Duke fans remember well what happened the last time the Panthers stepped inside Cameron Indoor, a sour 80-76 loss. Come Tuesday night, the Blue Devils will be out for revenge, and The Chronicle's beats are here to make their predictions for the contest:
Ranjan Jindal: Duke 78-72
This is a very, very talented Pittsburgh team that could easily be a second-weekend tournament team in my opinion. I think this game’s trajectory could really come down to whether Damian Dunn is available. The Houston transfer averaged 13 points per game and shot more than 50% from deep in his first six games for the Panthers (excluding two minutes against Wisconsin). Head coach Jeff Capel said Dunn might be available for the game, and if he plays, he provides experience, size and shooting. Outside of him, Capel’s squad has elite three-level scorers across the roster. The only weakness I really see with Pittsburgh is its vulnerability to give up points inside to elite bigs — hence the Mississippi State blowout. For Duke to win, Maliq Brown and Khaman Maluach both have to be very aggressive offensively, and Cooper Flagg needs to get to the free-throw line. In the end, I think head coach Jon Scheyer and Duke’s returners have the image of Blake Hinson jumping up on the table in their heads, and the Blue Devils continue their winning ways in a tight one.
Dom Fenoglio: Duke 77-73
Even without Hinson, the Panthers are likely excited to be coming back to Durham. Duke is circled on the calendar of every March Madness hopeful in the ACC, as a win against the Blue Devils would put a gold star on a tournament resume. I think Pittsburgh is probably the second most talented team in the conference behind Duke; it boasts a talented backcourt and deep bench, and the Panthers are surely looking to make it back to the Big Dance. What’s more, classes do not start until Wednesday, so the Cameron Crazies will likely not be at 100%. Still, it’s very hard for me to pick against the talent of the Blue Devils, who seem to be improving at every turn. I like Duke in a close one, but would not be shocked if Pittsburgh once again wins in Cameron Indoor.
Sophie Levenson: Duke 82-69
The Panthers undoubtedly have a strong record heading into Cameron, with a 12-2 season mark, just like Duke’s. And thanks to hefty point servings from sophomore Jaland Lowe, Pittsburgh has definitively shut down all three of its ACC opponents so far. If Dunn is on the court, the Panthers pose even more of a threat to the Blue Devils. All that being said, Duke has all the resources it needs to pull swiftly through on this one. While Pittsburgh has a perfectly solid team, the Blue Devils aren’t in the business of falling to solid teams. If Maluach and Brown continue to play defense like they have the last few games, and Duke’s deep talent doesn’t suffer an off day from a shooting perspective, Cameron Indoor should stay clean. Having the student section back in action won’t hurt the home team, either.
Caleb Dudley: Duke 75-68
Like Ranjan said, Dunn is a major factor here. After warming up before the Panthers’ previous game, the guard seems to have a decent chance to go Tuesday night, which would give Pittsburgh a three-headed monster in the backcourt that could rival Duke’s Proctor-James-Knueppel trio. If Dunn ends up being unavailable for the contest, Capel still has ample scorers to deploy. Lowe has been one of the best players in the nation all year long, and while his numbers from downtown aren’t spectacular, I wouldn’t be surprised if he saw a few go early and found a rhythm in Cameron a la Hinson. However, the Blue Devil defense is just simply ruthless, and I think Scheyer’s squad will have enough juice to pull it out against the Panthers despite a few scares from Lowe and possibly Dunn. Duke gets another Quad 1 win against what I consider to be the toughest opponent left on the conference schedule.
Abby DiSalvo: Duke 82-74
The Panthers, as Dom and Caleb said, are looking like one of the more dangerous forces left in the ACC. If Dunn plays, the Blue Devils will face a cutthroat scoring trio. If he doesn’t, Lowe and Ishmael Legget will still bring their dangerous offensive firepower to Cameron. Duke will need to start strong and keep pace offensively, but I think the difference in this game will lie in the Blue Devils’ defensive edge. It will be tricky for the Panthers to limit scoring from Flagg, especially without doubling and leaving other spots open on the floor. Zack Austin might be Pittsburgh’s best hope, but he’s still a shaky matchup for Flagg inside the paint. At the end of the day, I don’t think this season’s Blue Devils will leave any doubt about who owns the ACC, especially with the extra motivation following last year’s fiasco.
Rodrigo Amare: Duke 80-70
Pitt is more than capable of upsetting the No. 4 Blue Devils in Cameron, as the Panthers notoriously did just last year. A former Duke assistant, Capel’s squad averages the third most points in the ACC, but it has notably struggled to score against tough opposition in its two losses against Mississippi State and Wisconsin. While Pittsburgh may get off to a hot start, as many of the Blue Devils’ opponents tend to do, I expect Duke’s elite defense to settle in and steadily upend the Panthers’ attack. Ultimately, whether the Blue Devils continue their offensive resurgence may be the difference between another comfortable ACC win or a repeat of last year’s embarrassing loss on Coach K Court. I think Scheyer’s men continue their impressive form by downing the Panthers, putting the memories of last year’s defeat far behind them.
Andrew Long: Duke 75-61
Pittsburgh, Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Auburn — whoever Duke could hypothetically play this weekend — I think would lose to this red-hot Blue Devil squad. James and Proctor have unlocked the Duke offense and with Flagg, Maluach, Brown, Knueppel and Evans playing the best ball of their respective seasons, Scheyer’s group feels like a bit of a bullet train at the moment. A 14-point home win feels disrespectful to a very respectable Panthers squad that’s arguably the second-best team in the ACC, but Duke’s elite defense and budding offense (as showcased against SMU) makes it a hard bet for me to pick against. I could well be wrong — I often am — but after Pittsburgh’s thrilling upset win in this building last year, I don’t foresee such a happy homecoming for Capel this time around.
Rachael Kaplan: Duke 75-69
I don’t think this is as much of an unstoppable train as Andrew. However well Duke is playing, Capel in Cameron can always be a trap. That being said, Flagg’s three is falling right now, and I don’t know if anyone can stop him when all facets of his game are firing. The Panthers have strong 3-point defense, only allowing 30% shooting from outside, but if they have to watch Flagg on the perimeter as well, it will open lanes for his teammates. The Blue Devils topped 80 points in each of their first three ACC games. While the defense is the showstopper, Scheyer’s squad only lives up to its No. 4 ranking when it’s scoring. I think a lull is coming, and Duke drops one of its next few games, but I don’t think that’s against Pittsburgh.
Season records
Jindal: 4-0
Fenoglio: 4-0
Levenson: 2-2
Dudley: 2-2
DiSalvo: 2-2
Amare: 2-2
Long: 2-2
Kaplan: 2-2
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Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity senior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Andrew Long is a Trinity senior and recruitment/social chair of The Chronicle's 120th volume. He was previously sports editor for Volume 119.