Preview: Pitt Battles No. 4 Duke

The Pitt Panthers take on a No. 4 Duke squad on the road.

Conor Hutchison | Jan 7, 2025

Dec 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Ishmael Leggett (5) shoots against the Sam Houston State Bearkats during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The spring semester is about to start but the Pitt Panthers have one more stop--Durham, N.C. to take on the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils.

Pitt took down No. 7 Duke on the road last season for the first time in school history behind a perfect 7-for-7 shooting display from deep and 24 points from Blake Hinson on Jan. 20, 2024. Head coach Jeff Capel is looking for repeat success, almost a year later.

Sophomore guard Jaland Lowe has the experience to draw from. Lowe, a now projected first-round NBA pick, recorded 17 points and six assists in that win at Duke. He also hit a big 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining and shushed the home crowd with a finger to his lips.

Senior guard Ishmael Leggett also added 11 points in his 27 minutes off the bench in the win. He leads the Panthers with 17.8 points per game and Lowe is right behind him with 17.4 points per game.

The Panthers are on a five-game win streak and remain undefeated in the ACC. They lost to their only other ranked opponent this season when they faced the then ranked No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers in the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Nov. 24.

Pitt gets a chance at redemption against a freshman-powered Duke team with several NBA prospects.

Pitt vs. Duke Preview

The Blue Devils are led by the consensus first pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, first-year guard/forward Cooper Flagg.

Hailing from Newport, ME, Flagg stands at six-foot-nine and is arguably the best defender in the country. He averages 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, ranking No. 4, No. 7 and No. 9 in the ACC, respectively.

While defense comes naturally to Flagg, his offensive game is constantly improving. Flagg leads the Blue Devils with 17.4 points and 3.6 assists in his 30.8 minutes per game. He also shoots 44.7% from the field, 30.0% from 3-point range and 78.7% from the foul line, ranking No. 11 in field goal percentage and No. 15 in free throw percentage in the ACC.

Duke's second-leading scorer is first-year guard Kon Knueppel, who stands at six-foot-seven. Coming from Milwaukee, Wis.,

Knueppel is an outstanding shooter, garnering the attention of NBA scouts. His three-point efficiency is a decent 34.1%, but he certainly can improve, considering he has made 24 of his 25 free throw attempts, a team-leading efficiency.

The third member of the Blue Devils' guard trio is junior Tyrese Proctor, who stands at six-foot-six. Born in Sydney, Australia, Proctor has stayed as a contributor from his first game as a Blue Devil.

He started 34 of 36 games he appeared in his first season, started almost 80% of games played the next season, and has started all 14 games this season averaging around 30 minutes per game every year.

Proctor is arguably the most reliable three-point shooter this season for the Blue Devils considering he shoots 41.7% on six attempts per game leading to 11.6 points per game and catching the eye of NBA scouts.

The most efficient 3-point shooter for Duke this season is first-year guard Isaiah Evans, who stands at six-foot-six. Evans is averaging 13.8 minutes off the bench but is making 50% of his 4.7 three-pointers per game. He is also the fourth-leading scorer for Duke with 8.5 points per game.

Another NBA prospect the Blue Devils roster is first-year center Khaman Maluach, who stands at seven-foot-two.

Hailing from Rumbek, South Sudan, Maluach has five games he's scored in double figures with a season high of 17 points against Incarnate Word. He grabbed 14 rebounds and added 11 points in a 100-58 win over Army on Nov. 8, 2024,

The Blue Devils have a great size advantage over most teams they play, with their shorted listed player who earns significant minutes coming in 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Caleb Foster, who averages 7.1 points in his 19.3 minutes per game.

Leggett, Lowe, and first-year guard Brandin "Beebah" Cummings all stand at six-foot-three, making the Blue Devils a tough team to match up against physically.

The Panthers could be without graduate student guard Damian Dunn for the eighth-straight game after having surgery on his right thumb. Capel said that Dunn, "could be" back against Duke but it will depend on the results of a doctor's appointment on the day before traveling to Durham.

The Panthers pulled off a resume defining upset last year at Cameron Indoor, which helped them win 11 of their next 14 in ACC play, but they still missed out on the NCAA Tournament.

Although they balked up on their non-conference schedule this season with hopes of leaving no doubts in the minds of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, another road win at Duke would put the Panthers into the upper echelon of college basketball, but it's their toughest challenge yet.