No. 4 Duke thumps Pitt 76-47
Pitt drops to 12-3 on the season after a setback to Duke
DURHAM, N.C. — The Pitt Panthers dropped their first ACC game of the season with a 76-47 setback to No. 4 Duke inside of Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night. Pitt battled early on, and stayed within striking distance for much of the second half, but a late 18-0 avalanche by the Blue Devils emphatically shut the door over the final eight minutes.
The Panthers rode an 11-point performance from junior big man, Cam Corhen, but he was also the only Pitt player to reach double figures. The dynamic Pitt backcourt was held in check with Ishmael Leggett (4) and Jaland Lowe (8) combining for just 12 points on 5-of-27 combined shooting from the field.
On the other side of things, Duke produced a balanced attack with five guys reaching double figures, led buy 19 points from Cooper Flagg, arguably the best player in the country this season. Flagg did most of his damage in the second half after dealing with foul trouble in the first 20 minutes. The talented freshman scored 14 after the break, including two loud dunks that got the Duke fans on their feet.
Pitt slipped to 3-1 in ACC play, and 12-3 overall. Heading into this game, Pitt was the No. 2 team in the conference by most metrics, but the Panthers were simply outmatched against the top team in the league on their home court.
Lid on for Leggett
Pitt defeated Stanford on Saturday thanks to a 21-point effort from senior guard Ishmael Leggett. On Tuesday, he had trouble replicating that performance when the competition got a little harder. Duke’s ability to switch from guard to big on defense threw a wrench into Pitt’s offensive plans.
When Leggett is at his best, he’s creating mismatches and finishing tough contested layups. Duke’s switching ability, and also simply being able to clog the lane sort of took away most of Leggett’s strengths as a player. On top of that, I think he got frustrated and tried to force some bad looks as well.
It was always going to be tough for Pitt to beat No. 4 Duke on their home floor. It was virtually impossible when Leggett, Pitt’s leading scorer, finished with four points on 2-of-15 shopping. The senior has had plenty of big performances to show this was more of an anomaly more than anything, but still, he had a tough go at it against Duke.
Mixed bag
Pitt competed.
Pitt lapsed.
Pitt battled back.
Pitt fell apart.
I think you can look at the game and all of those statements were true throughout the 40-minute contest against Duke. Pitt hung tough, especially defensively early on, and mucked up the game enough to frustrate Duke in the early stages.
But like most good teams, Duke went on a run to build a 10-point lead at halftime. After a pair of electric dunks from Flagg in the second half, it looked like Duke was going to run away with it. But Pitt sort of hung in there. After Brandin Cummings had two tough finishes and cut the lead to 11, it seemed like Pitt had enough to make a push in the final eight minutes, only the home team went on that late run, outscoring Pitt 18-0 down the stretch to leave no doubt.
At times, Pitt’s effort was admirable, but in other moments it felt like they left a lot on the floor.
Ran into a buzzsaw
There were moments where Pitt could have made this game closer, finished some shots, and cleared the glass a little bit better defensively. There were spots where this game did not have to be a blowout, but at the same time, a lot of the failures for the Panthers were because Duke was simply that good.
The Blue Devils will have a case to be ranked No. 1 on next week, with Tennessee going down on Monday. Pitt became the latest victim for Duke, as it has now won nine in a row, including a victory over then No. 2 Auburn. There are very few teams playing at their level here in early January.
The star power of Flagg, the length at every position, and the sheer ability of everyone who touches the floor makes them a tough assignment. There are no easy answers for attacking them defensively, and they have so many threats to score as well.
Pitt may get another shot at this team on a neutral floor in March, and things could look a little differently. But for where both teams stand here in early January, Duke is just better in virtually every way.
Dunn returns
Damian Dunn was cleared for action and he played in his first game since November, after missing the past six weeks with a dislocated thumb. Dunn totaled 21 minutes, scored seven points and two rebounds. The senior guard’s night was cut short with a flagrant-2 foul called on him which ejected him from the game.
Dunn looked tentative at first, and was really only cleared for full activity on Monday, so it was understandable he was not at his best. The senior guard still provided another option off the bench, and should improve over time. He is a veteran, which allowed him to jump back in, but like anyone else, it appears he will need a game or two to get up to full speed.
Cam handled the moment
If you listened to Jeff Capel’s press conference, or simply watched the game, then you saw Duke’s size advantage. It’s not that Pitt is a short team, but the Blue Devils’ length one through five was noticeable. This was a particular matchup I wondered if Cam Corhen would struggle, but I think he equated himself fine with 11 points and seven rebounds, as well as three blocked shots and two assists. Corhen competed on the glass, and gave Pitt a threat inside, which was about the only thing that went well for the Panthers in this game.
More Beebah?
Brandin Cummings played 15 minutes on Tuesday night, and finished with six points. The freshman guard has added some more scoring in recent games, and came up with two tough finishes in the second half when it was still a game. Cummings provided a spark, and is still perhaps Pitt’s best three-point threat at the moment. In a game where Pitt was looking for more offense, Cummings seemed like an answer, and could have bought himself some more minutes in the future.
Up next
Pitt is back in action on Saturday for a noon tip against an upstart Louisville team at the Petersen Events Center. The Cardinals have gone through a rebirth after a few lean seasons. Louisville is fresh off of a 74-64 win over Clemson on Tuesday night and has won five games in a row and will carry an 11-5 (4-1) mark into Saturday.
Pitt will look to keep its streak in tact. The Panthers are 9-0 at home this season, and have won 15 straight games at the Petersen Events Center, which is among the top 10 active home winning streaks in college basketball.
