With just over a minute left to play, freshman guard Jared McCain knifed through the defense and snuck in a layup, bringing Duke back within one and firing up the home crowd. Suddenly, after an entire game of exchanging haymakers with Pittsburgh, the Blue Devils were finally ready to seize the victory.
Except they were not.
Freshman guard Jaland Lowe, with the shot clock running down and a towering 7-foot Kyle Filipowski in his face, knocked down a deep three and sucked the air out of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Just as they had all night, the Panthers had a response to a big play, and they became just the second team to win on the road against Duke in head coach Jon Scheyer’s tenure with their 80-76 victory.
In their second loss of ACC play, the Blue Devils were without two key starters in sophomore forward Mark Mitchell and senior guard Jeremy Roach. While Roach and Mitchell are Duke’s second- and third-leading scorers, respectively, their absence was felt far more on the defensive end.
The Blue Devils are full of offensive playmakers. Roach, McCain, Filipowski and sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor have all made their fair share of “pop” plays — plays that ignite the crowd and leave that ringing-in-the-ears feeling in their wake. However, many of Duke’s big-time defensive moments have come from either Roach or Mitchell.
For example, take the Blue Devils’ Jan. 13 matchup against Georgia Tech. Roach came up with a few massive steals at the exact right times, helping bring the team back into the game before exiting with an apparent knee injury. Or look at Mitchell’s individual 16-point run in Duke’s Jan. 6 game against Notre Dame. While he was certainly impressive on the offensive end, Mitchell’s biggest bucket in that run was probably off a steal that he took the length of the court for two points. Mitchell and Roach consistently guard two of the opponent’s strongest offensive players, and time and again come through in the Blue Devils’ wins.
Without that pair against Pittsburgh, Duke’s defense lacked toughness, physicality and, most importantly, big-play potential. The Panthers took advantage, largely behind a career night from senior forward Blake Hinson. The Sunrise Christian product — coincidentally the same high school as Mitchell — went for 24 points on a perfect 7-of-7 rate behind the arc. Step-backs, fadeaways and contested threes looked like layups for Hinson, and the Blue Devils could not come up with an answer.
“He had some tough shots, but anytime you give a guy an open shot right away, that can change the course of the game,” Scheyer said. “His first three was wide open in transition, and you got to find him. He had some tough ones too, but he's capable of that.”
Every time a Duke player would make a play on offense, it was as though it clicked Pittsburgh’s own attack into a higher gear. Hinson — who talked back and forth with the student section, was assessed a technical foul in the second half and even stood on the press table facing the Cameron Crazies after the game — embodied the Panthers’ intense motivation to avenge their blowout loss to the Blue Devils just over a week prior. While Duke did not roll over, it did not quite bring the same energy either. Without Roach and Mitchell there to act as spark plugs, Pittsburgh looked like the team that wanted it more.
“I don't think we were as tough [as the first game], and evidently they were far tougher,” graduate center Ryan Young said. “That's what our coaches were emphasizing to us prior to the game — the tougher team that gets loose balls, that wins the rebound battle is going to win this game.”
The absence of two players is not an excuse, though, something that Young and Scheyer both emphasized. A slow start, something that is becoming a trend in Duke’s losses, and a poor effort on the glass made a tough game unwinnable. The Panthers won the rebound battle 32-25, helping them outscore the Blue Devils 32-18 in the paint. Duke did not have an offensive board until the final seconds of the first half, and consequently Pittsburgh finished the game with 10 more shot attempts.
“Rebounding, a lot of times comes down to will and mindset … That has to become who we are, regardless who's in the lineup or who's not,” Scheyer said. “Does it change our team, not having Jeremy and Mark there? Of course it does. But that can’t impact how you rebound, can’t impact how you defend, it can’t impact how you compete.”
Scheyer said that both players made progress throughout the week, but were unable to play 5-on-5 in practice. The Blue Devils only have two days of practice before they will look to right the ship in an away game against Louisville Tuesday evening.
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Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.