The goals for Pitt basketball this season have been consistent, even in the inconsistency of the Panthers’ execution of those goals:

Effort. Energy. Focus. Pride.

Sometimes, Pitt has played with those things. At other times, the Panthers have not.

But those intangible concepts lose a bit of relevance in the face of high-level talent, and No. 4 Duke, with its roster of future NBA players, made the talent differential strikingly clear on Tuesday night when the Blue Devils had little trouble dispatching with the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center.

The final score was 86-56, but in reality, Duke had the game under control from the opening tip. The Blue Devils opened the scoring with one three-pointer and then another, and then another and another, sandwiched around a pair of free throws and a steal-turned-fast-break-dunk by lottery pick Paolo Banchero that led to an early Jeff Capel timeout with Pitt trailing 16-3.

By the end of the half, the Panthers had managed to score just 19 points and trailed Duke by 17.

Then, in the second half, when Pitt’s shots started falling, the defense - what little of it existed in the first half - disappeared. Every time the Panthers managed a basket, every time they found a little offensive success, the Blue Devils had an answer, making clear throughout the night that they were the better team who could and would extend the lead at virtually any point they deemed necessary.

So while Pitt actually outscored Duke through the first 10 minutes of the second half, the advantage was only 23-22 - not nearly as much as the Panthers needed to really cut into the lead. And whenever the Blue Devils wanted to turn up the heat and make sure the Panthers stayed at arm’s length - or further - they had little trouble doing so.

Banchero finished with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting - including 3-of-3 from three - but fellow freshman Trevor Keels stole the show with a game-high 27 points; Keels made 10 of his 15 field goal attempts and hit 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.

For Pitt, John Hugley scored 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Jamarius Burton scored 13 points in 29 minutes, his lowest playing time since joining the starting lineup in late November.

The product on the court didn’t produce much in the way of compelling competition, but the 12,095 in attendance did witness history, as legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski coached the final road game of his 42-year career with the Blue Devils. The win was No. 1,196 in Krzyzewski’s career.

The loss dropped Pitt's record to 11-19 overall and 6-13 In the ACC. The Panthers will finish the regular season Saturday at Notre Dame.