Preview: #7 Duke vs. #9 Pitt

Hey guys, I'm still on vacation in Miami with my main man Charlie. I'm pumped for the Duke vs. Pitt showdown tomorrow night. Here's a preview from Scrapper Nation guest columnist Vivek Upadhyay. This is a great read, enjoy.

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In what has been something of a blessing and a curse at the same time, for the first time in probably a decade the media has not given Duke the insane attention it usually receives. In comparison to last year when Duke was “dethroned,” and the year before when J.J. Redick was on his quest for a national championship, this year’s Duke squad has not gotten close to that amount of media scrutiny. While it provides Duke with the whole “we’re not getting the respect we deserve” motivation, it also may hurt Duke if this lack of media attention continues in January and February. For some reason, I don’t think it will, and the media storm will begin Thursday night in Madison Square Garden.


For Pitt, this is their first true test. Their only semi-legitimate wins this year have been at Washington (6-4) and at home against Oklahoma State (5-4). While the Pitt offense is definitely healthy (82.1 ppg), and DeJuan Blair is almost looking like an upgrade over preseason All-American Aaron Gray, they’ll get their first true test against a quality defensive team in the Blue Devils.

For Duke, Pitt will definitely be the first time for a young Blue Devil squad to prove to the country that Duke is back in the elite few in college basketball. Furthermore, this will be the first chance for Kyle Singler and/or Gerald Henderson to become household names.

Having watched every team in the top ten play, I can honestly say this will be quite a matchup. Here’s how I think it’ll break down.

FRONTCOURT
Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek, Kyle Singler, and Taylor King have been a surprisingly effective quartet so far this year. This is definitely the Blue Devil’s Achilles heel. While they effectively dealt with Wisconsin’s size, DeJuan Blair will be the first athletic, dominant post player they’ll face. I see this being a potential downfall for the Blue Devils.

Edge: PITT

BACKCOURT
Paulus, Nelson, and Henderson are already a deadly trio, but the play of Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith along with them give the Blue Devils the deepest backcourt in perhaps all of college basketball. What used to be the Blue Devils weakness is now their greatest strength. Ronald Ramon and Mike Cook of Pitt will have their hands full with Nelson and Henderson. Good luck on this one, Panthers.

Edge: DUKE

BENCH
The Blue Devils have abandoned their traditional 7-deep style of play, and it’s doing wonders for the team. Taylor King, Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, and Brian Zoubek will push this 7-man deep Pitt squad.

Edge: DUKE

COACH
Jaime Dixon is one of the most underrated coaches in college basketball. Under the radar, he’s lead Pitt to 10-0 each of the past 5 seasons. However, Coach K is a legend, and by not being afraid to change things up and be creative this year, he will prove all of his critics wrong on Thursday night.

Edge: DUKE

INTANGIBLES
Pitt may be closer, but they call Duke the University of New Jersey at Durham for a reason. Add in the fact that MSG will be packed with tons of Duke alumni, this will be a hostile environment for the Panthers.

Edge: DUKE

FINAL CALL

Duke wins, 84-72