Pitt's Defense Shredded Against Duke

The Pitt Panthers' defense fell apart upon facing the Duke Blue Devils.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' defense was picked apart at every level in their 75-53 blowout loss to the Duke Blue Devils, sounding the alarms for a team that can little afford any more slip-ups the rest of the way. 

Pitt had trouble contending with Duke's size all night, a trend that was prevalent in the Panthers' two losses to the Blue Devils last season as well. Kyle Filipowski got whatever he wanted on the offensive end, finishing the game shooting an absurd 11-of-12 from the field and 7-of-8 on two-pointers while also adding four offensive rebounds. Duke went a combined 13-of-19 on dunks and layups to go with 32 points in the paint and 13 offensive rebounds, conveying just how dominant of a performance it had down low. 

Filipowski and the Blue Devils' offense success on the interior shouldn't have come as much of a surprise considering Pitt's inability to limit opponents on that part of the floor all season. Federiko Federiko and Guillermo Diaz Graham have yet to prove they can anchor the Panthers' defense and consistently defend in the post despite showing flashes at times, and it was more of the same against Duke. Zack Austin has stepped up as a rim protector at times, but Pitt otherwise doesn't have much of an answer in that department and that showed as its struggles continued. 

As a result of those deficiencies, the Panthers saw diminishing returns in their perimeter defense. At times, Pitt opted to send help down low in an effort to help out its frontcourt and limit Duke's easy looks around the rim. The fallout from that decision was them leaving any number of the Blue Devils' sharpshooters uncovered for a three from the corner or the wing, looks that Duke rarely let go to waste as it finished 11-of-25 from behind the arc. 

The Panthers' transition defense did them no favors either, nor did their switch to zone after the Blue Devils' hot start. Pitt never looked comfortable defending Duke at any juncture, and it was clear from the start that its combination of length, speed and shooting was too much for the Panthers to contend with. 

An unfortunate takeaway for Pitt from this contest is that it simply cannot defend against a team the caliber of Duke as currently constructed. The Panthers have the personnel necessary to keep opposing offenses in check, though they did little to invoke confidence in that belief on Tuesday night. Truth be told, Pitt is fortunate the Blue Devils let their foot off the gas in second half and scored just 27 points, as it could've been a whole lot worse all things considered. 

Perhaps gaining experience against an upper-echelon unit or a shift in their defensive philosophy will help Pitt round into shape, but they have to right the ship before it's too late. The Panthers' margin for error throughout the rest of ACC play is razor thin, and something has to give if they have their eyes set on another run to the NCAA tournament. 

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