OT: Duke vs Pittsburgh @ the Pete predictions

[Trueblue25]

This game does matter, it's the game before Duke comes to College Basketball's finest venue. Fitting it seems that they get the first round of the Big East gauntlet at the House of Horrors.


Pittsburgh 82
Duke 71

 

[iommi]

I like Pitt, how can you not at the Pete...I think they put Duke into a meat grinder and kill them on the glass. I'm going Pitt by 7...I'll say 70-63.

 

[Trueblue25]

I have a weird feeling that Duke is going to get destroyed. I just feel like they won't be able to match up with the grit and physicality of Pitt...especially on their home court.

 

[iommi]

I have a weird feeling that Duke is going to get destroyed. I just feel like they won't be able to match up with the grit and physicality of Pitt...especially on their home court.

No way they get destroyed...Duke is actually playing great ball right now.

 

[Marsh01]

Duke will win this game

 

[obliterata]

I hope Duke loses by 50 then lose their luggage on the way to Syracuse and have to play SU wearing their 4-day old diapers.

 

[Cuse315Pat]

Honestly wouldn't mind Duke winning this game. Give them some false confidence to come to the Dome. And give Pitt another loss to fall behind in conference standings, leaving Virginia the only runner up in the mean time.

 

[skurey]

Yeah I would like to see Pitt get a 2nd ACC loss

 

[PoppyHart]

Duke hasn't shown they can beat quality teams on the road this year. (Nor have we, fwiw). They have 1 road win all year, against a team that is 10-9 on the season. Let's not get too excited about a Duke resurgence yet.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I certainly hope Pitt loses 75-0.

 

[Orangeyes]

Not to give Duke an excuse but K wasn't himself during that bad stretch they had. For any one who has lost a loved one what K says is so true.

Next Saturday's Duke-Syracuse game is going to be a dog fight.

“We haven’t been at our best since the start of conference, and I haven’t been at my best since Christmas. That’s my responsibility,” he said, alluding to the Dec. 26 death of his older brother, Bill. “We were there tonight, and we were collectively together tonight for the first time in a couple of weeks. It was my responsibility that we weren’t as much as we should have. But today we were.”

After every question he fielded, save a specific one about defending Joe Harris on Virginia’s final play, Krzyzewski laid blame on himself, even when none was implied.

“I’m not saying we will platoon like that all the time, but we are going to play more guys. Again, I’ve had to get more observant with my team. I take responsibility, full responsibility, for those first three games,” he said, referring to the win against Georgia Tech and losses at Notre Dame and Clemson.

“We’ve been playing hard,” he said. “I got knocked back right after Christmas. And I’ve been knocked back for a couple of weeks. It’s on me, not on my team. So what we have been doing, to me, doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. It’s on me. What we will be doing, that will be on all of us. Today is on all of us. Win or lose. We’re all in today. That’s the way it is.

“Look, we’re human beings. And human beings have setbacks.'
The News & Observer

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

Early season loses do not make for a bad team in March. At the end of the day, when 6 teams from the ACC make tournament, we'll see how tough a league we are in. Duke is playing excellent basketball right now. The key to this game is controlling the glass. If Pitt gets second and third and fourth chances, they win.

 

[NKR1978]

Duke by 5+. They're starting to live up to the preseason hype.

 

[SBU72]

Duke hasn't shown they can beat quality teams on the road this year. (Nor have we, fwiw). They have 1 road win all year, against a team that is 10-9 on the season. Let's not get too excited about a Duke resurgence yet.

Back to the old discussion of wether you would want a good/decent team to win or lose the game preceeding one with SU, A win might give them confidence that they have figured things out. Or over confident. A lose might make them question themselvess. Or make them more determinded.

 

[elkeed]

Patterson has developed into a great player. He's playing as well as anybody, parker and cj included. Duke has no answer for him. Pitt by 5.

 

[jordoo]

I want Duke to win so our game with them is hyped even more (and our win against them seems bigger) also it helps for Pitt to get a 2nd loss in conference since DUke has 2. . . . . . . I'm not sure they can do it unless the physicality is called in their favor.

 

[cusetown1]

Duke is going to get absolutely manhandled inside.

 

[normaliswear]

I wouldnt mind Pitt getting a 2nd ACC loss. But I'll say..

Shieces of Pitt 72
Duke Bags 69

 

[SWC75]

Back to the old discussion of wether you would want a good/decent team to win or lose the game preceeding one with SU, A win might give them confidence that they have figured things out. Or over confident. A lose might make them question themselvess. Or make them more determinded.

Thank you for resolving that for us.

 

[LennX6]

Pitt 65 Duke 62

 

[senorpalmer]

I predict this will be one of the few acc games (not involving SU) that won't bore me to tears.

 

[Ghost]

Interesting match-up.

Duke seems to be playing better of late, and they have plenty of individual offensive talent. Pitt's going to have trouble guarding them, so it may come down to whether Pitt can win this game by out-rebounding the living out of them. I don't see it happening - Duke wins by 5-10 and leads most of the way.

I suppose there is always the big question of whether or not the officials will allow Pitt to hack the living hell out of them - while also employing 84 moving screens per half (Note: When this starts happening the officials usually call Pitt's opponent for a token moving screen just to add insult to injury). They usually do it to us, so maybe Duke gets a taste. If that's the case, Pitt wins by 2.

 

[SWC75]

Interesting match-up.

Duke seems to be playing better of late, and they have plenty of individual offensive talent. Pitt's going to have trouble guarding them, so it may come down to whether Pitt can win this game by out-rebounding the living out of them. I don't see it happening - Duke wins by 5-10 and leads most of the way.

I suppose there is always the big question of whether or not the officials will allow Pitt to hack the living hell out of them - while also employing 84 moving screens per half (Note: When this starts happening the officials usually call Pitt's opponent for a token moving screen just to add insult to injury). They usually do it to us, so maybe Duke gets a taste. If that's the case, Pitt wins by 2.

The team that never gets called vs. the team that gets all the calls.

A perennial ACC power vs. a newcomer.

ACC refs.

The newcomer is the home team.

Stay tuned...

 

[Madbiker]

OMG Duke lost 2 games...the world is coming to an end. Please.If you visit their fan board most all the talk is about them and UNC. It's like the other teams in the conference don't even exist. That's how its been forever for those two. That world is changing. Kinda hope Pitt manhandles them (boy I feel dirty saying that). And of course it's hugely important for us to beat them next Saturday.

 

[Cusefan95]

.If you visit their fan board most all the talk is about them and UNC. It's like the other teams in the conference don't even exist.

How many posts are there on this board about UConn...a team we don't even play this year. The world is changing...but old hatreds/biases live on for a long time.