Pittsburgh Basketball has exceeded expectations so far in the ACC coming to this game. Here are the keys for the Panthers to get the upset win against Duke.
When Pittsburgh Basketball 12-6 (3-3) lost by 25 points at home to start conference play this month, the consensus feeling was that they were still a year away from being a competitive team in the ACC and would finish right near the very bottom in the regular season.
It took just four days to change that narrative, with the Panthers defeating Louisville in overtime to win their first ACC game in nearly two years. They then got another win against the No. 11 Florida State in a convincing battle.
Even the though Pittsburgh lost the team’s last game against the Syracuse to move to 2-3 in conference play, they’ve established themselves as a threat to win any game, well almost any game.
Just like North Carolina, Duke 15-2 (4-1) is an elite program with national title aspirations. After losing a tough game in overtime against Syracuse without two starters, the Blue Devils rebounded to beat No. 4 and previously unbeaten Virginia at home, 72-70. The star duo RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson combined to score 57 points, while Cam Reddish played 37 minutes after missing the previous game.
Reddish is back but Tre Jones, the team’s starting point guard and facilitator of a top-5 offense will likely be out for at least this next game. That creates an opportunity for Pittsburgh to get their third straight ACC home win. To do so, they’ll have to follow these three keys to beat Duke.
*An obvious key is for the starting guards for Pittsburgh to do well. But that’s the case for them in every game. These upcoming keys are selective for the battle with the Blue Devils.
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