Key three: Can Duke take care of the ball and outscore Pittsburgh?

After an uninspiring loss at N.C. State Saturday afternoon, Duke will hit the road once again with a trip to Pittsburgh Wednesday at 7 p.m. looking to get back to .500 in ACC play. The Blue Zone gives three keys for the Blue Devils to walk out of a hostile environment victorious this time:

Dominate the turnover battle

In the ugly loss to N.C. State, many things went wrong—among the glaring issues was the turnover battle. The Blue Devils coughed up the ball 16 times to the Wolfpack’s 10 turnovers, stunting the flow of the offense and giving N.C. State the chance to extend its lead down the stretch. 

As one of the most efficient offenses in the country, Duke needs to limit giveaways to compensate for its defensive struggles as of late. Despite shooting well, a young and inexperienced Pittsburgh team had 22 turnovers in its loss to Virginia Tech. A win in the turnover column should go a long way for Duke as it searches for its first ACC road win. 

Return to form from beyond the arc

In its three conference contests, the Blue Devils have shot poorly from the 3-point line, at just better than 25 percent. Outside of those three games, Duke has shot 38.7 percent from beyond the arc, which would rank in the top five in the ACC. Gary Trent Jr. and Grayson Allen in particular have struggled in ACC play. As two of the team’s most capable perimeter shooters, having them return to form would only further strengthen the most potent offense in college basketball.

Let Bagley and Carter Jr. roll

The Panthers will be playing without their top forward Ryan Luther, who has missed the last six games with a stress fracture in his foot. Luther averaged a double-double for Pittsburgh through the first 10 games of the season and was a prominent figure down low on both sides of the ball. His absence opens the door for freshman sensations Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. to command the ball on the post after a tough matchup against N.C. State.