The independent news organization of Duke University
The inconsistent start to the season continued for Duke against Pittsburgh.
Matthew Hurt entered Tuesday night’s game against Pittsburgh as the frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year. The Panthers’ Justin Champagnie had other ideas.
Duke made the voters look smart throughout the first half Tuesday, trailing 43-34 entering the break.
The Blue Devils enter the contest as 2.5-point favorites.
After Duke fell out of the AP Poll Monday for the first time since 2016, a win in Pittsburgh is essential if head coach Mike Krzyzewski and company want to get the season back on track.
Duke fell out of the AP top 25 for the first time since 2016.
The sophomore wing has been streaky on both ends throughout his second year in Durham.
After too many sloppy shots in the last three minutes, Duke couldn’t finish, leaving fans feeling our one word: disappointment.
Duke stormed back against Virginia Tech to trim an 18-point deficit to just one. From there, everything fell apart.
Cassell Coliseum is notorious for rattling young Duke teams, with the Blue Devils entering Tuesday night's contest having lost three of their last four games in the usually deafening arena. Even with the crowd size greatly reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions, Duke still succumbed to defeat at the hands of the Hokies.
Virginia Tech quickly exploited the Blue Devils’ weaknesses, jumping out to a 46-34 lead at halftime. Here are five observations from the first 20 minutes.
Virginia Tech has been one of the surprise teams in the ACC this season, and presents a unique challenge for Duke.
Duke is heading into its toughest ACC matchup thus far.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski indicated that Blue Devil fans could see Johnson return to the floor soon.
The Blue Devils are starting to put it all together.
Hurt’s development as an all-around weapon has put him in ACC Player of the Year conversations, despite his missing out on both preseason All-ACC teams.
“Wednesday was a horrible day. It was an insurrection. It went to the very fabric of this great country where the symbol for our democracy is that Capitol,” Krzyzewski said in what was his first press conference since the riots. “And we allowed that symbol to be really just spit on and stepped on.”
Matthew Hurt and DJ Steward combined for 47 points, and in the end their scoring proved enough for Duke to avoid the upset despite a close first half.
It was a close first half, with the Blue Devils heading into the locker room holding a narrow 37-33 lead.
Make no mistake, it will still be a steep uphill battle for Wake Forest, but the odds of a blowout are low.
