After an impressive bounce-back 63-52 at then-No. 6 Louisville Saturday, the No. x Blue Devils will look to keep the momentum Monday at 7 p.m. when they host Pittsburgh at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke's 41-game home winning streak ended last Tuesday against Miami, but the Blue Devils are hoping to start a new streak against the Panthers. Before each game this season, the Blue Zone will select a player on both teams that could make the difference for their respective squads:
Duke: forward Justise Winslow
Several weeks ago, it would have been hard to imagine Justise Winslow as an x-factor, as his early-season play was dominant enough to make him one of Duke’s major impact players. However, the freshman’s productivity has dropped drastically of late, especially on the offensive end. The swingman has totaled just five points in the last two games, shooting an abysmal 2-of-9 from the field and 1-of-8 from the free throw line.
More important than Winslow's shooting woes, however, has been the lack of consistent movement away from the ball to try to find ways to get himself going. The Houston native has not been nearly as tenacious attacking the hoop and one of the reasons is likely his poor free throw shooting.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward has still played relatively solid defense, but could provide a huge boost to his team if he can get things going on the offensive end also. If he can return his scoring to at least his average of 11.4 points per contest, Pittsburgh will likely be in for a long night because of its limited length up front and the difficulty of keeping an attacking Winslow, Jahlil Okafor and Amile Jefferson at bay inside.
Pittsburgh: guard Cameron Wright
A guard from Cleveland, Wright is capable of scoring in several quick bursts throughout the game to reach high point totals on occasion. The senior only averages 9.9 points per contest, but had 20 points Saturday against Georgia Tech Saturday and 18 points in a loss to Clemson last week. The Panthers have only lost one game in which Wright has scored in double figures—it came against the Tigers—and the redshirt senior has been a huge boost after missing the first seven games of the season with a broken foot.
Perimeter players have posed problems for Duke’s defense this month, from N.C. State’s backcourt trio to Miami’s Angel Rodriguez. Winslow, Tyus Jones, Rasheed Sulaimon, Quinn Cook and Matt Jones could be expected to all take turns guarding Wright at times. The Blue Devil perimeter defenders need to lock down defensively to limit perimeter penetration regardless of the defense Duke uses and all of the Blue Devils need to box out the wily veteran Wright and forwards Michael Young and Jamel Artis to end possessions.
Panther point guard James Robinson has a knack for making plays for himself and teammates, which is the main reason Pittsburgh ranks in the top 30 nationally in assists per game. Allowing Robinson to create for Wright and get the Panthers feeling good about themselves early in the game could make Duke's 16th win of the season much harder to come by Monday night.
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