Duke Blue Devils vs Pittsburg Panthers: Match Preview – Players To Watch, Head to Head, and Prediction

Duke has been having a rollercoaster campaign in the 2023-24 NCAA season. After making a promising start to their season, the Blue Devils lost their way to Arkansas and Georgia Tech consecutively. However, they managed to turn things around by winning their next six games in convincing fashion.

Following this, they now travel to Pittsburg to take on the Panthers next. Can they extend their winning run in the Steel City? Let’s find out!

Duke holds the advantage head-to-head

Tuesday night promises to be another cracking contest as two formidable ACC programs lock horns against one another. Both these teams are coming off fresh victories from their previous games. While Duke earned a hard-fought 67-59 victory over Notre Dame, the Panthers humbled Louisville 83-70 away from home. Head-to-head, the Blue Devils hold an upper hand over Pittsburg with a dominating 16-6 record.

Moreover, they came out victorious in their previous three fixtures including the ACC quarterfinals earlier this year which Duke won handsomely by 96-69. Currently, the Blue Devils have an impeccable 11-3 record and currently occupy the fifth spot in the Atlantic Coast. Meanwhile, Pittsburg has won 10 out of their 15 games played so far which ranks them 13th on the table.

Read More: Why Is Kyle Filipowski Duke’s Knight in Shining Armour?

The question now arises – does the Panthers have enough to withstand Duke’s star power?

Players to watch out for

The Blue Devils currently have five of its top players averaging in double-digits. The towering 7-foot giant Kyle Filipowski leads the pack for them with an average of 16.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Jeremy Roach is not so far behind with his 14.8 points along with 3.1 assists. In addition to this, Jared McCain (12.1 points, four rebounds) and Mark Mitchell (12.8 points, 5.8 rebounds) along with some assistance from Tyrese Proctor (9.5 points, 4.3 assists) are some other players who can trouble the Panthers.

As for the home team, who holds a scoring average of 79.1 per game, senior forward Blake Hinson has been doing the bulk of the scoring for them. The explosive no.2 holds the best scoring average of 19.1 in the team. Further, he is also their best 3-point shooter with a 40.8% accuracy. Freshman Carlton Carrington is also a valuable addition to the team. The 6 ft 4 in guard holds a healthy average of 14.6 points per game and has a field goal percentage of 43.1.

While the Blue Devils will enter the contest as favorites, few will argue that the Panthers won’t have a trick or two up their sleeve. We all will have to wait and see who comes out on top in this exciting matchup.

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Can the Blue Devils win their 7th game in a row? Let us know in the comments section.