Pittsburgh Basketball: 3 keys to pulling off home upset over Duke Blue Devils

3. Get 30+ points of production from Zack Austin/Diaz-Graham brothers

Without knowing the status of Leggett, it’s going to be more important than ever to get big games out of Hinson and Carrington. But that’s already a given. The question will be what the rest of the rotation does to add to the scoring margin. As we saw in the first few ACC games, relying on the supporting cast can cause droughts.

One hope is getting a big game from Zack Austin, who has been hot and cold this season. Against Louisville, the transfer from High Point scored 20 points, including 4/9 shooting from deep. A few days prior, the 6’7 wing went scoreless in 20 minutes total at home versus UNC.

Austin’s role and playing time has dipped but he’s capable of scoring, with five double-digit outputs. More importantly, he has to do something offensively besides standing at the three-point line. Someone else needs to take shots to avoid the two stars taking bad ones and getting out of rhythm. 

And of course, the Spanish twins also plays a role, especially Guillermo Diaz-Graham. He’s averaging 8.2 ppg on 35% shooting from deep as a starter, with three recent double-digit scoring games. But he’s also going to have to avoid foul trouble dealing with Filipowski at the five-spot, so expect Federiko Federiko to have an impact on the game. If he and Jorge can give some offense and make some shots, Pittsburgh’s chances of an upset will certainly increase.