Duke Looks To Bounce Back As They Visit Pittsburgh
Duke continues their road trip as they visit Pittsburgh where they hope they can not only bounce back but also get back in the win column.
No. 7 Duke continues its early ACC road stretch with a match-up Wednesday night at Pitt. Of the Blue Devils’ first six conference games, four are away from Cameron. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691896
- Head coach Mike Krzyzewski is looking for his 500th win away from Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coach K’s road/neutral record while at Duke is 499-210 (.704).
- The Blue Devils are the only team ranked among the NCAA’s top 10 in scoring (93.9; 2nd), rebounds (44.4; 1st) and assists (20.0; 2nd). The Blue Devils are also second nationally in rebound margin (+12.1) and sixth in field goal pct. (.513).
- Marvin Bagley III leads the ACC in scoring (22.5) and rebounding (11.5) and is tied for second in the ACC in double-doubles (12). Trevon Duval leads the ACC in assists (6.47), while Grayson Allen leads the league in threes per game (2.80).
- Pitt comes into the contest with an 8-8 record. The Panthers are on a three-game losing slide, all coming against ACC foes.
- The Panthers are one of the youngest teams in the country. Pitt’s seven scholarship freshmen are tied with Duke, Mount St. Mary’s and Kentucky for the most in the country.
- Jared Wilson-Frame leads Pitt in scoring with an average of 12.9 points per game. Just behind him in scoring is Ryan Luther who scores 12.7 per game. Luther also leads the Panthers in rebounding (10.1).
- Duke is 9-7 all-time versus Pitt, which includes a 3-1 mark since the Panthers entered the ACC in the 2013-14 season.
- Last season, Duke beat Pittsburgh 72-64 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Allen led the Blue Devils with 21 points in the victory. Allen and Marques Bolden are the only two active Duke players to have seen time versus Pitt. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211691896&DB_OEM_ID=4200
As for Duke who has a record of 13-2 while they're 1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference "according to http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/150/duke-blue-devils they started this road trip with a visit to Raleigh where they faced NC State at PNC Arena where they lost their second Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season on Saturday January 6th.
North Carolina State coach Kevin Keatts saw his team respond to a pair of double-digit Atlantic Coast Conference losses with a fearless style and aggressive play. And for the second time this season, it was good enough for the Wolfpack to take down the nation's No. 2-ranked team -- this time instate neighbor Duke. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
Omer Yurtseven had 16 points while Torin Dorn hit two huge 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes to help N.C. State upset the Blue Devils 96-85 on Saturday night, giving the Wolfpack's first-year coach his first league win. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
It came roughly six weeks after his team beat then-No. 2 Arizona in an early season tournament. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
"I don't know what my team learned, I know what I've learned," Keatts said. "Every team that we play, I'm going to tell them they're ranked No. 2 in the country." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
Much like that Arizona win, the Wolfpack (11-5, 1-2 ACC) played with confident control. N.C. State erased an 11-point first-half lead to take a 43-41 lead at the break, then shot 55 percent after halftime and never trailed. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
Quite a performance for a team that was coming off an 88-58 loss at Notre Dame on Wednesday, and a 78-62 loss at Clemson before that. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
"I don't think this team ever lost confidence," Keatts said, adding: "We just needed to get home and sleep in our own bed. We needed to get home and get some home-cooking. And certainly it worked out." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
Yurtseven and Dorn (16 points) led six players in double figures for N.C. State, which finished with a 34-32 advantage on the boards against a team that came in ranked second nationally in rebounding margin. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
Duke's offense didn't have much trouble against the first wave of the Wolfpack's fullcourt pressure. Star freshman Marvin Bagley III had 31 points and 10 rebounds, and Duke shot 52 percent. But Duke (13-2, 1-2) made just 3 of 15 3-point attempts and committed 16 turnovers leading to 22 points for N.C. State, which celebrated this one with its rowdy red-clad fans charging to midcourt at the horn. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
"We did not play with much poise," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I thought we were frantic. I think they made us that way. Obviously they deserved to win." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
BIG PICTURE
Duke: The Blue Devils have encountered plenty of trouble after making the 25-mile drive from campus in Raleigh in recent years. They had lost three of their last five here against the Wolfpack dating to 2010 -- including a double-digit loss in their national-championship season in 2015 -- and also suffered a first-round NCAA Tournament upset loss to Mercer in PNC Arena in 2014. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
N.C. State: The Wolfpack had managed a big-stage moment once this year with its Arizona win to start the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in easily the best win of Keatts' brief tenure. His team sure found a way to top it. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
"We were undefeated when we came to the Arizona game, but we came to this game with a 30-point loss and a 20-point loss before that," Yurtseven said. "So I think it was just us keeping our heads together and sticking in." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
DORN'S BIG SHOTS
While the Wolfpack played from in front throughout the second half, it wasn't until Dorn knocked down those huge 3s that the Wolfpack finally had firm control. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
Dorn first hit a 3 from the corner over an oncoming Bagley with 2:02 left and N.C. State protecting a four-point lead. Then Dorn hit one to beat the shot clock on an inbounds pass while being fouled by Javin DeLaurier and ending up on the court, a four-point play that pushed the Wolfpack to a 91-80 lead with 1:06 left. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
"The first one definitely felt good leaving my hand," Dorn said. "The four-point play, when it left, I got hit and it felt good, too. But I couldn't see it go in because I fell." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
DEFENSIVE ISSUES
N.C. State repeatedly scored on drive-and-dish plays to go with a 23-for-25 performance at the foul line. To listen to Duke freshman Trevon Duval, the problem was poor communication. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
"We didn't have any communication," Duval said. "And when we did talk, we did get stops. We just have to do it more consistently." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
SHORT-HANDED DUKE
The Blue Devils didn't have sophomore big man Marques Bolden due to a sprained knee "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211691665
As for Pittsburgh they have a record of 8-8 while they're 0-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference "according to http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball coming into their game with Duke haven lost their last one on the road in Blacksburg to Virginia Tech.
Kerry Blackshear Jr. scored a career-high 28 points to lift Virginia Tech to an 81-67 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday. "according to http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2018/1/6/mens-basketball-panthers-drop-road-contest-at-virginia-tech.aspx?path=mbball
Blackshear made 12 of 16 from the floor in helping the Hokies (12-4, 1-2 ACC) snap a two-game losing streak. Virginia Tech avoided a 0-3 start to league play for the first time since the 2014-15 season. "according to http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2018/1/6/mens-basketball-panthers-drop-road-contest-at-virginia-tech.aspx?path=mbball
Pittsburgh (8-8, 0-3 ACC), which has lost three straight, trailed by 11 in the second half, but went on a 17-6 run, tying the game at 51 on two free throws by Jared Wilson-Frame with 12:37 remaining. The Hokies, though, scored the next six points, with Blackshear scoring four of them, and gradually pulled away. "according to http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2018/1/6/mens-basketball-panthers-drop-road-contest-at-virginia-tech.aspx?path=mbball
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added the cause by converting three 3-point plays in the final six minutes and finished with 16 points for the Hokies, and Ahmed Hill had 15. Justin Robinson scored 11 points and dished out 10 assists. "according to http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2018/1/6/mens-basketball-panthers-drop-road-contest-at-virginia-tech.aspx?path=mbball
Wilson-Frame led the Panthers, tying his career high with 20 points. He and Parker Stewart each made four of Pittsburgh's 12 3-pointers, but the Panthers' 17 turnovers led to 22 Virginia Tech points. "according to http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2018/1/6/mens-basketball-panthers-drop-road-contest-at-virginia-tech.aspx?path=mbball
TIP-INS
Pittsburgh: For the second straight game, Panthers head coach Kevin Stallings started five freshmen, and Pittsburgh does have some intriguing pieces, especially Stewart (12 points) and Marcus Carr (14 points). But the Panthers sorely miss Ryan Luther, who was averaging a double-double before a foot injury sidelined him. He has missed the past six games. "according to http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2018/1/6/mens-basketball-panthers-drop-road-contest-at-virginia-tech.aspx?path=mbball
Virginia Tech: Thanks to Blackshear's dominance inside, Virginia Tech shot better than 50 percent for the first time in four games. The Hokies, ranked second nationally in field-goal percentage, shot 52.6 percent (30 of 57) despite making just 4 of 23 from beyond the 3-point arc. "according to http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2018/1/6/mens-basketball-panthers-drop-road-contest-at-virginia-tech.aspx?path=mbball
Tip-off is set for 7:00pm. The game will be televised on ESPN2. "according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1845&SPSID=22726