According to the latest AP poll, the top two teams in the ACC are Duke and Pittsburgh Basketball. The Panthers are riding a 5-game win streak after home wins over Cal and Stanford but now faces its toughest game of the season, going to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the Blue Devils.
Duke is ranked No. 4 overall and 4-0 in league play. The Panthers are the clear underdogs in this game, but they were last year when they pulled off the 80-76 road. However, former Pitt star forward Blake Hinson isn’t around this time to make a ton of threes.
So, how will the Panthers win this time around? Here are three keys to the game.
1. Limiting the impact of Cooper Flagg
The star for Duke is, of course, Flagg, the 6’9 forward, No. 1 freshman player, and presumptive future No. 1 pick in the next NBA Draft. He leads the team with 17.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg, and 3.6 apg, plus in steals and blocks. The stats and metrics show him as one of the best individual defenders in the country as well.
So what’s Pitt’s play for dealing with him? On offense, they can limit him, with either Diaz-Graham or Zack Austin spreading the floor with their three-point shots. That’ll force Flagg to either focus on them on the perimeter or leave them open if he tries to give help defense when the Panthers drive to the basket.
But defensively, Pitt will struggle to contain him. Guillermo Diaz-Graham is not an ideal matchup inside to deal with Flagg. Austin is a better defender, but he’s also smaller and could either struggle in the post or end up in foul trouble. This could be a case where they either double Flagg and try to take him out or let him go for 25+ and try to shut everyone else down.
2. 30+ points combined from Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett
Outside of Hinson’s 24 points, Pitt’s two other double-digit scorers in last year’s win were Lowe with 17 points and 11 off the bench from Leggett. The two are both averaging over 17 ppg and, on paper, should have the advantage over Tyrese Proctor and either Sion James/Caleb Foster, depending on who starts there.
For Pitt to win, they have to have their guards have big outings. That could also include Damian Dunn, who is reportedly questionable for the matchup after missing the last six weeks.
3. Force Kon Knueppel to beat you
There are very few weaknesses with this Duke roster. The lone common denominator in their losses or close games has been the shooting struggles of their other 5-star freshman starter, Knueppel. The 6’7 wing is averaging 12.4 ppg on 44% shooting and 34% from deep on the season, including 18 on the road at Georgia Tech.
But he’s far from perfect for Duke. In losses to Kentucky and Kansas, he produced a combined 25 points on 9/34 shooting from the field, along with 1/16 from deep. Even in the 11-point win over Lousiville, Knueppel shot 4/12 from the field. If he has a good game, then Pitt probably can’t win anyway, but if they can get the ball out of Flagg’s hands and have the other freshman beat them (and fail), then the Panthers may have a shot.