Duke will take a roughly 2-week break from the schedule before returning to action against Jeff Capel and the Pitt Panthers at Cameron Indoor Stadium. After an embarrassing 10-point home loss to St Francis (PA), Pitt has turned things around and reeled off 5 wins. That streak includes a big comeback against Northwestern in Evanston, IL, and a comfortable 15-point margin against a depleted Miami team that was playing without Chris Lykes and several other contributors. From a stylistic perspective, Pitt is nearly the opposite of Duke's most recent opponent, Norte Dame. They play a tough style of defense but struggle to score the ball. Head Coach Jeff Capel, now in his third year in Pittsburgh, has a somewhat young roster and goes 8-10 deep. This game could look ugly after a long Duke layoff.
The "big 3" for Pitt is in the backcourt, spearheaded by a pair of juniors and a sophomore rising star. 6'3" JR PG Xavier Johnson runs the show and does everything. He has been more of a 3-level scorer this year and has found success scoring inside the arc and has facilitated the offense well enough. He's a tough guard and will get rebounds though he can be a little loose with the ball at times. 6'6" JR G Au'Diese Toney is another tough-minded guard and has stepped up this year after the departure of classmate Trey McGowens. Toney is more of a slasher/driver but has found a more accurate jumper and is 9-22 (40.9%) from behind the arc. Toney and Johnson love to get to the rim and take a lot of free throw attempts. Preventing dribble penetration will be key. The other part of the big 3 is 6'6" Justin Champagnie who has been do-it-all player for Pitt this year. He had consecutive 20 point/20 rebound games earlier this year. The jumper is not there yet with Champagnie, so forcing him to pull up would be a good defensive strategy. Champagnie has been very effective around the rim this season and active on the boards. He is a 3-point jumper away from becoming an NBA prospect. Besides Johnson, Toney, and Champagnie, 6'3" SO Ithiel Horton starts and has played about 20 minutes a game for Pitt. He is more of a designated shooter, though, and should not be left open. He's more of an afterthought on offense, though.
While Toney and Champagnie are wings or undersized forwards, the frontcourt consists of starter 6'8" SO Abdoul Karim Coulibaly. The big man is not utilized in the offense and rarely takes shots. He is there to defend the rim, set screens, and grab rebounds. He is best as a rim protector. Off the bench, a pair of FR, 6'9" 240 lb. John Hugley will provide some interior presence. The frontcourt is really lacking for Pitt this season, although Hugley was a top 100 recruit and he, along with Coulibaly could grow into the position in a few years. There are a few other freshmen and sophomores that play, although they hardly stand out.
Overall, Pitt makes life tough around the rim for opponents and is both a good rebounding and shot blocking team. They struggle to score, though, especially if teams can prevent the big 3 from getting good looks around the rim. Pitt was in a tight game against a very depleted Miami team until about 10 or 11 minutes were left in the game. They barely escaped with a 1 point victory against Northwestern after trailing by 5 points with less than 45 seconds remaining. This is not a good Pitt team, but they make life tough for opponents and have a trio of tough and talented players in Johnson, Toney, and Champagnie. Duke will have to continue to make strides on offense and continue to play stout defense. If Duke has its full complement of players available, they will have a serious size, talent, and skill advantage. Will they be able to shake off the rust of two weeks to take advantage?