is a former Duke player and assistant coach, spending seven seasons on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff (2011-18). A four-year starter for the Blue Devils from 1993-97, Capel was a two-time team captain. The Panthers enter the week with a 9-15 record and a conference record of 2-9. The Panthers have three double-figure scorers, topped by Brandin Cummings (12.5 ppg) and Cameron Corhen (12.3 ppg).
Last Time Out:
SMU used a blistering second-half shooting performance to pull away from Pitt for an 86-67 victory Saturday afternoon at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers (9-15, 2-9 ACC) hung close throughout a competitive first half before the Mustangs (16-7, 5-5 ACC) opened the second half with a 9-0 run and never looked back, shooting 70.4 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes to earn the win. SMU finished the game at 57.1 percent (32-of-56) from the field, including an efficient 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) performance from three-point range.
Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils are coming off a 35-4 season that saw them within a game of a title shot. Duke went 19-1 in conference, winning both the regular season and the ACC Tournament.
The Blue Devils welcome in a number 1 recruiting class after their Final Four run. Jon Scheyer after losing his entire starting lineup to the NBA but retaining core pieces with experience. Leading Duke are experienced returners senior big Maliq Brown and junior guard Caleb Foster, both instrumental pieces in Duke’s run this past season. Duke also returned 3 members from last season’s freshman class in hot-shooting Isaiah Evans, who shot a team-high 41.6%. Duke also brings back Darren Harris, who has reshaped his body in hopes for a larger role, and Patrick Ngongba, who similarly has reshaped his frame, coming into this season healthy.
The Blue Devils enter the week with a 21-2 overall record and a 10-1 record in conference. The Blue Devils lead the ACC and are seventh nationally in scoring margin (+19.5). Duke tops the conference and ranks 10th in the country in rebounding margin (+9.9). The Blue Devils rank ninth in the nation and first in the ACC in scoring defense (63.9 ppg). Cameron Boozer is the nation’s second-leading scorer with an ACC-high 23.3 points per game, and tops the ACC in rebounding (10.0 rpg), is sixth in steals (1.8 spg), 12th in assists (4.0 apg) and fifth in field goal percentage (.576). Boozer has recorded at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 23 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men’s or women’s) at any point in a Division I career this century. (OptaSTATS)
Cameron Boozer leads the Blue Devils in scoring at 23 points per game, and he leads the Blue Devils in rebounding at 10 per contest. In addition, averaging a double-double, Boozer leads the Blue Devils in assists at 4 per game. Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba both are averaging double figures for Jon Scheyer’s team at 14 and 10.7 points per game, respectively.
Last Time Out:
A three-pointer with less than a second remaining lifted No. 14 North Carolina (19-4, 7-3 ACC) past No. 4 Duke, 71-68, on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Blue Devils (21-2, 10-1 ACC) suffered their first conference loss, while Cameron Boozer led all players in scoring with 24 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Dame Sarr and Isaiah Evans also scored in double-figures with 13 and 11, respectively. Caleb Foster paced the team in assists with three helpers.
Final Thoughts
The Blue Devils are looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss at UNC. Keeping their minds on the present will be a huge part of tonights matchup. The coaching staff is once again coaching against human nature with trying to make sure this team doesn’t let missed opportunities from there last game effect this game. Pitt isn’t a good team but even teams that aren’t good teams win against better teams. Duke has to establish themselves early and often and knock the Panthers out of this game. This game could be a blowout or it could be a nail biter depending on Duke’s mindset. I am anxious to see.
