The Pitt basketball team returns to action tonight with another big test. The Panthers head to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the 24th ranked Duke Blue Devils. Pitt is coming off of 75-74 defeat to Clemson on Saturday and will be looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since November.
Duke entered the year ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP Top 25, but the Blue Devils have had some growing pains under first year head coach Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils are 12-4 on the season and have not been playing the best basketball of late. There have been recent losses to Wake Forest and NC State, and they narrowly escaped with a one-point win over Boston College on Saturday.
Despite the struggles, Duke is extremely talented. Kyle Fililowski is one of the top freshman in America and leads the team in scoring at 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. The Blue Devils will be without second leading scorer and starting point guard Jeremy Roach for the game this evening as he is dealing with a toe injury.
Pitt enters the game as an underdog, but despite that the Panthers are ahead of Duke in the ACC standings. The Panthers have been one of the surprise teams in the league and already owns victories over powers like North Carolina and Virginia.
Can Pitt notch another impressive early season victory? The Panther-Lair.com staff gives their picks.
Stephen Gertz (11-5): I do not think this Duke Blue Devils team is very good, but I do think they have a lot of size. If there was one thing that I think the Clemson Tigers exposed in the Pittsburgh Panthers, it is that athletic players with some size are going to give them problems around the basket. Pitt may still have an edge in the backcourt, but Duke is going to hit them with waves upfront and we have not seen the Panthers bounce back on the road yet. This is obviously no ordinary road destination either. I can see the Blue Devils hitting the offensive glass hard, something they do better than all but four teams in the country in terms of percentage. They are also holding teams under 30% on three-pointers on the season. That is not a good combination for Pitt.
Prediction: Duke 75, Pitt 70
Houston Wilson (10-6): Another big game for Pitt tonight as they travel to Duke and try to get another top 25 win under their belt. Pitt has been able to get a couple of road ACC wins this year but obviously playing in Cameron will be the toughest challenge they have faced yet. I think there is a big advantage to Pitt because of the older age of some of their players whereas Duke is going to be relying on a lot of youth. Because of Pitt's age and experience, I think that is an advantage for them but it is hard to win on the road at Cameron. I think this could go down to the final possession with Duke winning.
Prediction: Duke 82, Pitt 79
Matt Steinbrink (8-8): This is a very tricky one to pick. Duke has been really good at home, a different team really. However, it has mostly been with their point guard Jeremy Roach. Without him, the offense is even more challenged. It is a very good defensive team with an incredible amount of length that will challenge you on the glass. It likely sets up as a physical game that will see both teams go through scoring droughts. Duke has an incredible size advantage in this one, so it will be interesting to see how Pitt handles it. Right now, Pitt is just playing better basketball. The mystique and environment at Cameron Indoor is the wildcard. Pitt finally has an experienced team, so can they remain composed and pull it off? Pitt is surprisingly a 9 point dog in Vegas at the moment, which is surprising. I don't think there is a question that Pitt covers and shows well in a competitive game. They can definitely pull this one off if they stay composed and avoid live ball turnovers. With such an experienced back court, I think that bodes well.
Prediction: Pitt 71, Duke 67
Jim Hammett (9-7): Duke has not looked much like the preseason top 10 team they were billed to be of late, but despite that Pitt is still around an 8.5 underdog heading into tonight. The Panthers have been exceeding expectations early on this season with a 4-1 start in league play. The strength behind that good start has been driven by the play of its veteran guards like Jamarius Burton and Nelly Cummings. When looking at this Duke roster, especially with Jeremy Roach expected to be out, I think Pitt can have an advantage in the backcourt. Duke presents problems with their size and pro potential, but as we saw the other day without Roach they committed 15 turnovers and almost lost to Boston College. I don't know if Pitt goes into Cameron Indoor tonight and comes out with a win, but I do think they cover and make it a close game.
Prediction: Duke 72, Pitt 68
Chris Peak (11-5): There’s no question about Duke’s size advantage in tonight’s game, but there’s also a difference between size and physicality, and that might be an important distinction tonight. Jeff Capel said Monday that Clemson is the most physical team Pitt has faced and that he doesn’t think Duke has the Tigers’ physicality; there’s no question Duke’s size will be a challenge for Pitt, but if the problem last Saturday was physicality more than size, then maybe there will be some openings for the Panthers tonight. I really think this game comes back to Pitt’s strengths, which lie in the back court. If Nelly Cummings can bounce back and Jamarius Burton can continue doing what he’s been doing, then this is a winnable game. Obviously Pitt will need high-level play from Blake Hinson, a few timely three-pointers from Greg Elliott and the now-expected spark off the bench from Nike Sibande. But I think Cummings and Burton step into the spotlight tonight and Pitt’s backcourt advantage outweighs Duke’s front-court advantage.
Prediction: Pitt 74, Duke 73
