No. 24 Duke (12-4 SU, 7-9 ATS, 3-2 ACC) hosts a much-improved Pittsburgh (11-5 SU, 11-4-1 ATS, 4-1 ACC) team on Wednesday night at 7pmET from Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.
Last season, Duke took the only meeting with ease, winning 86-56 as a 14.5-point favorite on the road.
Pitt (68 KenPom) came into Saturday at 4-0 in the ACC against a 4-0 Clemson team. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they lost to the Tigers 75-74 to a team that had not jumped out to a 5-0 ACC start since 1996-97. Pitt had a 7-point lead with four minutes left but Clemson closed to tie the game at 69-all and closed it out with a layup and two free throws with 9.3 seconds left. Pitt shot just 40% from the field, but did manage to make 38% (11-of-29) from beyond the arc. Jamarius Burton had a huge game for the Panthers with 28 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Defensively, they struggled, allowing the Tigers to shoot 47% from the field and 41% (7-17) from long range.
All the way from Spain ???? pic.twitter.com/zCXM6WCMCq
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) January 7, 2023
The Panthers came into that game with a five-game winning streak which included two impressive home wins over Virginia and North Carolina. Burton, a transfer from Texas Tech, has given Jeff Capel's team a lift. He's averaging 16.6 points per game and 4.0 assists on 55.3% shooting (44.8% 3pt). Iowa State transfer Blake Hinson (6-7, 255) gives the Panthers some size, but he can also shoot it. He leads the Panthers with 16.8 points and 6.9 rebounds on 47.3% shooting (35.4% 3pt).
Overall, Pitt averages 75.2 points per game on 44.8% shooting from the field and 34.3% from three-point range. They've also done a nice job on the boards, ranking 46th in rebounding margin with 5.5 per game. Defensively, they allow 68.2 points per game on 41.4% shooting (30.6% 3pt).