Duke HC Jon Scheyer Praises Pitt Star

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer has kind words for a Pitt Panthers star.

Dec 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer on the court against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Duke head coach Jon Scheyer will face one of the stronger teams in the ACC in the Pitt Panthers in their next game at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.

The Panthers have one of the best guards in the country in Jaland Lowe, who has helped the team earn a 12-2 overall record and a 3-0 start in ACC play.

Lowe has had a great sophomore season, as he leads the Panthers with 34.6 minutes, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game, ranks second with 17.1 points and fourth with 4.7 rebounds per game. He also is shooting 38.5% from the field, 28.0% from 3-point range and 88.9% from the foul line in 14 contests.

He is amongst the best in the ACC in numerous statistical categories, ranking tied for No. 2 in assists per game, third in both free throw percentage and minutes per game, No. 5 in steals per game, tied for No. 7 in points per game, tied for No. 8 with a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio and No. 15 in field goal percentage.

Lowe finished with a triple-double, scoring 11 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field, making a 3-pointer and adding two free throws, while also grabbing 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the win over VMI on Nov. 18. This is just the sixth triple-double in Pitt history.

He dropped a career-high 28 points in the overtime road win vs. Ohio State on Nov. 29 and scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half of the comeback road win vs. Virginia Tech in the ACC opener on Dec. 7.

Lowe also had a double-double in the home win vs. Sam Houston on Dec. 21, 18 points and 11 assists, and dropped 27 points, plus dished out eight assists in a comeback home win over Cal on New Year's Day.

One of his most clutch performances for Pitt came against Duke last season, also at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 20, 2024.

Lowe scored 17 points and dished out six assists, while also hitting two big 3-pointers, with his last coming right in the face of Duke forward Kyle Filipowski with less than 50 seconds left to put Pitt up four points. while shushing the crowd with a finger to his lips.

Scheyer is in charge of a great Duke team that ranks No. 4 in the nation, is 12-2 overall and 4-0 in the ACC. He also a great freshman class, including the top recruit in forward Cooper Flagg, who has won ACC Player of the Week twice and ACC Rookie of the Week five times this season.

He praised Lowe for his play and his mentality, while also talking about why he's such a tough player to defend against.

“Well, Lowe’s a really good player," Scheyer said. "I mean, he just, he can score in a variety of ways, he can shoot the 3, he can attack the basket, he can create and he plays pretty much the whole game.

"So you have to, he’s not a guy that shies after missing a couple, right. He’s going to continue to shoot no matter what’s happening and he has great next play mentality in that regard. So you have to continually stay in a stance on him and you have to make it as hard as possible. He’s going to score. You just don’t want him to get any easy ones whenever possible.”

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