Riding an eight-game win streak but down two key starters, No. 7 Duke returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium after a week of rest for a rematch with Pittsburgh Saturday night. Heading into the locker room, the Blue Devils trail the Panthers 38-34:
Changes to starting lineup
The Blue Devils entered the matchup with day-to-day injury designations for two of their usual starters, and neither was cleared to play Saturday. Sophomore forward Mark Mitchell and senior guard Jeremy Roach were both unavailable due to knee injuries. As a result, junior guard Jaylen Blakes — who has played important minutes off the bench — heard his name announced as a starter for the first time this season. Just minutes into the game, Blakes made his impact known by picking up a steal. Saturday night’s starting five had played a total of just one minute together all season entering the game, per CBB Analytics. Against a Pittsburgh team that started two forwards and a center, head coach Jon Scheyer opted to start four guards and stretch the court, something that slowed down the Blue Devils early.
Small ball
The lack of interior size became immediately apparent on the defensive side of the ball for Duke, as junior center Federiko Federiko slammed home a dunk on the first play of the game. A few empty Blue Devil possessions saw the Panthers open a quick 9-0 lead and forced Scheyer to burn an early timeout. Duke did not make a field goal for nearly four minutes, but freshman guard Caleb Foster finally took the lid off the basket with a top-of-the-key triple. Due to the early struggles inside, Scheyer brought in graduate center Ryan Young as the first sub off the bench, coming in for Blakes. Then, freshman forward Sean Stewart — who has seen limited playing time this season — entered the game to try to swing the tide. Even with Young and Stewart’s added presence around the rim, Pittsburgh outrebounded the Blue Devils 20-10 on the half.
Make-and-miss game
While both teams got open looks at the bucket, it was the Panthers who knocked them down early. Pittsburgh started 7-of-10 from the field while the Blue Devils only mustered one make in the first nine tries. For example, senior forward Blake Hinson, who came into the contest fifth in scoring in the ACC, hit a step-back three, while sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor and freshman forward TJ Power were unable to convert on other open looks. This allowed the Panthers to open a 19-10 lead before Duke could get into a rhythm. Out of a media timeout, however, two of the Blue Devils’ sharpshooting freshmen finally broke the streak. Foster and fellow guard Jared McCain hit back-to-back threes to ignite the home crowd and breathe life into Duke for the first time all night. Proctor rained in a three of his own, and suddenly the Panthers were on the wrong side of a shooting run.
Inside-out
One of the keys to the Blue Devils’ improved shooting later in the second half was working the ball through the post, specifically to Young and sophomore center Kyle Filipowski. The big men acted as facilitators, and Duke’s guards saw more success after the ball was moved inside-out. When both Young and Filipowski were on the court at the same time, the two effectively managed a high-low dynamic that opened shooting spaces and driving lanes for the guards. However, after a few successful offensive plays that saw the Blue Devils take their first lead of the night, Young’s contact fell out and he missed a possession. A Duke miss rolled into another made three from Hinson, and sucked some of the momentum out of the surging Blue Devils. To make matters worse, Filipowski saw a decrease in his efficiency from his last performance against the Panthers. While he scored 26 points and missed just one shot in that game, Filipowski finished the first half Saturday shooting just 1-for-4 from the field
Player of the half: Tyrese Proctor
The Sydney native brought his best Saturday, leading the Blue Devils with 10 points and four rebounds on the half. His production on the boards was key for an undersized Duke team. Despite a slow start, Proctor was a key part of the Blue Devils’ resurgence and made key plays on both sides of the ball. After missing three games with an ankle injury, Proctor has looked increasingly comfortable on the court, and is continuing to hunt for his shots on the offensive end. His production was not enough to fully erase the Pittsburgh lead, however, and Duke went into the locker room looking for answers.
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Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.