Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET the No. 18 Duke Blue Devils (16-4, 5-2 ACC) will face a stiff ACC road test on ESPN against the No. 20 Pittsburgh Panthers (18-2, 6-1 ACC) in action that can be live streamed free here. Duke fans can listen to the game on 620 The Buzz AM, while Pitt fans can hear the game on 93.7 The Game.
This game will be momentous for Pitt fans, who have long battled the likes of UConn, Georgetown, etc. in epic conference battles. Now, they will stare down Mike Kryzewski for the first time ever as ACC foes.
"Looking down to my left and seeing Coach K on the sideline, I don't even know how to explain it," junior guard Cam Wright said. "That will be a pretty remarkable moment I guess."
Duke is on a four-game winning streak entering tonight's game, but Pitt will not be easy to topple. They've lost just one ACC game so far, to the Syracuse Orange, and are undefeated during the 2013-2014 season at home.
The Blue Devils started slow in conference play, but center Marshall Plumlee thinks they're starting to plug the holes they showed during those rough performances. "Rebounding is something we've really tried to make a focal point these last few weeks," Plumlee said.
"Alongside our defense, I feel like it's something that's starting to show in recent games so no matter who we play we're hoping to come up with the W on the boards and defensive stops."
Duke freshman Jabari Parker is well-known around the nation, but he will have a tough matchup with senior forward Lamar Patterson, who leads Pitt in both points (17.9) and assists (4.7) per game. Numbers-wise Pitt is comparable, so Wright thinks treating the matchup as just another game will be crucial.
"We're excited but we're not looking at it as we're playing Duke next," Wright said. "We're looking at it as a game on our schedule and a roadblock that we have to get past."
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