PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – As bad as the start was in the first half, Pitt equaled it in the second half as Duke rolled the Panthers 96-69 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
Blue Devils started the game on a 12-0 run and started the second half on a 12-0 run. Everything in-between was just as bad. The 48 points in the first half were a season-high for the Blue Devils and they did it twice. Duke won in every way, only some missed shots by the end of the Blue Devils bench dropped the shooting percentage.
· Freshman Kyle Filipowski played 15 minutes, 8-10 FG, 4-6 from 3, 22 points
· Tyrese Proctor had 11 points, 10 assists in 26 minutes
· shot 62% FG, 42% from 3, 46 points in the paint, 27 assists
“They were outstanding,” said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel. “They were the hottest team in the league. The thing they hadn’t done in the last four-five games is shot the ball well from three. The game plan was to crowd the lane and they made us pay for it.”
“That knocked us back right away. We couldn’t get into a rhythm offensively. We missed some shots early. I thought for the first time in a really, really long time we got knocked back and did not respond.”
Meanwhile, it wasn’t even that Pitt shot a horrible percentage 42%, they couldn’t stop the Blue Devils. It’s the most points given up by a Pitt team since the 96 against North Carolina on February 3, 2018. Nike Sibande finished with a team-high 17 points, freshman Guillermo Diaz Graham with 14.
“I thought we put our heads down collectively as a group,” Capel said. “That has been the hallmark of our team all season and for whatever reason we didn’t do that today. They made us pay for it because they are really talented and good.”
The question now is what lies ahead for Pitt. Did they do enough with 22 overall wins, 15 against ACC teams, to get into the NCAA Tournament? Bracketologists claim the selection committee doesn’t judge recent results as the Panthers have lost three of four, two of those to ranked teams.
It’s been seven years since Pitt made March Madness, it appeared going into the game they were in. How will Thursday’s game impact it?
Asked if Pitt had built an NCAA Tournament resume, Capel simply said ‘yes’.
Capel spoke of still having the final part of their season and they will use this to get better. Senior Jamarius Burton said they have to flip the switch because ‘we have more basketball to play. We still have the opportunity to write our story.’
"I don't think Pitt is as respected as they should be, they can really score the ball," said Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. “Pitt is an NCAA Tournament team."