On Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, Jeff Capel’s Pitt Panthers will host Jon Scheyer’s Duke Blue Devils on ESPN at 9 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center.
Let’s dive into the preview for Pitt (10-5, 1-3 ACC) Vs. No. 11 Duke (11-3, 2-1 ACC).
PITT’S OUTLOOK
Pitt is now 10-5 (1-3) after picking up its first ACC win of the year over the weekend in Louisville.
The Panthers earned a nice bounce-back win after falling in two-straight, but against Louisville, it is hard to take much away from the win especially heading into another ranked matchup. This time, the Panthers will play host to Duke as part of the Inaugural Hoops4ALS Men’s Basketball Games. On Jan. 20, Pitt will travel down to Duke to once again face off against the Blue Devils.
Before that second game, let’s take a look at the preview for Tuesday night’s game against Duke.
INJURY REPORT
Pitt guard Ishmael Leggett is a game-time decision for the Panthers, according to Jeff Capel. Leggett injured his shoulder against Syracuse on Dec. 30, and played through the pain against No. 8 North Carolina. He then missed the Louisville game due to the injury and spent a few days with limited action at practice.
Jeff Capel Offers Injury Update on Guard Ish Leggett Ahead of Duke Game
DUKE BLUE DEVILS (11-3, 2-1 ACC)
HEAD COACH
Jon Scheyer (2nd Season)
Scheyer’s Blue Devils are off to a hot start this year with early ranked wins over Baylor and Michigan State. They are currently riding a six-game winning streak, and recently took home a road victory against Notre Dame, winning 67-59 behind 23 points from Mark Mitchell and 18 from Jeremy Roach.
Prior to the win over Notre Dame, the Blue Devils beat Syracuse — a team that has already taken down Pitt — by 20 points.
LEADING SCORERS
#30 Kyle Filipowski – Forward
Filipowski shined for the Blue Devils last season as a freshman, and is back for more in year two of ACC ball. This year, he is averaging 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore, shooting 50% from the field and 31% from three-point range. Both of those numbers are increased compared to his ACC Rookie of the Year shooting numbers from a season ago.
#3 Jeremy Roach – Guard
Roach, the Blue Devils’ back court leader, is averaging 14.8 points per game along with 3.1 assists. He is shooting 52% from the field and 47% from three-point range on the year.
#25 Mark Mitchell – Forward
The 6-foot-9 sophomore is a matchup nightmare for many teams. This year, he has taken a huge leap in production in his sophomore campaign, averaging 12.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game so far this season.
NEWCOMERS
Nearly every year, Duke brings in five-star freshmen to come in and produce right away at the highest level. This year, the Blue Devils have brought in elite freshmen Jared McCain, Caleb Foster, and others.
McCain has started all 14 games in the back court, and is averaging 12.1 points and four rebounds per game. McCain is Duke’s most prolific three-point threat, having made a team-high 32 threes at a 44% clip. Foster has started six games, and is scoring 8.4 points per game.
TEAM STATS
Duke has hit 48.7% of its field-goal attempts this year, including 36.6% of its threes. In addition, the Blue Devils are averaging 36.1 rebounds per game, as well as 16.6 assists, 7.4 steals, 9.2 turnovers, and 4.1 blocks per game as a team.
Pitt is now shooting 43.8% from the field, including 33.8% from three. The Panthers are averaging 41.1 rebounds, 14.9 assists, ten turnovers, 6.7 steals, and five blocks per game.
METRICS
Pitt is ranked No. 54 (one spot lower after win over Louisville) in KenPom.com’s ratings, and No. 53 in the NET rankings (down three spots). Duke is ranked No. 11 in Kenpom.com’s rankings, and No. 18 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
GAME TIME
Pitt Vs. Duke will start at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
SPREAD
Duke is favored by five points in Tuesday night’s game, per DraftKings. The over/under is set at 146.5 total points. Pitt has a record of 8-6-1 against the spread this season, per TeamRankings.com.
TV
You can find Tuesday’s game on ESPN.
Prediction: Duke 83-71
Pitt does not hit 60.
Duke-77, Pitt-59.
Tough matchup .. especially if we aren’t able to hit 3s and make FTs. Based on nothing, I’m going for a Panther upset in this one. Everything comes together and we win a close one. H2P !