X Factor: Can Duke continue its success from the perimeter against Pittsburgh?

 Duke: Trevon Duval

Trevon Duval’s solid season has been flying under the radar behind the constant 30-point, 10-rebound performances by fellow Blue Devil Marvin Bagley III. Duval has averaged 12.5 points and 6.3 assists per contest and has been a rare true-point guard at Duke this season. The New Castle, Del., native thrives at penetrating off the dribble, but his recent ability to knock down the three ball has made him even more of an offensive threat. After starting the season converting on just seven of 42 attempts from beyond the arc, Duval has found his rhythm of late. Over the last three games, Duval has nailed six of his eight attempts and has answered some of the doubts about his early season shooting woes. 

With Grayson Allen in the midst of his worst shooting slump of his career—draining less than 20 percent of his three-point attempts in conference play—Duval's improvement has been magnified. If Duval can convert from downtown with consistency and makeup for Allen’s struggles, the Blue Devils will still be able to effectively space the floor and give freshman big men Wendell Carter Jr. and Bagley more room to dominate down low. Duval hit three of his five attempts from downtown in Duke’s 87-52 blowout win at Pittsburgh last week, and the Blue Devils would like to see a similar performance at home Saturday.

Pittsburgh: Jared Wilson-Frame

Jared Wilson-Frame has provided a lot of leadership and stability for a young Pittsburgh team that started five freshmen against Duke in last week’s matchup. The 6-foot-5 junior has provided a spark off the bench for the Panthers, and actually leads all healthy Pittsburgh players with 12.5 points per contest. The Panthers have been unable to get anything going offensively during conference play, scoring more than 54 points just once in six contests. In order for Pittsburgh to get its first win of conference play, it will need its most consistent scorer to come out in full force Saturday. Wilson-Frame led the Panthers in scoring against the Blue Devils last week, with a 17-point performance, and has two of the top three individual offensive performances of conference play for Pittsburgh, which has had just one player in double digits combined over its last two conference games.