Less than two weeks ago, Duke destroyed Pittsburgh by 35 points. Could Saturday’s game be an even bigger blowout?
TV schedule: Saturday, Jan. 20, 4:00 p.m. ET. ACC Network
Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina
Through the week, there have been very few battles between top 25 opponents. That’s what made Monday’s doubleheader on ESPN between the Blue Devils and Miami all the more intriguing. It looked like the Hurricanes took control of the game in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but a 16-0 run by Duke 16-2 (4-2) gave them the lead and eventually the victory.
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The freshman responsible for the comeback was Gary Trent Jr., who dropped a career-high 30 points, including a number of three-pointers in that big run late in the game. Trent’s production masked Grayson Allen’s continued struggles, as the senior still couldn’t get it going from the field.
Duke will be taking on Pittsburgh 8-11 (0-6), who were competitive yet still fell short of the team’s first ACC win, losing at Syracuse, 59-45. It spoiled a career-high 23 points from Pitt freshman Parker Stewart, who hit seven treys in the game. When the Panthers were down just four points halfway through the second half, that represented the closest the team has been to winning a league game.
That wasn’t the case in the first battle between these teams, as Duke went on an early run to go u double-digits just a couple of minutes into the game. The Blue Devils went on to win the game, with six players scoring in double figures. Marvin Bagley led the way with 16 points and 15 rebounds. On Pitt’s side, junior Jared Wilson-Frame had 17 points, but most were in the second half went the game was already decided.
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Duke is still unlikely to get back reserve bigs Marques Bolden and Javin DeLaurier, as both are still nursing injuries. But the team really don’t need them for this game at home, which should look like the first game, nothing more than a glorified scrimmage.
Prediction: Duke 93 – Pittsburgh 59