Duke Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout road win over Pittsburgh

Duke Basketball had no issues against Pittsburgh in Coach K’s final true road, winning by 30 points. What could be taken away from the game?

Once it became official that this game against Pittsburgh in March would be the last for Duke Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the immediate look was at the connection with Panthers’ head coach Jeff Capel, a former player, and assistant for the retiring all-time great.

Of course, that was the only thing to compare with the two programs at this point in the season, as the Blue Devils are on their way to the NCAA tournament and looking to win a national title. After the introductions and ceremonies, the game proved to be a no-contest, with Duke racing out to a 16-3 three before the first media timeout.

Pittsburgh would get it towards single-digits in the first half but the game was never in doubt, with Duke ultimately winning, 86-56. Four players had at least 12 points for Duke, led by 27 points from Trevor Keels and 21 from Paolo Banchero. As a team, they shot 59% from the field and went 11-22 from three-point range.

As someone who was able to attend the game, here are my takeaways from this win for the Blue Devils and how it impacts the rest of the season.

1. Trevor Keels best game of the season

When the freshman guard had 25 points to start out the season against Kentucky, it created unrealistic expectations for Keels going forward. Before the Pittsburgh game, he had eclipsed 20 points just one other time, as well as a recent 4-point effort against Syracuse. AJ Griffin’s emergence into the second half has made Keels’ scoring role more inconsistent but if Duke wants to win a title, they’ll need the big guard to be more aggressive in getting his offense.

That happened against the Panthers, with Keels scoring eight points minutes in, including a couple of three-pointers. With all of the attention on Banchero and more on Griffin lately, teams can’t afford to gameplan Keels out of the game. If he scores 15+ points in games in March, there’s a good chance Duke will be winning them.

2. Few can stop Banchero when he’s in a rhythm

Banchero had a fairly quiet 21 points on 7/10 shooting, including making all three of his three-point attempts. But he didn’t really have to work too hard, as Pittsburgh just didn’t have an answer. And opposing starting forward Mo Gueye is one of the best defensive frontcourt players in the ACC. It just didn’t matter.

The projected top-3 NBA Draft has the shooting, ball-handling, and overall creativity to get any shot he wants and when teammates Keels, Moore, and others are hot as well, the Blue Devils are incredibly difficult to stop. The key is to not let him get comfortable early because once Banchero is feeling it, few can guard him one-on-one.

3. Team mature enough to handle Coach K’s last run

One observation with this team in person is that looking at them, you can’t tell that they’re the last team to play for Coach K. That in itself adds a ton of pressure to a fairly young team overall. But so far, that hasn’t affected this team in a negative way. Throughout league play, they’ve taken a business approach to the season, not getting too emotional or suffering any letdown despite being the clear best team.

And that’s why Duke Basketball has won the ACC regular-season title race for the first time in a decade and is looking at a 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This is a team that is as mature as they are talented, a combination that makes them a true national title contender. That said though, the pressure will reach extreme highs the further they advance in the Big Dance. Will they be able to withstand it?