The biggest test of the year is here for this Pitt team. After getting off to a 12-2 start and 3-0 mark in the conference, the Panthers now travel to Duke for their toughest game of the season to date. Duke is the clear favorite to win the league this year, and they have certainly played like it. They are currently 12-2 overall and 4-0 in the ACC against a brutal schedule. They own maybe the best win of the season, have the odds-on favorite to go first overall in the draft, and have lost the two games by a combined 8 points to two top ten teams.

Jon Scheyer has a young group overall, but his back court is experienced and he was able to land the No. 1 overall prospect in the country in Cooper Flagg. It is basically a complete team that has won their last eight games and is coming off a 27-point road win at SMU. A lot of people were starting to believe in SMU as a legitimate ACC team, and Duke absolutely ran through them. For the Blue Devils this season, they have beaten Maine, Army, Wofford, Arizona, Seattle, Auburn, Louisville, Incarnate Word, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and SMU. The two losses have been to Kentucky by 5 and Kansas by 3. Both losses were at a neutral site, so they have not lost at home and will certainly be reminded of Blake Hinson standing on top of their media row.

For Pitt, the path to compete and finish in the top group of the league is certainly reasonable. Now, the question in this one is just how close are they to Duke? Can they be competitive on the road or is Duke alone and distant at this time? Duke has led this series in convincing fashion 17-7 with an average margin of victory of 11.5 points. However, there have certainly been some classic games played between these two teams and Capel has gotten them a couple of times recently. It is always a big story when Jeff Capel returns to Duke, and it will be no different this time around. Pitt does not get Duke at home this year as a repeat opponent, so this is the only chance to measure up in the regular season.

Let's meet the Blue Devils and take a closer look at the matchup.

Tyrese Proctor vs. Jaland Lowe

Duke is a huge team, and it starts with Tyrese Proctor. The 6'5" junior guard is in his third season at Duke now and is playing some of his most efficient ball. The talented and long guard got off to a good start in his career, averaging 9.4 points as a freshman and 10.5 as a sophomore. He is a really good athlete that struggled with consistency and outside shooting at times. Now as a junior, he has made strides. On the season, Tyrese is averaging 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. The biggest area of improvement is from deep, where he has improved from a 32% to 35%, to now, a 42% three point shooter in his third year. He also leads the team with 35 makes from deep in just 14 games. Proctor has always been able to get by defenders and into the paint. Now he is shooting it better than ever from outside. That is a tough thought for opposing defenses. Proctor has a lot of help around him, so his level of aggression can vary at times. He has reached double figures in 11 of the 14 games, but his season high is just 15 points.

Jaland Lowe had a big game at Duke last time and ultimately made the biggest shot of the game to put Duke away. You can believe that the Duke staff will be focused on Lowe. Proctor is a good defender and they have plenty of size to throw at him in waves. Proctor is one of three 6'5" players in the rotation for them, the shortest figure on the team. This should be a great matchup. Lowe is the better set up man and more of a true point guard, but Proctor is an extremely long and athletic point guard that is going to be a terror.

Advantage: Even

Sion James vs. Ishmael Leggett

This spot has been open for Duke thus far. James has been in a direct battle with sophomore Caleb Foster for playing time and starts. James is a transfer player that was at Tulane for four seasons. He has started 114 games out of 128 in his career. Last season was his best at Tulane, when he averaged 14 points and 5.4 rebounds. This season has been up and down for him as he searches for his fit. Sion has reached double figures in five of the 14 games, and that includes 10 vs. Kansas and 11 vs. Louisville. On the year, he is averaging 7.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. From two, he converts 67% of his attempts and 32% from three. He only has 8 threes on the season, so he is not a high volume outside shooter. The 6'5" junior is a physical power guard that is just solid.

Ish Leggett returned against Stanford and played very well for his first time back from the ankle. Hopefully he has his feet under him and feels good, because they are going to need just as big of a game from him in this one. For Pitt to pull off the upset, I think they need a huge game from Leggett here.

Advantage: Pitt

Kon Knueppel vs. Zack Austin

Knueppel was a highly recruited 6'7" wing that was ranked No. 14 overall in the 2024 class. Based on the early returns, he has lived up the hype. He is averaging 12.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Knueppel did not take long to introduce himself, scoring 22 points in his first game against Maine. On the season, he has reached double figures 11 times but that 22-point effort was also his season high. With that being said, he has been extremely steady and consistent for a freshman. Kon had 14 against Kentucky and 13 versus Arizona, as well as 18 at Georgia Tech. So surrounded by plenty of talent, Knueppel is capable of hurting you himself. His name has sort of been forgotten given the fact that Cooper Flagg was in his class, but Scheyer landed quite a 2024 group.

Zack Austin had a really nice game across the board against Stanford. Now the challenge gets a bit steeper. Austin is one of the better glue guys in the entire conference, but the staff may need even more from him in this game.

Advantage: Duke

Cooper Flagg vs. Guillermo Diaz Graham

Flagg was the consensus No. 1 overall prospect in the country last season, and the 6'9" freshman is leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists. The numbers are quite impressive, and the athleticism is even more special. On the season, the young phenom is averaging 17.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He is also recording 1.6 steals and is blocking 1.3 shots per game. Flagg has reached double figures in 11 of his first 14 college games and has produced five double doubles. He even has a seven-assist game. Flagg has shown out against the best of competition thus far, evidenced by his 26 and 11 against Kentucky, 24 and 7 vs. Kansas, and also 22 and 11 vs. Auburn. Flagg is such a tough matchup because he plays and functions like a guard at 6'9, but he can elevate and use his size at any moment. He has a great feel for the game and is so versatile. The hype is justified and Flagg should be in the conversation of being the first overall pick in the NBA Draft this summer.

What an opportunity this is for Guillermo Diaz Graham. This is probably as confident as Guillermo has looked on the court over a long stretch, and now he gets to see what he can do against Flagg. There is really not much to lose here for him in this matchup, and he could really make a name for himself depending on how he fares. Guillermo is actually a bit longer and has a slight height advantage here. He can also dabble a bit on the perimeter for himself. Stylistically, Flagg is who Guillermo would ideally model his game after and aspire to be. Flagg is just such a unique prospect that is not only long and athletic, but what separates him is his feel for the game and advanced skill set at that age.

Advantage: Duke

Khaman Maluach vs. Cameron Corhen

Maluach is another quietly impressive freshman from that monster 2024 recruiting class. Malauch is the one that allows for Flagg to play at his natural position at the 4. Khaman is a 7'2" freshman averaging 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in his first season. He also blocks 1.1 shots per game. He is still a bit raw and only has one double-double on the season. That was an 11-point and 14-rebound performance against Army. In the 14 games, Maluach has reached double figure points just five times. He is far from a finished product at this stage, but that is okay when you are 7'2" and not the focal point. His length and presence is a major obstacle for most centers. When Khaman does get the ball inside in the paint area, he is almost automatic at 82% from two. He has shown some touch from the line as well at 75%.

Cam Corhen played quite well against Stanford, and that was an encouraging sign for the Panthers. He has the lateral ability to work around Maluach to the point that he shouldn't have to go over him much. Still, it is always a mental thing in matchups like this. If Cam just plays within himself and does not try to force the issue, he should be fine. Until you actually see that length on the floor though, it is hard to know how players handle it.

Advantage: Even

Bench

Duke is one of the deepest teams in the ACC. They go five or even six deep with sveeral capable players. 6'6" freshman Isaiah Evans leads the way with a 8.5 point average. He was the No. 16 recruit in the 2024 class and is working off of the bench. He has made 26 threes already and is shooting 50% from deep. Evans has produced four double digit scoring games thus far, appearing in 11 games. He scored 18 against Auburn, so you can certainly see the potential. 6'5" sophomore guard Caleb Foster is next in line at 7.1 points. He has started some games this year over Sion James and played plenty last season. Foster was the No. 17 recruit in the 2023 class and is a good player. 6'6" senior Mason Gillis transferred in after four seasons at Purdue. He started 63 out of 132 games for Purdue in the Big 10, with 6.8 points per game being his highest scoring season. He has two double figure scoring games this year and is averaging 4.3 points. It is not much, but he has been a part of some very good teams at Purdue and is a great system player with a ton of experience. Duke is so deep that their ninth player is someone that averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in the ACC last year. 6'8" junior Maliq Brown did just that at Syracuse last season, and now he is averaging 2.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in less action. At center, Duke also has 6'11" freshman Patrick Ngongba to eat some insides as well.

For Pitt, the return of Ishmael Leggett is huge. Now their team is deeper with the freshmen guards having seen more time. Senior Damian Dunn is also close to returning. He went through warm ups on Saturday and is starting to ramp things up. Once he is back, this Pitt team should have a nice bench after all. Regardless though, this Duke team has two athletic scorers with size and two very experienced forwards off the bench.

Advantage: Duke

Jon Scheyer vs. Jeff Capel

This is a very familiar matchup for both coaches. The two spent time together on the Duke bench and are close. Scheyer took over for an absolute legend and he has not missed a beat. A big reason for that is the strength of the program left to him. All of that equity over a long time built the culture and expectations at Duke. The school also handled the transition well, setting the young coach up for success. In his third season, Scheyer is 66-20 overall and went 27-9 in each of his first two seasons. The most surprising part of what Scheyer has done is on the recruiting front. Duke's 2023 class consisted of four five-star prospects. 2024's class consisted of four five-star prospects and two four-star prospects. It continues in the 2025 class as well, with two five stars and two four stars. Scheyer is recruiting at a level that we have not seen consistently, even at Duke. He has had early success and capitalized on it immediately. Scheyer looks to be a perfect fit and should be at the school for a long time. Scheyer's job and platform makes things much easier, but what he is doing on the recruiting trail is insane.

Advantage: Duke