Because The Chronicle has ceased production for winter break, there is no official preview for tonight's much-anticipated game between No. 6 Duke and No. 11 Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden, but there are plenty of links out there to quench your information thirst. Some quick-hitters:
- According to our friends at The Blue Zone, tonight's matchup is the first in more than three years between two ranked, undefeated teams with at least 10 wins.
- The Blue Devils and Panthers have not met since 1980, when Mike Krzyzewski was still Army's head coach. Duke and Pitt could have met last year in the NCAA Tournament, but Krzyzewski's squad lost in the first round to VCU, who went on to lose to the Panthers in the Round of 32.
- Starting power forward (or is he the center in Duke's guard-oriented starting lineup?) Lance Thomas is still listed as questionable tonight. The sophomore from nearby Scotch Plains, N.J. injured his ankle in practice last week and was sidelined for Monday's 111-70 rout of Albany.
- Duke has won 15 of its last 20 games in its home away from home, but Pitt has also had success in the Garden, reaching six of the last seven title games of the Big East Tournament, held annually in the World's Most Famous Arena.
We're not in the sports-betting business (something about journalistic ethics), but TBZ offered an 84-70 prediction, which sounds pretty accurate. Feel free to offer your opinion below, and make sure you check back during the game, as The Chronicle embarks on its first-ever live blog.
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