There was never a doubt in this one. Duke dominated this game from start to finish in what was their best performance of the season.
Observations:
Hard three point closeouts
Duke looked extremely well prepared to defend Pittsburgh’s three point happy attack. The Blue Devils did a tremendous job of closing out hard and running Pittsburgh off of the three points line. The Panthers had a difficult time finding an open look from distance.
Kyle Filipowski
Kyle Filipowski looked like a National Player of the Year type of player Tuesday night. He shut down the paint defensively, routinely altering shots and at times deterring shot attempts all together.
On the other end of the floor, he was in full control. It did not matter if he was being defended by one player or doubled – he made Pittsburgh pay regardless both as a scorer and a passer. In addition to being unstoppable inside, he was also a perfect 4/4 from three point territory.
Guard play
This was the best Duke’s guards have looked as a collective group all season. Between the superb ball movement, lack of turnovers, and excellent shot making, they were superb Tuesday night. When Duke’s guards play like this, they are going to be very tough to beat.
Rebounding
Duke did a good job limiting Pittsburgh to one shot. Though the Panthers are a very good offensive rebound team, they had very little opportunities for second chance points as Duke’s effort on the glass was excellent. It was not only Duke’s bigs as the guards did a good job hitting the glass as well.
Up Next: Vs. Georgia Tech