The Panthers and the Blue Devils have had a contentious history of late. Last season, Duke blew out Pittsburgh by over 20 points in the Petersen Events Center before the Panthers marched into Cameron Indoor Stadium and returned the favor, upsetting then-No.7 Duke at home. Anything could happen when these two teams meet up, and as the Blue Devils prepare for their first home game of 2025, Pittsburgh is poised to rise to the challenge.
Jaland Lowe might only be a sophomore, but the Missouri City, Texas, native has steadily improved in his two seasons with the Panthers, nearly doubling his scoring average from 9.6 last season to 17.4 this season. He even recorded a triple-double back in November against VMI. The 6-foot-3 guard is also an expert at feeding his teammates, averaging 6.1 assists per game to lead his team overwhelmingly in that category.
Last year, then-junior Ishmael Leggett was tapped as the ACC Sixth Man of the Year, coming off of the bench for the Panthers and averaging 12.3 points. This season, the senior guard has stepped into his role as a starter and is currently first on the team in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game. Although relatively undersized in comparison to Duke’s backcourt, the 6-foot-3 guard does not have a problem maneuvering around defenders to score — boasting a 52.7% field goal percentage this season. When Leggett gets hot, he gets hot fast, and the Prince George's County, Md., native has all the momentum; he just powered his team to a dominant win over Stanford with 21 points off an impressive 9-for-13 from the field.
Another newcomer to the starting lineup for the Panthers is junior Cameron Corhen, who transferred from fellow ACC school Florida State to Pittsburgh this year. Corhen is no stranger to playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the 6-foot-10 forward will prove to be a significant rebounding threat for Duke. The Allen, Texas, native has also been known to come up big with points when his team needs it. In the Panthers’ second half comeback win against California, Corhen scored 19 points to help lead his team to victory, and he will hope to replicate this success against the Blue Devils.
Guillermo Diaz Graham is the other big man for Pittsburgh. The 7-footer might not score a lot of points, but he certainly provides the Panthers with some size to match the Blue Devils, who are the tallest team in the country, according to KenPom. Although Graham’s statsheet may not look the most crowded, he is second on the team in rebounds, averaging 6.0 per game.
Rounding out the starting lineup for the Panthers is senior Zack Austin. Although Austin did not start the first several games of the season, the Winston-Salem, N.C., native has worked his way into the starting lineup for head coach Jeff Capel’s team, and his production has readily improved over the last five games in which he has started. The 6-foot-7 forward could sneakily be a perimeter threat, as he currently has the highest 3-point percentage of the starters at 44.6%.
Overall, the Panthers provide an interesting matchup for Duke. Similar to the Blue Devils, Pittsburgh has several different players who could get a hot-shooting hand during Tuesday night’s contest. Although Duke overall has more height than the Panthers, Pittsburgh does have some size of its own and will provide the Blue Devils with a defensive challenge.
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