College Basketball
College Hoops Preview: #2 Duke vs. Pittsburgh
- Matchup: #2 Duke Blue Devils (15-2, 4-1) @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-6, 2-3)
- Date: Jan. 22nd, 2019
- Time: 9 p.m. (est)
- Network: ESPN
- Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Venue: Petersen Events Center
- Seating Capacity: 12,508
Duke Heads to the Zoo
Duke travels to Pittsburgh for an ACC road matchup with former Duke associate head coach Jeff Capel, now the head coach for the Panthers. The Panthers are looking to bounce back from a 74-63 road loss to Syracuse. The Blue Devils are coming off arguably their biggest win of the season over Virginia.
About the Opponent
Pittsburgh has already surpassed expectations in Jeff Capel’s first season as head coach, winning two conference games this season. Last year, they finished 0-18 in ACC play. As an offense, the Panthers have scored 76.3 points per game while shooting .444% from the field. They are led offensively by their freshman backcourt duo Xavier Johnson (17.1 PPG, 4.6 APG, and 1.1 SPG) and Trey McGowens (13.9 PPG and 2.3 APG). Jeff Capel plays nine different players for 10+ minutes per game, five of which play 22+ minutes. Freshman Au’Diese Toney leads the Panthers in rebounding with 6.2 rebounds per game. The big man has also shown he is a capable scorer, totaling 9.8 points per game.
On the defensive side, Pitt has given up 66.8 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot .388% from the field. The Panthers force 16.6 turnovers per game and score 20.8 points per game off of them. The Pittsburgh Zoo is once again a strong home court advantage for the Panthers and Jeff Capel.
The Starters
Pittsburgh Panthers
Guard – #2 Trey McGowens
Guard – #1 Xavier Johnson
Combo Guard – #4 Jared Wilson-Frame
Forward – #5 Toney Au’Diese
Center – #21 Terrell Brown
Duke Blue Devils
Guard – #2 Cam Reddish
Guard/Small Forward – #5 RJ Barrett
Small Forward – #41 Jack White*
Power Forward – #1 Zion Williamson
Center – #20 Marques Bolden
* Tre Jones will not play against Pittsburgh and Jack White will start in place of him.
Prediction
Duke is far more talented than the Panthers, which is not a shot at Pitt, but a testament to how much talent the Blue Devils truly have. Pitt has a freshman backcourt that will be National Championship contenders in a couple of years, but they don’t have enough experience themselves or talent around them to hang with Duke yet. McGowens and Johnson will score and keep it close early on, but Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett are hitting a new level, even without Tre Jones.
Duke: 91
Pittsburgh: 70
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