Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. Pittsburgh

A strong second half performance from Andre Dawkins propelled the No. 17 Blue Devils past new ACC foe No. 18 Pittsburgh Monday night by the score of 80-65. After a quiet first half where he only attempted twos shots from the field, Dawkins nailed four momentum swinging triples late in the second half. Freshman Jabari Parker returned to his Wooden Award-level play, as he scored 21 points and tallied 11 rebounds against an athletic Panther team. Coming off the bench, Quinn Cook posted six assists, as he found open shooters to push the game wide-open in a hectic environment.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Speed up the tempo: Unlike in Duke’s Saturday afternoon showdown against Florida State, the Blue Devils struggled to get out in transition against the Panthers. Duke’s inability to effectively secure rebounds prevented the group from getting out and running. Pittsburgh, however, was not much more impressive pushing the tempo. Though the Panthers’ pressure led to some easy baskets in transition, most of their buckets came from good ball movement in the half court.
• Make Panthers not named Lamar Patterson hit Perimeter Shots: At the end of the first half, Duke had held Lamar Patterson to only four points on 1-of-4 shooting. However, the Panthers’ outside shooting didn’t miss a beat, as the team shot 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the first half. Patterson nailed an open 3-pointer in transition to bring the Panthers within 10 with 4:40 left to play in the game, but remained silent for the most part from the perimeter. Forward Jamel Artis knocked down two 3s for the Panthers, but the team only attempted 12 triples as a whole for the night.
• Be the Aggressor: After an impressive rebounding performance against the Seminoles, Duke returned with another aggressive effort, out-rebounding the Panthers 36-32. Parker led the Blue Devils in rebounding with 11 boards, while forward Amile Jefferson posted 10. Jefferson’s ability to keep plays alive on the offensive end proved instrumental in Duke’s strong second half performance. Marshall Plumlee’s size in the paint disrupted Pittsburgh’s ability to secure rebounds and get out in transition, preventing a big part of the Panthers’ offense.

Three key stats:

• Duke shoots 52.0 percent from 3: Despite attempting nine fewer free throws than Pittsburgh, Duke remained in the game due to its efficient 3-point shooting. As in Duke’s Saturday game versus Florida State, guard Andrew Dawkins came out with two quick 3-point splashes. The streaky 3-point threat never cooled off, as he finished the game with six triples on seven shots. Rodney Hood knocked down three deep balls for the Blue Devils, but the perimeter was owned by Dawkins tonight.
• Duke had 19 assists: Duke’s second half success on the offensive end was due mainly to the unselfishness in the half court. The Blue Devils found ways to get into the paint while drawing defenders, and then dished outside to Dawkins or others on the perimeter. Pittsburgh, known as a great ball movement squad, only posted 12 assists in the game. Compared to Duke’s offense, the Panthers' ball movement seemed nonexistent.
• Duke commits just seven turnovers: Pittsburgh, known as an aggressive and athletic bunch, could not seem to rattle Duke all night. Jabari Parker, who has struggled with turnover issues in the past, only committed one on the night. He, and the rest of the Blue Devils, did an excellent job of finding the open man when the Panthers’ traps came. Duke took full advantage of the low turnover count, as it shot 48.3% from the field on its 58 shot attempts. The low turnover count prevented the speedy Pittsburgh bunch from getting out in transition and making easy baskets throughout the night.

And the Duke game ball goes to… Jabari Parker

Parker found his lost shooting stroke early against the Panthers, quickly showing the NBA scouts in attendance that his poor ACC play was not something that would continue. Parker poured in 16 points on 13 field goal attempts in the first half, and showed off his entire offensive arsenal, including a two-handed jam on the block and a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key. His 21 total points was not the only thing going for him, as Parker’s aggression on the glass led to 11 rebounds against a strong Pittsburgh front court.

And the Pitt game ball goes to… Lamar Patterson

Despite his quiet first half, Patterson showed glimpses of his greatness in the second half versus a strong Duke defensive performance. Patterson’s excellent ball distribution and vision was evident as he drove off of ball screens, keeping his players involved and Blue Devils’ defenders on their toes. Despite his relatively inefficient shooting performance (4-for-14 from the field), Patterson remained the only dependable offensive playmaker for the Panthers when the Duke defense clamped down.